Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
I hiccuped into my bottle. “You’re a terrible hallucination.”
“That’s ‘cause I’m not a hallucination.”
“Prove it.”
“Gladly.”
With that, he bounced to his feet, stormed over to my couch, and proceeded to launch every pillow right at my face. The Jack Daniels clattered to the hardwood and cracked in two. A river of whiskey raced between us.
“What the fuck, Seb?” I shot to my feet, fisting his shirt.
He arched a brow, amused. “You mad?”
No, actually. Not at all.
I just couldn’t believe he’d left his cave.
“You left your cave.” I patted his arms, his chest, his neck, his face, feeling sober all of a sudden.
He swatted my hands away. “We already established that.”
“We did?”
“Oh, my god.” He started to leave. “Find me when you sober up. And the next time you miss Days of Our Lives, don’t expect me to give you a recap.”
“No, wait.” I fisted the back of his hoodie, spinning him to face me. “Stay. You came here for a reason.”
“I came here to make sure you’re alive. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. I’ll be on my way now.”
“Stop lying. Why did you come?”
He didn’t reply. In the distance, water lapped against the shore, filling the silence. I started to release him when he finally answered, quiet. Almost shy.
“I’m sorry.”
That simple statement, more than anything else, cut through the fog of whiskey.
I cupped my ear, angling it toward him. “Come again?”
“I’m not repeating myself.”
“Fine, fine. I heard you the first time.” I let go of his shirt and gestured for him to continue.
“I know I started that fight, and even if I didn’t, I shouldn’t have blamed you for this.” He circled his covered face with a finger. “You didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”
“I didn’t,” I promised. “I’m so fucking sorry for it, Seb. You have no idea.”
“I do, though. You’ve only told me a million times. I just needed someone to blame.” He swiped a hand down his face, knocking off his glasses. “And shit, asking you to not be happy for the rest of your life is next-level fucked up, and I’m sorry for that, too. I thought seeing you miserable would somehow make me happy, but it didn’t.”
“That’s not the only reason I dumped Briar.”
“No,” he agreed. “You left her because you blamed yourself for my face, and you thought you couldn’t protect her and worse – that you didn’t deserve her. I didn’t help there. But I can help now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean …” He sighed, dropping onto the couch with a soft thump. “Maybe you don’t need to babysit me all the time. I’m not gonna hold it over your head if you finally have a life beyond me.”
“But I want you to get better.”
“I’m never getting better, Oliver.”
“But you can.” I began to pace, the alcohol wearing off faster as I saw a chance and seized it. “It’s different now. There are better doctors, modern medicine, new technology—”
“And I’ll never look exactly as I did fifteen years ago.”
I tossed my arms in the air. “Of course, you won’t. You’re old as shit now.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Fine. We’ll take baby steps. I’ll visit you every day. Maybe we can hire someone to—”
“No,” he cut me off, a lone pillow stuffed on his lap as if it could protect him from my eager demands. “I came to apologize, not to sit through another lecture. I’ll never get better, Oliver. That’s a fucking fact. Accept it. I just refuse to be the reason you break up with Briar again.”
“We’re still together.”
“For how much longer?” He nudged an empty bottle of Jack off the coffee table with his toe. “This is unsustainable.”
“My liver says otherwise.”
“This is stupid. Just move in with her. Problem solved.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s in Los Angeles.”
He sent me a look that conveyed just how stupid he found me. “So, follow her.”
“But you’re …”
“A thorn in your side?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“But that’s the truth. I am, and I have been for fifteen years.” The tension between us softened. He shifted on the couch cushion, still visibly on edge, but he didn’t back down. “Well, I’m freeing you from the burden.”
The breeze carried in the scent of fresh pine and salt water. I barely noticed.
“Why now?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, tipping his head down as he mumbled something.
“Come again?”
More mumbles.
“I can’t hear you, Seb.”
He finally stared up at me, his face tight and his usual armor of sarcasm slipping just for a moment. “I miss her, too.”
You little shit.
A giant smile consumed my face. I couldn’t help it. Cuddlebug was so damn lovable. The wildest part was that she never believed me when I told her. How could she not? Even the grouchiest motherfucker on the continent wanted her around.
“Me, too, bro.” I hopped onto the cushion beside Sebastian, patting his shoulder. “Me, too.”