Page 107 of Seeking Shadows

It hits me in that moment. This... this is the new Seth. The guy who shrugs things off and keeps moving, without even bothering to let anything sink in. No lingering on the past, no looking back to the boy I used to know—the one who’d have my back no matter what. It’s like he’s built a wall, one that’s taller and stronger than anything I can climb over.

A bitter laugh escapes me. This new Seth, the one who’s so damn good at pretending nothing matters. And that stings in a way I didn’t expect.

"Stop giving me those puppy-dog eyes, Mia," Seth says, his voice gruff but softer than I expect. It’s like he’s trying to hide something, but it slips out in the way his eyes flicker with something—something I can’t quite place.

"It’s just... I miss my brother sometimes. The sweet one." I feel a lump form in my throat, but I don't show it.

"Can you learn to accept this new version of me?" he shoots back, his voice sharp, but there’s a weariness beneath it.

I cross my arms, biting back a laugh that might just come out as a sob if I’m not careful. “Can you learn how to not be an asshole all the time?” I fire back, my tone half-joking, half-frustrated.

Seth takes a deep breath, eyes narrowing in frustration. "This is clearly not what I had in mind when I found you, okay? I don’t want to fight with you... it’s just—" He trails off, his hands flexing at his sides like he’s trying to hold something back. Something that’s been waiting to burst free.

I take a step closer, watching him carefully.

And then it hits me—he’s trying. Not in the way I wish he would, but in the way he knows how. He’s struggling, just like me.

We both have our own demons, and maybe I can’t expect him to be this perfect brother in the way I want him to be.

"You’re trying, aren’t you?" I ask, my voice softer now. I’m not even sure where the words come from. I just know they’re true. "You’re trying to make things okay between us, even if it’s... not how we both thought it would be."

He freezes. The usual snarky look falls away for a split second, and in that second, I see it: the boy who was never supposed to lose me. The boy who thought I was dead. The boy who’s been carrying that weight with him all this time.

"Yeah..." he mutters, his voice barely above a whisper. "It’s just harder for me. You don’t... get how hard it is to comprehend feelings, Mia. I don’t process them the way you do. Half the time, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to feel, or if I’m feeling anything at all."

He lets out a quiet breath, eyes distant.

"I don’t know how to be a brother. I don’t know how to be normal."

His words hit me in a way that leaves me speechless for a moment.

I reach out, just a little, resting a hand on his arm, careful not to push too hard. "You don’t have to be normal, Seth. I’m not asking for that."

He looks down at my hand, and for the first time, I see his expression crack, just a little. He’s not looking at me like the world’s biggest inconvenience. He’s looking at me like... maybe there’s something worth saving here.

"Well, you don’t make it easy," he mutters, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small, almost pained smile. "But I guess... maybe we can figure it out."

I grin, a little bit of relief flooding through me. "Maybe we don’t have to figure it all out today. But we can start by not fighting every time we talk."

Seth exhales a laugh, shaking his head. "Yeah, I can try that. For you."

“Perfect.”

“Your boyfriend called me for a reason.”

“Husband,” I correct automatically.

He rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

We are back to normal days, I guess.

Before I can retort, Seth simply turns and walks over to his bike. I watch, curious, as he returns holding a… box?

A box thatmoves.

My eyes widen. “Did you bring a gremlin?”

Seth doesn’t respond. Instead, he just lifts the lid, and from inside, a pair ofglowinggreen eyes stare at me with pure feline judgment.

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