Page 143 of Prized Possession

When Miles has made coffee for us all, we turn back to the dining table, taking two cups each. Jake and Chloe pull apart as we put the cups down on the table.

Jake and Chloe take their seats at one side, her hand still firmly in his, and Miles and I take two seats opposite.

We each take sips of our drinks, silence filling the room, all of us waiting for someone to be the first to speak. I’m surprised when it’s Miles who addresses Jake first.

“How’ve you been? Jane says the nausea has gone.”

Jake nods, giving Miles a bright smile. “I’m good. So fucking glad the nausea has finally gone, I can eat a bit morenow.”

“Anything special you want me to bring now you can eat more?”

Jake’s eyes widen as he nods, looking like a kid in a sweet shop.

“Nutella. I’ve been craving it, but the thought of eating any sort of chocolate has made me sick. Now that’s gone, I want to try it.”

“I can do that. I’ll bring you some next time.”

“Thank you,” Jacob replies, his gaze fixed on Miles in a way I’ve not seen before, and he almost seems shy about it.

“I’ve missed you,” Chloe says, breaking the tension that seems to have been growing as Miles and Jake look at each other.

Jake turns to his sister, a sad smile on his face.

“I’ve missed you too. It’s been really rough in here, I’m not going to lie. For a long time I hated it, and I hated all of you for making me be here.

“I didn’t want to get better, far from it, but I think if I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have lived for very long.”

“Don’t say that,” Chloe sobs, and Jake pulls her into his side, wrapping his arm around her in comfort.

“It’s not nice to hear, but it’s the truth. Being here has forced me to look at my life in a way I never have before. The drink and the drugs were what I turned to so that I could block out the bigger issues. They were my crutch, and without them, I had to confront the reasons that made me use in the first place,” Jake explains, taking a sip of his coffee as Chloe pulls out of his hug.

“I bet that’s hard.”

I can hear what Chloe isn’t saying—she knows better than anyone what it means to hide from her demons, acting out as a way to avoid dealing.

“It is. Identifying what my issues are was tough, but actually working through them has been harder. Part of healing involves facing the people who have been hurt through my addiction, and that’s why I wanted you both to come today.”

“You didn’t hurt?—”

Before Chloe can finish, he raises his hand to cut her off.

“Please, just listen to me. My addiction may have hurt me physically and emotionally, but it would be selfish of me not to acknowledge the way it’s affected all of you. The person I was, whilst under the influence, was not great. I wasn’t a good brother, or a good friend.”

Jake looks at me and Miles as he says the word friend, and when neither of us challenge him, he gives us a tight smile.

He then turns in his seat to face Chloe, and I feel Miles stiffen beside me, like he knows what’s about to happen. I lean forward, on edge, ready to protect Chloe if she needs me.

“Chloe, while I’ve been doing my therapy sessions, they’ve been forcing meto look at my behaviour, and how I was around others. I knew you’d started acting out, drinking more, sleeping around, generally displaying destructive behaviour, but I was too caught up in my own issues to care.

“I remember thinking, I wonder why you’re behaving like that, but then I’d take drugs and forget all about it. I know that makes me the shittest brother in the world, and I want you to know how sorry I am.”

A tear rolls down Jake’s cheek as he apologises, and Chloe leans over to wipe it away with her thumb.

“You don’t need to apologise. You had your own stuff to worry about,” she says, but he shakes his head, giving her a fierce glare.

“That’s not an excuse. You clearly had stuff going on, but still found the time to take care of me.”

“It’s in the past,” Chloe replies, waving her hand dismissively.

---