Page 65 of Discord
My heart raced, blood pumping in my ear. “If I say no, are you just going to manipulate me into it?”
“Yes,” he replied without a second thought. “What’s the big deal? You’ll eventually marry me, anyways,” he added.
I hated that he was right. There’d never be anyone else for me.
He knew it, too. “Remember the time you bequeathed yourself to me?”
“Vaguely.”
“Well, I’ve come to collect the bride.”
A half-smile had tugged at my lips.
I never gave him an answer. I couldn’t, not until we came clean to everyone. However, I was also at the precipice of how much longer I could take the distance. There were so many times I wanted to say,fuck it.All I wanted was Brandon; consequences be damned.
But I forced myself to stay the course for the sake of the bigger picture.
If I couldn’t learn how to take care of myself for only a few months, I’d never stand on my own. There’d always be lingering doubts if I didn’t experience life outside of the one I knew. One where everyone else took care of me, though admittedly, my family had backed off.
In a turn of events, they were also growing and in the right direction.
Ever since Milo’s rising success, Dad had scaled back at work. His sole purpose in life revolved around keeping Mom company, so she didn’t go off the deep end. However, Milo cut my parents off, forcing Dad to return to his full-time position. And upon Raven’s insistence, Mom also joined the workforce. Raven convinced her to find a different purpose in life. Though resistant at first, Tessa Sinclair was no longer drowning in self-pity.
I had faith in Mom, but Reid believed these were temporary Band-Aids to their lifelong challenges. After he gave up drinking, he decided to leave all the negativities behind and start new in California. He was the only one who knew about Brandon. Though hesitant at first, Reid accepted it and promised to keep quiet until we disclosed it to Milo and Raven.
With me off to college, Reid living a clean life, and my parents’ new financial freedom, suddenly there was no pressing need for Milo and Raven to take care of everyone else. They were allowed reprieve and decided to get back together, having received the clarity they both sought.
Raven was on a better path, as was Milo. Currently, they were in Mexico for an extended stay. Afterward, they planned to move back to New York.
As for me, for the first time in my life, I was forced to walk my own path without the safety net of Brandon or my siblings. I became close to my roommate, Katie, who insisted on indulging in the college life. We went to a few parties. Met a few college boys. Some were nice looking, and some expressed interest. But none had the slightly edgy look I had come to appreciate or the demeanor of a full-grown man.
By my third month at Yale, I had made life-long friends. Yale was filled with socially awkward students, much like me. Future biomedical scientists and engineers with foot-in-the-mouth syndrome, babbling random facts about global warming.
Milo would forever be Mr. Fix-it. He was adamant about Yale because he believed it’d be a place where my quirky personality would be celebrated, not berated. A ghost of a smile flitted over my lips at the thought.
Milo and Raven were right all along.
As the final month of my semester concluded, I conceded to loving Yale.
While they were right about my academic life, they were wrong about my personal one. Raven believed my fixation with Brandon stemmed from innocence and urged me to explore. All the experiences in the world had been handed to me on a platter.
I had embarked on the journey.
Embraced new experiences.
Cherished every friendship.
Learned how to do things on my own without getting myself killed, or worse, kidnapped.
Raven had insisted this would provide me with clarity, and she was right. I had clarity.
Icouldlive without Brandon. I just didn’twantto.
* * *
"How about this one?” Brandon turned his laptop and pointed at the listing. “Two baths, two bedrooms. Exactly what you wanted.”
"Except terrible neighborhood,” I contested.
