Page 54 of Endless Love

He poses with an injured expression on his face, and I shake my head in answer. Quinn leaves us, and before I can ask Sophia about my brother, he and Chloe trudge inside.

Sophia gasps. “They look like freaking ghosts.”

“I guess whatever happened wasn’t enough to overcome their issues.”

“At least they don’t seem like they want to stab the other to death,” she says under her breath, and I agree.

“I love you both, but I’m leaving before you two interrogate Filip and Chloe,” Alex says and walks away while Chloe and Filip approach us, almost shyly.

“Hi, sis, Sophia.”

“Hi, you two.”

There’s something beaten in their expressions. I intend to let it be, but before I can stop her, Sophia says, “You two look awful, care to share?”

“I apologize for both of us. What happened yesterday was unfortunate, and it won’t happen again.”

I respect Chloe. She implies we won’t get an answer out of her by being more than polite regarding Sophia’s prying.

“It’s okay, we’re among family.”

She flinches at the word “family” and excuses herself, rushing straight into Damien’s arms. Maybe she doesn’t want to believe it, but she’s family. Without her around, Sophia goes into full-on interrogation mode.

“Filip, don’t you dare keep me in the dark.”

“Not now,” he pleads and massages his temple.

“Spill it.”

“Have you any regard for privacy?”

“Not between us.”

She crosses her hands over her chest and pins him with her gaze. “Still waiting.”

I get a flashback of over twenty years of these two evolving, and nothing has changed between them. She will eventually get everything out of my brother whether or not he likes it, but he still makes her work for it.

“I fucked up, you know that. I said sorry hundreds of times last night, but she doesn’t want to forgive me.”

“So now you’re being the good guy and letting her go? This isn’t you. Did she cut off your balls too?”

“What would you do in her place? I slept with her best friend.”

“Fix things like you always do. If you want her, fight for her.”

“She’s not a damn product or campaign,” he counters, his voice hinting more of tiredness than anything else.

“Change your perspective.” She fires back, and he lowers his face to her, his eyebrow arched.

“Like you?” Sophia’s eyes pop open, hurt flashing in them. He catches that too, and an “I’m sorry” rushes out of his mouth. What was that about?

“Could you be any more maddening than right now?” she says, but the bite left her, and I end up intervening.

“Filip, she’s right. You have the chance now to fight for her, and let’s be honest, you can’t make things any worse than they already are.” His attention shifts to me, and he raises his hands in exasperation, huffing.

“But what if she doesn’t want me? Have you two geniuses thought about that possibility?”

“No, she’s confused and hurt, but there is something more there, and who knows what you’ll find underneath everything she has buried inside. What made you sleep with her best friend, anyway? I thought you were better than that.” He scratches the back of his neck, shaking his head at us.

---