Page 37 of For Your Heart
Damon’s proud of me. Of me!
“Thank you,” I whisper. “You have no idea how little I’ve heard those words in my life.”
Thirteen
DAMON
Not for thefirst time am I thankful for the family I have. Declan and I came out to Simon first, of course. Because why wouldn’t we? But when it was time to tell our parents… there hadn’t been any hesitation. We weren’t concerned that our parents wouldn’t still love us just the way we are. There was no doubt in my mind that they were proud of us just for being us. We didn’t have to earn their approval or love. It was freely given.
Sometimes I forget that’s not always how the rest of the world works. There are bad parents out there. Horrible parents. Parents who drink themselves so deep into a blackout mess that they pass through three fucking years without remembering they have a child who needed them.
Needed. Past tense.
“What the fuck?!”
I smirk a little at Declan’s response. As I process Sage’s words, I can feel my brother turning inward to listen. Maybe we shouldn’t during these times since they’re supposed to be private. But hell, it’s not like we always have a choice. We’re one mind more times than we’d like to be. Or maybe we would rather not be two separate minds. That sounds pretty lonely.
Remind me to tell our parents we love them later,I think back to him.
“For fucking real. Is he okay?”
I don’t know.His tears have stopped and his breathing is even again. My fingers still gently card through his hair as I try to lend him as much comfort as I know how. This is how I’d comfort Simon, isn’t it? Well, not entirely.
“I’d be there too. Team effort.”
Grinning again, I almost nod. But if I were going to comfort someone alone, this is how it happens, yeah? What do I do next?
“Fucked if I know.”
Helpful.I feel his chuckle.
“Tell him about Simon.”
I immediately cringe at the thought. I don’t want to talk about it, never mind to someone outside of Declan. A stranger.
One that’s told me about his skeletons.
Licking my lips, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Did I ever tell you that I have a brother?” I ask.
Sage shakes his head, but then shrugs. “You’ve mentioned a brother. You live together, right?”
Declan snorts. “Yes, roomie. We’re just roommates.”
Shut up!But a smile twitches on my lips. “He’s my identical twin,” I say. “We’re exact duplicates of each other. Right down to the tattoo we have on our ass cheeks.”
There’s a pause and then Sage shifts. “What? How have I not noticed that?! I look at your ass all the time!”
Now my brother laughs. Rolling my eyes, I try to shoo my brother away if he’s going to keep distracting me.
“We’re close. Together all the time. Do everything together. Until… recently,” I pause, not sure where to go from here. We’ve never spoken about this to someone else. Where do I even start? How do I start?
“What happened?” Sage asks quietly.
Sighing, I say, “I don’t know, really. We share everything. Including a best friend. But it’s more than that. We’re more than friends, but not in the way you’re going to think.” I pause. “Okay, not entirely. Simon’s been in our lives since we were eight. As soon as we met, Dec and I just knew that he was a piece of us in much the same way Declan and I were a single unit.”
“Do you have some freaky twin things? Can you communicate silently?” he asks, excitement in his voice again.
I laugh and nod. So much more than that. “Yeah, we can. Simon calls it hive mind.”
