Without meaning to, I snort, "Finally. What did you do this time?"
"I got home an hour late yesterday, " he exclaims," Just an hour! And of all the reasons Alyssa could come up with, she decided I was out having the time of my life without her."
I chuckle as I take a sip of my drink, "Kind of like you're doing now?"
He scowls at me, "Definitely not. I'm only here because of you guys. Besides, you have no idea what it's like living with a wife who is suspicious of what you’re doing."
And boy, do I thank God for that.
" Seriously, Kane," Manny, the doctor, speaks up, "You have to get hitched soon so you can relate to our struggles as husbands better."
" No thanks," I scoff, "I'm more than happy being single."
I'm already getting enough of the drama by simply listening to them bitch about what their partners did.
We chat further as the evening progresses, only to be interrupted by my phone ringing. When I look at the screen, I see it's none other than my baby brother, Tim, and he's FaceTiming me too.
I immediately stand up and excuse myself to take the call somewhere more private. I come out to the club's reception area and answer the call. When Tim's face comes into view, my eyebrows raise at how untidy he looks.
"Hey, big bro," he grunts as a way of greeting.
I can't help but be concerned, "Are you okay?"
Tim and I aren't as close as brothers should be, primarily because of the notable age gap between us. When he was born, I was already in high school, and our lives couldn't be any further apart. Our conversations are limited to general topics but never personal, so I'm surprised when he chokes up,
"Chloe and I are over."
At the mention of that name, my heart stops beating for what feels like a minute.
Chloe and I are over.
I'm too stunned by his confession to ask a more sensible question, "Chloe? Your...your girlfriend?"
He nods, and before I know it, his face crumples, and he bursts into sobs. Despite our abstract relationship, I know my brother, and I know that absolutely nothing can get him this emotional without the influence of alcohol.
Heartbroken and drunk? Way to go, Tim.
As if to validate my point further, he begins slurring, "I'm so stupid. What the hell was I thinking? I'm nothing without her, man. Nothing! I pushed her away, and for what? To live my life alone?She'smy life. I'm so stupid for not realizing that sooner..."
He rambles on and on amidst tears, and I can do nothing but give him a dazed stare.
Chloe and I are over.
That statement keeps ringing in my head over and over until it blocks out all other thoughts completely. Chloe was Tim's girlfriend. I was sure Tim was going to end up marrying Chloe because they have a child together, for goodness sake!
But then...Chloe is also the one woman I cannot forget ever since I first laid eyes on her more than three years ago.
The mere mention of her name is enough to stir up my emotions, and the memory of her voice and smile is what makes up my dreams. I know I'm a horrible person for falling for my brother's girlfriend, and that's why I made sure to stay away from their lives.
I didn't even visit them when I heard their daughter, Skye, was born.
Tim finally stops his rambling and reduces to sniffling and wiping at his eyes. I take a good look at his greasy hair and pasty, red face. This is the look of a broken man who knows he fumbled a good woman like Chloe.
"Won't you at least say something?" He chokes up, and I tut,
"What do you want me to say? That you're a piece of shit for abandoning your girlfriend and daughter?"
He gasps, blinking at me with appalled eyes, "I didn't abandon..."