Page 1 of Milo
Chapter 1
Milo
Chocolate now,stress later.I saw that on a Dove candy once and right now I stuff piece after piece of dark chocolate into my mouth. The shiny red wrappers crinkle and fall to the countertop in front of me. Patrons of the bookstore bustle around looking for the perfect gifts for the holiday season. They don’t see me.
I didn’t get in. Not the art gala, not the holiday craft fair at the old courthouse, not the craft fair at any of the high schools. I didn’t get in.
My heart pounds. I took a chance and failed on all fronts. What’s wrong with me? My hands tremble and I stuff another chocolate in my mouth and keep the building tears away by sheer willpower.
“Milo?” Rory, my brother’s fiancé, says my name as he walks to the checkout counter. “Are you okay?” He leans in to whisper, causing a tendril of dark blond hair to fall into his face.
“No.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
I swallow and smooth out a few of the candy wrappers to make perfect squares. “Yeah?”
“Hey, Logan,” Rory calls to his nephew. The high schooler runs over.
“Yeah, RaRa.”
“Can you take over? Milo needs a break, so I’m sending him upstairs for a little bit.”
“Sounds good to me.” The blond grins down at me. Everyone, even Rory, has to look down at me. It makes me feel so small and vulnerable. Logan looks me over and in two seconds, his face shifts to concern. “Are you okay?”
“Nope,” I whisper.
He reaches out to squeeze my shoulder. “Take your time.”
“Thanks.” I follow Rory up the stairs in the back of the bookstore.
My brother and Rory live in the small apartment. As soon as Rory has the door open, he ushers me to the big plush couch on the far side.
“Sit. What would you like to drink? Did you eat lunch?”
I chew on my thumbnail and shake my head. “Too nervous to eat, now I’m too upset.”
Instead of letting me go hungry, Rory, sweet Rory, brings me a bottle of water and a granola bar.
“Eat and tell me what has you upset.”
I take a sip of the water and rip open the granola bar, contemplating how to tell Rory what has me all in my feels today. Bits of oats tumble down my shirt and I trap them before they can fall to the hardwood floor.
Rory waits patiently. He’s always patient, just like my brother. The stairs to the apartment creak and my brother barges in.
“Are you okay?” Jacob asks. He’s so tall and covered in tattoos I not only designed, but put on his body myself. He’s a walking advertisement for my art.
“Milo, are you okay?” Jacob asks again. I’d zoned out.
“No. Like usual, I’m unworthy of anything.”
Jacob and Rory’s brows both scrunch and the pair look at each other, then back at me.
“What?” Jacob says as he kneels in front of me.
I pull my phone from my pocket to open my emails. Once the rejections come up, I pass my phone over to him. “Because I’m not the brightest bulb, I signed up for a new dating site, this one for local singles, and no one responds to my messages. Not one. I submitted to the Southern Indiana Winter Art Gala and got rejected. The email was nice. Apparently I was considered, but the spot went to a local. If someone drops out, they’ll reconsider me. Then finally, I can’t even get a spot in a craft fair to sell prints. Not even at a high school. Everyone gets in to the high school craft fairs! There’s something wrong with me.”
Rory’s shoulders drop. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re so fucking talented, so don’t let any of this cause you to stop making art.”
