Page 14 of The Storms Between Us
twelve
I getthe feeling that Elijah doesn't think he's good enough to be wanted. I don't know why he thinks that, but I understand having that kind of insecurity. I've always felt like there wasn't anything special enough about me for someone to want me. When Eli looks at me, I want to be that special.
His fingers are still laced with mine when Everett comes back inside and he doesn't attempt to pull them away. Everett rubs his hand down his face and props himself up against the counter.
"So, this is how it's gonna be, huh?" He asks, pointing to our joined hands. Elijah and Everett are locked in some kind of stare down and I'm not sure what will happen next.
"Yeah, brother. I think this is how it's gonna be," Eli says, never breaking eye contact or releasing my hand. Everett nods slowly, absorbing the weight of our decision. His gaze swings to me and I give him a nod of agreement. I want to see where this goes with Elijah, and I'm willing to take the risk.
"Well, E, I hope you're ready for it, I guess. Because she's annoying as fuck. Especially when she sets her mind to something." Everett says, his tone sounding completely serious but I see the humor in his eyes. I roll my eyes, scoffing at his accusation that I'm the annoying twin. Elijah lets out a riotous laugh and kisses the back of my hand.
"I think I can handle her, but I appreciate the warning," he says.
"As long as I don't have to hear you 'handling her', then I'm cool," Everett says, and I instantly feel my body heat with embarrassment.
"EVERETT WAYNE! You did not just say that!" I say, burying my face in my hands. I hear them both laughing as if my embarrassment is entertaining to them.
My brother's face turns sombre and I can see the wheels turning in his head. Now that the shock of me and Elijah has worn off, he's ready to address my confession about Justin. "Out with it, Ember. What's going on with Justin? I thought he was history years ago," he questions.
"Yeah, I thought so, too. We had a rough break up, but I hadn't heard from him in so long. Right before I left Duke, he sent me a creepy note about how we could be together now that I had graduated and could devote my time to him. Apparently, he had been following me around campus, taking pictures of me and Kelsea together and stuff like that. It just made me feel uneasy, which is why I asked if I could come here sooner. He had no idea when I was leaving or where I was going, so I just figured it was best to get gone as soon as possible." I brace my hands on the bar, the whole situation giving me a headache.
"Well, what the hell, Ember? This guy obviously can't take a hint! Taking pictures of you? That's creepy as fuck! Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Everett says, pacing the kitchen.
"I don't know, Ev. I'm fucking embarrassed. I should've known he was a douchebag from the beginning, and I wouldn't even be in this mess." I say, dropping my head into my hands. The sting of tears burns my eyes and I will them away. I won't waste any more tears on Justin and I definitely won't let them fall in front of these men that surely think I'm an incompetent judge of character at this point.
"That's not the end of it, Ember. Tell him the rest," Eli says, brushing his hand across my shoulders reassuringly. I give him my best go to hell look for ratting me out and brace myself for my brother's reaction to the rest of the story.
"Kelsea called to tell me that somebody broke into my apartment back at Duke. Apparently, what little stuff I left behind was destroyed along with some damage to the apartment itself. She said the cops were everywhere, and the landlord was freaking out. Kelsea was the only person who knew I left, Everett. Justin wouldn't have known I was gone. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I had still been there." I say the last part quietly, mostly to myself.
The sound of glass shattering against the wall has me flinching in my seat, and tears instantly well up in my eyes. Once his temper flares, it's enough to burn down the entire world. The glass that was in Everetts hands moments ago now lays in pieces on the floor next to the back door.
"FUCK!" He screams, his fists balled up, ready for a fight. He's pacing violently around the kitchen, barely keeping his anger in check. He's always been a hothead, quick to anger and hard to bring back down. That's probably why I never told him I was having problems to begin with. He always stood up for me, with his voice or his fists, when we were kids. I didn't want to put him in that position again. I let the tears fall from my eyes, not attempting to stop them or wipe them away.
"Ember, when you say you had a rough break up, what do you mean, exactly?" He asks me and I immediately look away, knowing he'll see the truth I'm trying to hide. Eli catches my gaze and I can see the anger burning behind his eyes, too. I want to say something to explain this whole situation away. I open my mouth and no words come out. The thought of my brother being disappointed in me is overwhelming, and I don't know if I could handle it.
"He put his hands on her," Elijah says, his tone ferocious. Part of me feels elated that Elijah feels this protective of me. I only wish he didn't have to.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Everett says, a sinister tone in his voice that I barely recognize. He looks up at me and I nod slowly, the tears continuing to fall.
"I left as soon as it happened, Everett. Kelsea helped me kick him out after I told him we were done. I made sure I told security and my professors what happened. I did my best to protect myself." I plead my case, already knowing he won't accept that reasoning no matter what I say.
"Except you didn't, Ember. Because 'doing everything' would have included you picking up the damn phone and calling me. Giving me a chance to protect you and beat the shit out of this fuckwad would have been doing everything," He says, his voice raising until he's practically screaming at me.
"Ok, ok, let's calm down," Eli interjects "your sister isn't the one to blame here and making her feel like shit isn't gonna do anything but piss everybody off, Ev." I manage to give him a small smile for coming to my defense.
Everett lets out a heavy sigh, running his hands through his hair and locking them behind his head. "You're right. I'm sorry, Sparky." He comes around the bar and wraps his arms around me. I cling to him like my life depends on it and let my tears fall freely. He strokes my hair gently, reassuring me everything will be fine. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again, Ember. You're safe here with us," he says with confidence, and I believe him. Over the past 22 years of our lives, he has always protected me, and I know he would do anything for me. If nothing else, at least I'm sure of that.
