Page 46 of Insufferable Boss

"Lena, why did your relationship with your brother get so bad?" Diana asked.

I stood at the kitchen counter, her voice echoing through the speakers of the suite. I was pouring myself a very decadent drink that I had had no choice but to order the moment I had returned to my room. So far, and especially after the shower I had, my nerves were now stable, and I could think clearly. Somewhat. I drained the glass, refilled it, and then headed over to the seats by the window so that I could stare out and watch the city.

"It's been bad for years," I replied. "Actually, we've never really been close. We never had the chance to.”

“How come? You two aren't far in age, are you?"

"No, we're not," I replied. "Just about four years, but we weren't raised the same way. I was more or less always with my parents, but he was being shipped away. In short, he grew up in boarding schools, so of course, he would completely take on the personality of the kids he met there. I used to cut him some slack because of this. In our home, it always felt as though my parents had completely satisfied their curiosity about parenting with me and so wanted little, if anything at all, to do with him. It was the case with my mom, though I was sure, but my dad, not so much, since he was always just working."

"And so, you kind of grew up as strangers?" she asked, and I nodded.

I sighed again and continued to stare out of the window.

"I wish it weren't the case. I wish we were closer. I wish during the most difficult times of our lives; we had drawn strength from each other. Instead, we went our different ways, and now here we are, against each other's throats for no fucking reason."

She went silent.

"Any plans to rectify it?" she asked.

"Who knows," I replied.

"You could take this chance and back him up," she said. "When and if you and the others decide to go through with a vote, then you'll be on his side. A crucial first step."

"Yeah," I replied, now deep in thought as I contemplated her words.

"Alright," she said, life suddenly coming back into her voice. "Now that's out of the way. I need to know how you ended up in Kane's apartment dressed like that. Why was your hair freaking wet?"

I continued to stare out of the window. This I didn't really want to respond to, especially given the last time we talked about this, but how else was I to make sense of the struggle in my head?

"I ran into him at the park," I responded to her.

"And?" she asked.

"Well, I was in a bad mood and..."

"You went home with him?"

"Yeah," I set my glass down. "I know, I know, I wasn't going to do this... I wasn't going to cross any lines with him, but I couldn't-" I stopped myself; however, she urged me to carry on.

"You couldn't what?"

"I couldn't help it. It's not even just because of sex, it's just... him. Everything he represents... the courage, the confidence... I was going to leave his apartment, but then everything just got out of control.”

"He kissed you?" she asked.

"Nope, I walked in on him in the shower. Actually, I went in... anyway, I just-"

"Why had you even gone to his apartment in the first place?" she asked. "I mean, how did it even come up, or do you two just have this kind of banter now?"

"No," I replied as my mind went back to what had actually happened. "I thought... I felt a bit gloomy because of my dad. And then I ran into him, and I just wanted to forget."

"I thought you used food for that," she said, and I laughed.

It was a long and hard one, and much needed.

"Yeah," I said. "I had to stop that habit and lose all the weight. Not going back there again. Plus, after our lunch a few days ago, it has been pure torment to get him out of my head."

"You mean his tongue?" she said and blushed red.

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