Page 19 of Ruin

Snorting to myself, I rinsed the plate and placed it in the dishwasher. It didn’t matter if I disappointed Wolf or not. I didn’t care.

My gut twisted again as I rubbed at my neck, my gaze lifting to the window just as the rain started pouring. Suddenly, I wasn’t in the mood to go see the brothers.

The sooner I got out of this place, though, the better. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I left the kitchen and made my way to Mimi’s room. I knocked once. If her mum was still in there, I would leave.

The door opened, and Mimi gave me a small smile. “Hi.” She opened the door further, and I walked in. When she closed the door, I pulled her into a hug and caught her drawing in a shuddering breath.

“Hey.” I yelped when she pinched my side. “What was that for?”

“Why couldn’t you have been like this back when we—”

“Because I was a dickhead.”

“And because we aren’titfor each other.”

Sighing, I rested my chin on the top of her head. “Yeah.”

Mimi hugged me tightly. “I’m glad you’re here though.”

“So am I.” Because if I wasn’t here, I wouldn’t have had the chance to get to know Mimi for who she actually was, and even though she wasn’t my one, I wanted to have her in my life. “You doin’ okay?”

With a shrug, she moved over to the bed, sitting in the middle of it, crossing her legs. She patted a spot, and I sat near her, leaning back against the headboard.

Mimi’s gaze stayed on her crossed legs while she played with the hem of her oversized tee. “It’s hard being here,” she admitted.

“It would be. Your dad’s a dick.”

She gave me a small giggle, exactly what I was trying for. “He is.”

“What do you wanna do, babe? No pressure. I’m here for you, to have your back. I’ll go when you do.”

Her hand shot out and clasped mine. “Thank you.”

“No need for thanks, honey.”

She shrugged with a smile. “I… I need to think about what I want to do.”

“Take all the time you need, Mimi.”

She nodded. “Taro’s throwing a party for Ryo’s birthday soon. He’s asked me to go.”

Taro.

Never really took in his name before.

And I don’t need to now either.

“I’ll go if you want to.”

“I’ll see,” she said softly.

“No problem.” Mimi went back to staring down at her legs, lost in thought again. “Hey, how about we head to that huge-arse theatre room and watch some movies?”

A small smile touched her lips. “That sounds good, actually.”

“Cool.” We moved off the bed and headed for the door. I wasn’t sure if I was offering a day of movies for a distraction just for Mimi though. I reckoned I needed it also.

Because of him.

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