Page 33 of Sweet Twins For My Brother's Best Friend

“Okay, well…” she continues to twist her braid anxiously like it’s a toy of some kind.

I stop her hand with mine. “Can you tell me, please? Is she okay? Did she get sick or something?”

“No! No, she didn’t get sick. I just… I got rid of her.”

I furrow my brow, surprised by her response. "Really? I thought you loved that dog."

Julie looks at the ground with something that looks like a tinge of shame or regret. But it’s hard to tell with Julie. She could be feeling anything.

As I learned the hard way, I evidently can’t read her emotions well.

"Yeah, well. She wouldn't stop peeing on everythingng, okay? It was driving me crazy. She peed on the floor and on my purses and in my shoes.”

I let out a bitter laugh as anger, resentment, and sadness all fill the caverns of my ribs at once. It’s unbearable, this mixture of emotion.

Noodle was my family. Noodle was our family, I thought. I thought she took her because she loved her so much.

“She was a puppy, Julie. That’s what puppies do.”

She scoffs. “I know what puppies do, Chris, I’m not an idiot, but I was dealing with a lot.”

“Youcausedthat. I thought you took her because you loved her and couldn’t bear the thought of being without her, and you’re telling me you not only weren’t willing to actually put in the work to raise and train her, but also wouldn’t let me do it? What is wrong with you, Julie? Are you actually made of stone?” I tap her arm as though I’m checking what material she’s made of.

She yanks her arm away from me and walks back to her cart. “I’m not made ofstone,Chris. I was young, okay? I made some mistakes. I should have called you. But it’s been five years. Get over it.”

“Are you serious? Get over it? Are you a villain in a Lifetime movie? Noodle loved us, Julie. I loved Noodle. I would have taken her if you didn’t want her.”

“That dog didn’t care who she ended up with, Chris. She just wanted to be fed. Anyone could have done that.”

She walks away, one wheel of her cart screeching and wobbling horribly beneath the weight.

Chapter Fifteen

Hannah

As I'm settling into my evening routine, the soft knock on my door pulls me out of my thoughts.

It's late, and I'm not expecting anyone, so I'm surprised when I open the door to find Chris standing there, his expression a mix of distress and vulnerability.

"Chris, what's wrong?" I ask, immediately concerned as I step back to let him inside.

He enters with heavy steps, his shoulders slumped with a weight I can't quite decipher.

"Hey, Hannah," he greets softly, avoiding my gaze as he shuffles into the living room.

“I know that we left things kind of weird, but I just—I need someone right now?”

It’s a question: Will I be that someone, he’s asking.

“That’s okay,” I tell him.

Truth be told, the moment I saw his furrowed brow, his tearful eyes, I forgot all about the anger I felt the last time I saw him. It was childish, of course.

I can see instantly that he didn’t mean to hurt me.

Closing the door behind him, I follow him into the room, my worry growing with each passing second.

"Chris, what happened?" I press gently, taking a seat beside him in a big, leather chair.

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