Page 151 of We Are Yours
Easy.
Careless, but in the best way.
It was this high that struck when we were together, a euphoria we kept chasing despite the possibility of addiction. It felt good to laugh, to smile, to feel numbness in place of the pain. I knew it wouldn’t last, but for the time being, it was the distraction I craved.
The escape I sought was there under the full moon, dancing off the warehouse. I watched the wind blow through the trees, letting my mind wander to a time when things weren’t so complicated. Except that my life had always been challenging in one way or another.
The overwhelming emotions were too heavy to endure, and I knew he could see right through me.
In ways Julius couldn’t.
It merely added to the internal battle that surfaced in the forefront of my mind. It was a whirlwind of thoughts racing profusely.
From my mind.
To my heart.
To every bone in my body.
I didn’t move, cemented in place.
There was no hiding from it…
I wasn’t that girl. The one torn between two brothers. It wasn’t fair, but when was life ever fair to me?
If anything, this seemed right on par.
Fisting my hands, I fought with the words that already tasted like battery acid on my tongue, and I hadn’t even said them yet.
Leaning into his embrace, I shut my eyes. His hand was warm on my cheek and soft on my skin.
“If Julius doesn’t come home,” I said out loud, “where does that leave us?”
“Right now, it leaves us back home.”
I opened my gaze, repeating, “Home?”
“Yeah, Kitty.” He smiled, his eyes falling to my mouth. “Come home with me.”
My eyebrows rose. Hesitant at first, he gripped the crook of my neck, pulling me toward him to rest his forehead on mine.
“You make me want to forget Julius is my brother.”
I lightly sucked in a breath, not expecting his confession.
Of course he read my thoughts, following up with, “What do you think about that?”
“I think…” The question consumed me for a minute until I finally confided, “You make it really hard to remember what I’m supposed to do.”
“What do you want to do, Isla?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
“It won’t change anything.”
“Try me.”
