Page 44 of Messy Strokes (Wrecked Roommates)

Shit.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I glance at Milo to find him staring blankly out the windshield. And even though I know he’d never admit it, I struck a nerve.

“The ball’s in their court,” I murmur. “And I highly doubt they’ll ever reach out. Not after the way we left things.”

“Then, it’s their loss.”

“I guess so,” I whisper. “How ‘bout you? Did you call your parents when you found out?”

He shakes his head. “Not a chance in hell am I letting my parents come close to Penny. I haven’t seen them since…”

His voice trails off, but it doesn’t stop me from putting the pieces together. He hasn’t seen them since he beat the crap out of his dad, and his mom called the cops on him.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I shouldn’t have brought them up.”

“Don’t be. It’s old news.”

“Your mom betrayed you, Milo. You’re allowed to be hurt.”

“My mom betrayed me a shit-ton of times growing up. I dunno why I thought it would be any different.”

“She’s the one who called you, Milo,” I remind him. “You weren’t sticking your nose where it didn’t belong. You were trying to save her.”

“Yeah. And look where it got me,” he scoffs and shakes his head as the memory of the night in question rises to the surface. “I can’t believe I actually fell for it, though. I’d begged her to leave my dad’s sorry ass a thousand times while growing up, but she was always adamant they loved each other. One drunken night, he decides to use her as his own personal punching bag––again––and what does she do?”

“She calls the only person who ever managed to stand up to him,” I answer, resting my hand on his thigh. “You.”

“I was an idiot.”

“You weren’t an idiot.”

“I was. I drove back there. I knocked on their door.”

“You didn’t know she was going to change her mind, Milo.”

“I should’ve, though,” he argues, his voice rising. “She’d done it so many times. Bitching about my dad while she was drunk, only to sober up the next day, her fear dragging her back into his arms. When she answered the door and told me she wanted to stay, I should’ve left. But the bruises…” He shakes his head.

“I know.” My hands clench as my need to comfort him overwhelms me. I don’t know how, though.

But this? This helplessness? It’s killing me.

Lost in the memory, he breathes out, “They were everywhere, Mads. I begged her to leave him. To come live with me. I would’ve checked her into rehab. Gotten her the help she needed. But he had to open his fucking mouth, ya know?”

“I know.” A sting hits the back of my eyes, but I blink it away. “I would’ve hit him too.”

With a sigh, he runs his calloused hand through his short hair. “Didn’t expect my mom to call the cops on me for it.”

My grip tightens on his knee as my frustration threatens to consume me. I grimace, still pissed at how easily his own flesh and blood betrayed him. Where the hell was the woman’s motherly instincts? How dare she? Having her own son arrested for assault against the man who’s not only abused her but abused him and his sister their entire lives until they could escape?

It’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

But he doesn’t need my anger. He has plenty of his own.

“Thanks for bailing me out,” he adds, glancing at me. “I tried to call my roommates, but––”

Ticking each excuse off my fingers, I reply, “Gibson was working. Jake had a final the next day. Fender was touring. River was out of town on a shoot, and…” I tuck my hands into my lap. “I’m glad I could help.”

If only I hadn’t opened my big, fat mouth to Marty and told him why I couldn’t hang out when it all went down. If only I hadn’t told him where I was going. I thought it was a good excuse to keep from seeing him. I had no idea it would snowball into wrecking me the way it did. Wrecking usboththe way it did.

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