Walking past the nurses’station, Betty, the senior nurse who has been in rotation since Dominik was admitted a few days ago, looks up from her computer and smiles at me.
“I’m happy to see you finally left.”
I bite the corner of my lip. “I’ve taken plenty of breaks.”
Betty gives me the side eye, like I’m just full of it. Honestly, she’s right because this is the first time I’ve actually left the hospital. Dominik is supposed to be released today, and I decided to finally go home, take a shower, and grab some essentials he might need.
“Be here around 2:30, and we can go over the at-home care instructions. That is, if you’re still open to looking after Dominik while he heals.”
“Of course. Absolutely.”
“He’s lucky to have a caring girlfriend like you.” She winks, making me blush.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Betty purses her lips. “It’s not nothing, dear.”
Shaking my head, I make my way toward Dominik’s room, feeling uncertain about the recent interaction. These past few days have been a rollercoaster of emotions, but I believe I’ve finally figured everything out. My focus now is to take care of Dom to the best of my ability. Once he’s fully recovered, we’ll have a sincere conversation about ending things on a positive note. Even the thought makes my stomach twist in knots.
But it has to be that way. It’s the only way.
Walking through the hallway, I find myself on autopilot. I pass a corridor and a double set of doors that open up to a small garden. As I continue, my attention is caught by the sight of my brother standing outside, his back turned toward me. It looks like he’s watching the gentle snowfall in the sky.
I didn’t know he was here.
He’s alone, and for once, he’s not on his phone. This might be my only opportunity for a long time. Saying a little prayer, I pull the handle and step outside. Aaron’s head turns to the side, but he doesn’t look at me.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey yourself.”
“Are you okay? Is Dominik okay?” I ask.
Aaron slowly turns to face me. “Yeah, everyone is fine.”
I wrap my arms around myself as I approach him. “Why are you still here? I thought you were leaving.”
“I left, but then I came back because I was hoping to run into you. I didn’t feel good about the way I cornered you in the hallway the other day when we were going to see Dom.”
Oh. That takes me by surprise.
“Yeah, same here. Things have felt off between us lately.” I’m surprised I just admitted that to him. But maybe it’s time Aaron and I hash out whatever has been bothering him, because I’m tired of this avoidance game we’ve both been playing.
I miss my brother.
He nods and quickly glances at his watch. It’s clear he’s mentally preparing for the conversation, considering every possible outcome. Aaron never enters a situation without being fully prepared. It’s frustrating how he maintains such a tight grip on his emotions and communicates so precisely. Those subtle, silent cues always make me give in, causing me to talk too much and too quickly. I know he does it on purpose to control every situation, but I wish he would stop pretending with me, justonce. He’s one of the only people I trust in this world, so when he holds back, it makes me feel incredibly alone.
“Listen, I know things have been weird between us since you got to New York, and I know I’ve been blaming work, but it’s the truth. I haven’t been avoiding you, but I feel like you’re hiding things from me, and I don’t want there to be secrets between us.”
Well, that’s a start, I guess.
“I’m not keeping secrets from you. It’s just hard to talk when we’re not even under the same roof half the time. You’re never around.”
Aaron cringes. “Yeah, I get that. And I hate it more than you do, trust me.”
“Do you? Because you easily shoved me aside when your parents showed up out of the blue.”
“Our parents,” he corrects, and it makes me want to rage. That minor word change.
