Page 16 of The Fates We Tame
“I’m gonna have to try and adopt that attitude, because I’m not gonna lie, mine fucking hurt and I sucked at it.”
I place my hand on top of his on my shoulder. “It’ll get easier. I mean, it might not hurt less, but when you can do something next week that you couldn’t do this week you find purpose in it.”
“Sophia.” I jump at my name, then recognize the speaker.
Theo drops his hands from my body as I turn to face the footsteps approaching us.
I miss the warmth of him immediately.
“Theo, these are my brothers, Luca and Leonardo.”
Thankfully, Luca has shorter hair, and that’s how I tell them apart. In the first month or two after the accident, I literally remembered them as Luca Cropped and LeonardoLong. Everything else about them is the same. The same dark hair color, eyes the same shade of dark chocolate, aquiline noses. They’re the same height; my guess is a little over six feet, but they are shorter than Theo is. I think he’s about a foot taller than me because I’m…
Shit. I don’t remember how tall I am.
It’s uncomfortable, but they all shake hands.
“See you later at the movie?” I say to Theo.
“Not likely, Sparrow,” he says.
“Sparrow?” Leonardo asks as Theo heads to the elevator.
I roll my eyes. “A nickname.”
Leonardo watches Theo until the elevator door closes. “Not sure I like a guy with that much ink having a nickname for you. What do you know about him?”
“Nothing. He arrived a few days ago. I crossed paths with him a couple of times.” I don’t know why I feel compelled to minimize the details. Probably some muscle memory throwback to older brothers being older brothers.
“Stay away from guys like that, Soph,” Luca says.
“I’ll choose my own friends. Let’s go to the guest area.” It dawns on me that everyone else greets their friends and family in the visitors’ room. I’m not sure why my brothers always seem to meet me wherever they please.
“Can we talk in your room?” Leo asks.
I can’t explain the discomfort I feel at the request. I don’t know the cause, other than this feels like a conversation that doesn’t belong in my personal space.
“I spend too much time in there as it is. Let’s go sit out in the garden.”
“It’s November,” Luca says. “And raining.”
I glance at the window. “Shit.”
Leonardo looks at Luca. “Fine, the visitors’ room.”
When we get there, we take a seat. “We need to talk about where you are living when you come home,” Luca says.
“I’m keen to live on my own.”
“That’s not safe,” Leonardo says.
“I haven’t blacked out in three months. I’m fine. I’ll wear a safety bracelet or something. I know my apartment isn’t ideal, given the floor I live on, but I can make it work for now if?—”
“Dad moved all your stuff out and cancelled your rent last week,” Luca admits.
“Oh my God. He was just here and didn’t say anything beyond me moving in with him and Mamà for a month as I readjust to leaving here. Their place is so much closer to here than mine is, so I thought it made sense as an outpatient. He can’t just do that. I’m a grown woman.”
“Who hasn’t been paying rent for the better part of this year,” Leonardo adds.
