His words trail off. I hear him but I don’t hear him at the same time. I’m too caught up in my own shit now. He’s my brother and I love him. I want him to be happy, whatever that means… but he’s leaving me like everyone else.
I sit in my truck and stare at the cafe building. I should go home and sleep. Maybe stop and grab a bunch of water or Gatorade, but I can’t seem to move. I’m just so… fucking empty.
My phone dings, and I glance at it.
The notification tells me it’s a text from Miles, so I grab my phone from the cup holder and unlock it.
Miles:
Just making sure you’re okay. I have such a headache.
I treated him like shit this morning… again.
I left him.
Again.
Yet he keeps coming back.
He hasn’t left me. Not like everyone else.
Why?
I don’t answer him; I just drive to his house.
Chapter 23
Miles
I frown when the doorbell rings.
Who the hell is here?
Maybe a package? Sometimes they ring the bell when they leave something, since we have an open porch and anyone can see what’s on it, but I didn’t order anything. Maybe Audrey did?
I head downstairs and pull the door open, expecting to see a box on the front porch.
“JJ…”
“Hey. Can I come in?” he asks, his voice gruff. His hands are shoved into his pockets, shoulders hunched.
“Yeah, of course.”
I step aside and he goes up the stairs. I follow behind him, not sure why he’s here, but I’m not upset about it. He left in a rush acouple hours ago. Maybe he planned on coming back the whole time? How did I miss that?
JJ is standing in my living room when I get up there, and I close the door slowly behind me.
“Is everything okay?” I ask carefully.
“Yeah,” he says, his gaze flicking up to meet mine. “No. I don’t know.”
He runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head.
“I’ll go with no…” I say. “What’s going on?”
I move to sit on the couch, resting my arms on my thighs and watching him. He’s at war with himself, wanting to say something but won’t—or maybe he can’t.
“Look, I like you, Miles—”
