Page 62 of When the Storm Breaks
He sighed. “It came out wrong, okay? I’m sorry.”
“I know. Me too. I’m sorry everything is such a mess. I just wish... things had turned out differently.”
“Yeah. Me too.” He was quiet for a moment, and I waited for him to bring up Dean but thankfully he didn’t. “Are you coming back to L.A. before you head to Europe?”
“I’ll be back for two days. Just to pack up my things and get organized.”
“Any chance you’ll have an hour or two to hang out with your bonehead brother?”
I smiled. “I’m sure I can make time for you.”
“Thanks. I’d like that. It’s been too long since we hung out.” He sniffed, and I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from asking if he’d been snorting lines. “And I miss you.”
“I miss you too.” My heart ached. How had we drifted so far apart? I felt a pang of homesickness. A longing and a sadness for the way things used to be when we were close, and my big brother was always there to look after me. When it was left to him to shoulder the responsibility of being my legal guardian, he’d just turned twenty. He always said he wouldn’t have had it any other way and I loved him so much for that, but I couldn’t help thinking how much easier his life would have been without the added burden of his grief-stricken little sister.
“Take care of yourself,” he said. “Make sure you don’t forget to eat. And get plenty of rest. Love you, boo.”
I brushed away my tears, my throat clogged with emotion. Despite everything, I knew Landry still cared about me and I knew he loved me, the same way I loved him. “Love you too, bonehead. Be good and stay out of trouble.”Stay away from the drugs.
* * *
The followingevening Brody showed up at my door. Rainwater dripped from his hair and his T-shirt was wet. I tried not to notice the way the soaked cotton clung to his body, accentuating his sculpted muscles. I tried not to notice how sexy he looked with wet hair and beads of water rolling down his face.
“Sorry, baby,” I said, my voice cool and detached. “Can’t be your beck and call girl tonight. I have my period. So... see ya.” I tried to slam the door in his face, but he flattened his palm on the wood to stop it from closing.
“Let me in, Shy.”
“I’m not in the mood to give you a blow job either so you’re out of luck.”
“For fuck’s sake, just let me come in.”
I heaved a sigh and returned to my spot in the corner of the leather sofa, my knees bent, feet planted on the cushion next to mine and arms folded. I’d just started watching a music documentary on Netflix and kept my gaze focused on the TV as Brody took a seat on the sofa. I gave him the evil eye, feeling like he deserved it for telling me to stay away from Noah and then ghosting me for the past few days.
“How do you know I didn’t come over just to hang out with you?”
I shrugged. “I assumed you were here for sex and I’m currently unavailable.”
He didn’t comment. We watched the documentary in silence for a while.
A few minutes later, he lifted my feet and moved to the cushion next to mine then rearranged my legs, so they were draped over his and propped his booted feet on the distressed wood coffee table, making himself at home. I tried to pull my legs away, but he held them in place. “I came over to tell you Ridge passed all his final exams.”
Despite myself, his words made me smile. Today had been Ridge’s last day of school and he’d had finals all this week. “That’s amazing.”
“I took him out for barbecue to celebrate. I left him in his room, practicing the guitar.”
“That’s good. The more he practices, the better he’ll get.”
Brody nodded, and we lapsed into silence again, but I felt something was troubling him. I shouldn’t care but I did and what I really wanted was an apology. “What is it, Brody?”
I nudged his thigh with my bare foot, and he ran his hands over his face. “I like hanging out with you. And I kind of miss you when you’re not around.” His voice sounded tortured like he was in agony for having to utter those words aloud. As if that was a huge confession.
I snickered. “How old are you? Seventeen?”
He scowled.
“Was that so hard to admit?”
He chuckled under his breath. “Yeah. It was.”
