Page 114 of Xavier

“Then how can I leave? When he can still walk out of here.”

He sighs and shrugs. “Because it’s what she wants. You’re going to have to live with that.”

I shake my head. “She doesn’t know what she wants. She’s terrified of him.”

“And yet she came here. To stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life.”

“And now she’s terrified of me.”

He doesn’t lie and say she doesn’t. He wouldn’t. “You can change that.”

“Maybe it’s too late.”

“Maybe. And you’ll have to learn to live with that as well.”

“No, I don’t, Kaine.” I brush his hand off and walk out the door.

I don’t have to learn to live at all.

***

“Xavier, what are you doing here?” my mom asks when I show up at her door three hours and a bottle of scotch later.

“I… I came to check up on you, your knee,” I say, swaying down the hallway and collapsing on the couch.

“You mean my ankle?”

“Yup, that too.”

She hobbles over to me, “You’ve been drinking again?”

“Yup. You want some?” I drag myself up off the couch and over to the small drinks bar.

“No thanks. I’m fine.”

“Good, more for me.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Nothing, mom. Just same old same old.”

I stagger into the guest room and fall into the dark.