I smile back at him, noting the similarities and differences between Bailey and Hunter. My eyes land on the jagged scar on his forehead, traveling up into his hairline. I wonder how many other scars the boy sitting next to me has—internal and external. “How did you get the scar on your forehead?” I ask, and he immediately touches it. His face shifts, and after taking one step forward with him, I’ve now jumped three steps back. I’m guessing it’s not a happy story, but I don’t think Bailey has many of those. If he does, they probably all revolve around Javi. “Wait, can I change my question?” I blurt out, and the relief in his expression makes me feel better. “Is Javi really the reason you came back?”
I press my fingertips deeper into the sand, trying not to seem like I’m hanging onto the edge of a cliff while I wait for Bailey to gather his thoughts.
God, I can’t believe he’s sitting here next to me. It feels like a fever dream. Am I hallucinating this?
“He has a problem with his heart. There was an ad at one of the shelters for a free clinic, and I didn’t think it would hurt to get us both checked out. I didn’t know they’d actually find something, but I guess Javi’s supposedto be bigger than he is, and he struggles breathing sometimes. The doctor at the clinic said he needed to see a specialist because they heard a murmur, and the EKG they ran showed abnormal results. I can’t afford the doctor, or any treatment he might need after, but I thought maybe I could convince my parents to pay for his care. Now it seems like too much to ask of them after everything I’ve put them through,” he says, his brows furrowed as he watches Javi.
My hand seems to have a mind of its own, reaching over to rest on top of Bailey’s in silent reassurance. “You know they’d help him in a heartbeat,” I say, and Bailey flinches. His emerald eyes move to meet mine before his attention drops to where our hands touch. “Shit, I’m sorry,” I stammer, my cheeks heating because I don’t know how to act around him anymore.
Before I can pull my hand away, Bailey turns his over, lacing our fingers together. “Don’t apologize. It’s fine,” he says, his voice rough like sandpaper.
I want to know everything, but at the same time, I’m terrified.
I don’t pull away as my vision blurs with tears, and my heart feels heavy from how long I’ve spent missing the boy who used to be my favorite person.
“Hunter, he’s been gone for years, and that’s what you say to him when he comes back?” I know I’m being harsh, but he needs to hear this. I mean, what the fuck? Is he trying to make Bailey leave again?
Hunter sits on the edge of his bed, dragging his hands over his face. “What do you want me to do? Fall at his feet and cry about how much I missed him? Bailey chose to leave. He chose tocall JJ, and I’m his fucking twin. He never once reached out to me, and I lost my other half.”
I blink, trying not to think about how small Bailey looked compared to my boyfriend sitting in front of me. I’ve been there every step of the way for Hunter since he left, but is it wrong of me to want to know if anyone’s been there for Bailey?
I’m not stupid enough to ignore there had to be something that went down between the twins. I think I’ve been too afraid to ask what happened, but I never expected the first thing out of his mouth to his brother to be,See you again in three years?
“I know how hard it’s been for you to be stuck in the loop of hoping Bailey will call and hating him when he doesn’t, but we don’t know what happened to him while he was gone. Don’t you want to find out where he’s been? Why Bailey left? Because I do. I know he’s your twin, but B left everyone. You don’t have to fall at his feet, but you didn’t have to be a dick to him.” I unzip my rash guard because I doubt we’re going to head back out.
After finding one of my shirts hanging in Hunter’s closet, I slip it on and button my cutoff shorts from earlier.
I feel like my mind has been scrambled trying to make sense of seeing Bailey again. I didn’t even have the chance to say anything, but he barely looked at me. Shame crawls up my spine because I shouldn’t care whether Bailey stopped to look at me when he’s seeing his family again for the first time in two years.
The floor creaks behind me, and Hunter’s arms wrap around me, tugging me against his firm chest. I’m torn when he kisses the back of my neck softly, resting his head on my shoulder a moment later.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, but it doesn’t make me feel better.
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to,” I reply, untangling myself from his hold on me.
Hunter gapes at me in disbelief when I turn to face him. “Babe, you can’t be serious right now.”
“I am,” I say, and I soften, feeling guilty. “I’m notdefending Bailey, but what you said to him was wrong. You owe him an apology.”
I walk out of his room before he can say anything else, knowing we both need time to cool off.
Hunter texted me a little while ago asking where I was, but I didn’t respond, needing a second to breathe and settle my mind, which probably was a mistake.
My phone rings in my back pocket, and I know I can’t avoid it after seeing Hunter’s name on the caller ID, but I don’t realize my second mistake until I answer.
“Hey, I—Hunter?” I pull my hand from Bailey, my heart dropping when I realize my boyfriend is in near hysterics. “What’s wrong?” I ask, softening my voice to try soothing him.
“I fucked up, Kait. I had my chance to make things right with Bailey, and instead I lashed out at him. He left, and I-I can’t breathe.” Hunter wheezes, gasping for air, and the sound of his panic sets off alarms in my head. “What if I never see him again?” he asks, practically choking on the question.
Oh my god.
I didn’t tell anyone we were leaving or that Bailey and Javi are with me. Why didn’t I think to tell someone?
“Baby, no, that’s not what happened,” I say, standing up to brush the sand from the back of my thighs, and Bailey is looking at me in alarm.Shit, I can’t try to keep Bailey calm right now while trying to help his brother. I shake my head, hoping he understands this can’t wait.
“Yes, it is. He’s gone, and he’s not going to come back this time.You were right.I did this—I ruined everything.”
Shit, I should have responded to his text to at least let himknow I was with Bailey, but I think it would’ve only added more fuel to Hunter’s frustration.
