“Just let me finish.” He took a step closer, and I had to resist the urge to back away. “I know I said I wouldn’t wait around, and I meant it. But I also can’t just walk away without at least trying. You’re worth fighting for, James. And whatever’s going on with you, whatever mixed up feelings you’re working through, I want to be there for you. I want to help you figure it out if I can.”
The words were sweet. They were exactly what someone should want to hear from a person they were dating. But all I felt was a growing sense of panic because this was going so wrong in so many ways.
“I appreciate that,” I said carefully. “But like I told you, this isn’t about you. You didn’t do anything wrong. This is about me needing to work through some personal stuff.”
“About your stepbrother?” Trevor asked, and my blood ran cold.
“What?”
“You mentioned him when we talked. And the way you reacted when he showed up at the coffee shop that day...” Trevor’s eyes flicked to Kent, then back to me. “I don’t know, I just got this feeling that there was something going on there. Some kind of family drama or something. But you didn’t elaborate.”
I forced myself to laugh, hoping it sounded natural. “Family drama, yeah. That’s one way to put it.”
“So let me help you with it,” Trevor pressed. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to deal with it alone. That’s what relationships are about, right? Supporting each other through the hard stuff.”
Behind me, I heard Kent shift his weight. When I glanced back at him, his expression was unreadable, but his hands were clenched into fists at his sides.
“Trevor, I really think you should go,” I said, turning back to face him. “I’m sorry you came all the way up here, but this isn’t going to change anything. I can’t give you what you want.”
His face fell, the hope draining from his eyes. “Is there someone else?”
The question hung in the air between us. I could lie. It would be so easy to lie. But something in Trevor’s expression told me he already knew the answer.
“It’s complicated,” I said finally.
“That’s a yes, then.” He took a step back, his shoulders sagging. “Wow. Okay. I guess I really am an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot. And it’s not what you think?—”
“No, it’s fine.” He held up a hand, cutting me off. “I get it. You met someone else, and you’re trying to let me down easy. I should’ve seen it coming.” His eyes flicked to Kent again, something clicking into place in his expression. “Is it him?”
My heart stopped. “What?”
“Your stepbrother. Is it him?” Trevor’s voice was rising now, disbelief and hurt mixing together. “Is that why you’ve been so weird about him? Why you freaked out when he showed up at the coffee shop?”
“Trevor, you need to leave.” Kent’s voice cut through the room like a blade. He’d moved closer, positioning himself slightly between Trevor and me. “Now.”
“Holy shit.” Trevor was staring at us both now, his expression shifting from hurt to disgust. “You’re fucking your stepbrother?”
“Get out,” Kent said, his voice low and dangerous.
“That’s sick, man. That’s really fucking sick.” Trevor was backing toward the door now, shaking his head. “I knew something was off, but this? Jesus Christ, James.”
Panic was clawing at my throat. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real.
“It’s not like that,” I started, but even to my own ears, the words sounded hollow.
“No, I think it’s exactly like that.” Trevor reached for the door handle, his hand shaking. “I feel like I need to take a shower after being in here. You two are—” He cut himself off, seeming to realize that whatever he was about to say would cross a line even he wasn’t willing to cross. “I’m done. Don’t ever contact me again.”
The door slammed behind him, the sound echoing through the apartment like a gunshot.
For a long moment, neither Kent nor I moved. We just stood there in the terrible silence, the weight of what had just happened settling over us like a shroud.
“Fuck,” I finally breathed, my legs suddenly feeling unsteady beneath me.
Kent was at my side immediately, his hand on my elbow. “James?—”
“He knows.” I could hear the tremor in my own voice. “He fuckingknows, Kent.”
