Chapter 239 - Oh Brother (1/2)
Arei gave Jos's knee a light squeeze as he lifted from the theater seat. ”I'm going to go make some more popcorn and grab a few drinks. Would you like anything?” His eyes held hers, the light from the large screen reflecting in her aqua eyes.
”I'm fine, thank you.” She sent him a warm smile. She could feel her cheeks heat when he bent and placed a light kiss to the top of her head.
”Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes.” Arei said as he worked his way toward the door. He'd just gotten into the kitchen and located the snacks he'd been looking for when the door opened behind him.
”How are you doing, brother?” Chary asked as she leaned against the counter beside him.
Arei furrowed his brows as he removed the wrapper from the microwaveable popcorn and placed it into the fancy microwave. ”Fine... hell better than fine, why?”
She smiled sadly up at him. ”You don't seem fine. I'll admit you are happier than I've seen you in the past several hundred years, but I wouldn't say you're fine... What's going on? You seem like you're walking on edge lately. Is it something to do with the girl? Is it Jos? Is it about that boy?” She placed a hand on her brother's arm. ”I know I tease you a lot, but I'm here if you want to talk about it.”
He frowned as he turned and leaned against the countertop. He ran both hands across his hair as he blew out a heavy sigh. His eyes focused on the door across the room leading to where Jos now sat in his father's home under his protection. ”All of it, I guess...” He moved his gaze over to meet his sister's. ”It's been one emotional rollercoaster after another since our paths crossed in Florida. I've tried my best to hide them, not wanting to add any undue stress on her or the others...” He gave Chary a crooked smile. ”But I guess I've not done a well enough job at it.”
She squeezed his shoulder as she smiled sadly up at him. ”You forget little brother; I know you well. Probably better than anyone aside from Ry.” She shook her head. ”It's not good to keep all that bottled up. Have you at least tried to tell her how you're feeling?”
He huffed out a sigh. ”I've tried. I've explained my feelings in-depth... for the most part... But it's always like walking on eggshells around her... Before it was because of her feelings for the boy, then because of his possessiveness for her... her constant denial of any lingering feelings for me to now saying she still loves me. One minute she's pushing me away, the next wanting to take things the next step... I don't want to be a rebound for her, a way for her to get over the chaotic mess that was her relationship with the boy... a short term way to ease her pain... that she later grows to regret or see as nothing more than a time of weakness.” He shook his head. ”I couldn't live with myself if I ever saw the same pain and regret in her eyes as the last time she ran away from me.”
”Sounds like it's almost more heartache than it's worth. Are you sure this is what you want?” Chary asked.
His eyes widened and he quickly corrected himself. ”Don't get me wrong, she's worth every bit of it! I never stopped loving her. No matter what I have to go through now, if it means keeping her happy in the long term it's worth it. I just don't want to give in to a moment of weakness and wreck it all a second time.” He shook his head. ”She's making that incredibly hard...”
Chary sent him a knowing smile. ”Maybe, she's not after a rebound either... Maybe she's ready to move forward with you again.”
He shook his head again. ”It's still too soon. You heard and saw the kid, there's no way that the things he said didn't resonate with her at some level. She needs time to heal before we complicate things by trying to get back to that place we were before her memories were taken... it's better for her and myself as well...”
Chary nodded as she gave her brother's arm one last pat and pushed away from the counter. ”Here, I'll help you carry some of that.”
Jos gave Shelly's head a light pat as she smiled down at the wolf. ”You know what, I am thirsty after all... Would you like anything else from the kitchen?” She asked as she pushed up from the seats. She hadn't noticed Chary also missing from the theater as she made her way from the room. With a little effort and a few wrong door choices, she finally found the wide double doors leading into the massive kitchen. A warm smile spread across her lips as she heard Arei's voice from inside. She was just about to push the door open when his words hit her ears, causing her to freeze in her tracks. '...it's always like walking on eggshells around her... Before it was because of her feelings for the boy, then because of his possessiveness for her... her constant denial of any lingering feelings for me to now saying she still loves me. One minute she's pushing me away, the next wanting to take things the next step... I don't want to be a rebound for her, a way for her to get over the chaotic mess that was her relationship with the boy... a short-term way to ease her pain...' Her breath caught painfully in her lungs as her knees threatened to give out. {This is what he thinks?!} His words kept reverberating in her mind as she forced herself to back away from the door. When she was sure her footsteps wouldn't be heard, she began running until she was back at the theater entrance. Jos froze once again. {I can't just go back in there and pretend nothing happened... like I didn't hear that...} Tears threatened to spill out from her eyes. {But I can't take off without at least saying something to Shelly...} She straightened her shoulders and forced herself to push open the doors. She made her way quietly back to where the wolf waited. ”Hey, I'm going to go lay down. I'm tired... Do you want to stay and finish the movie or come up with me?”
Shelly nodded toward the screen.
”Alright. Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning.” She gave the wolf a pat on the head before turning back toward the doors. She forced herself to take slow controlled steps even though a tiny voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to run before he walked back through those doors. As the doors pushed open just as she was about to reach out for them, she wished she'd listened to that voice. Her eyes widened as Arei stepped into the room. She quickly forced her gaze away from him as she felt tears build once again. Pushing past him, she mumbled. ”I'm tired. I'm going upstairs.” She didn't wait for him to reply as she quickly made her way past him and into the hall.