Page 69 of A Win-Win Situation
I’m so angry, but more than anything, I’m disappointed in him. After we lost our parents, he was—still is—my only safeplace. He was only three when they died, leaving me with the responsibility of looking out for him. I’ve been there for every event in his life, good and bad. It’s nothing to be proud of; that’s what brothers are supposed to do for each other. I would never use it against him, but the time I needed him to stand by me most, he left me.
"Talk Lucas. Fucking talk. God forbid you ever did that! You haven’t said a word to me for the past six months."
I stand up abruptly, my chair falling over behind me.
My voice rises with frustration, and the emotions I've been holding back finally come to the surface. "Ihaven't said a word to you?" I repeat, my finger pressing harder into my chest. "You left, Liam! As soon as we found out about Ammo’s cancer, you left us. I’d hoped you would step up and share some of that responsibility with me. But instead, you chose to continue living the party life with a new woman on your arm every night." My voice cracks with hurt and a sliver of jealousy over the life he has.
Liam's expression turns defensive. "I do have responsibilities. I also have a job that I’m taking care of. Who do you think watches over all of our international hotels? It’sme! Who sends you guys all the reports? Me!"
I take a deep breath, trying to calm down before responding. "I know you have a job, Liam. But you can't expect me to believe that you couldn't make time for your uncle, the man who raised you, when he needed you the most. You didn't even bother to call or text for months, and now you're acting like I owe you an explanation for my personal life."
Liam's expression softens slightly, but I can still see the sliver of defensiveness in his eyes.
"Lucas, I talk to him almost every day. How could you think I don’t care about him?"
I didn’t know that.
I didn’t know that he took time out of his parties to speak with our uncle. Even so, this means Liam never went out of his way to reach out to me the way he did our uncle. He chose not to contact me, and that stings even more.
"I’m glad you do." I go to pick up my chair, but Liam is there before I can even attempt it.
"You don’t get to be upset about something that doesn’t involve you." He takes a step closer to me, his hand reaching out as if to touch my arm. I move away from his touch, as if it’s on fire.
"You didn't even bother to tell me that you were leaving, Liam. You left me when I needed you." My hands are shaking, and I hate that I’m getting emotional.
I hate it.
Liam takes a step back, seeming to understand my frustration.
"I wasn’t supposed to leave for that long, Lucas. I needed some space and time. Everything was so overwhelming."
"Don’t you think it was overwhelming for me, too?"
My shoulders slump. I’m tired. I’m tired of this constant battle—of the energy it takes to maintain it. It's as if the very essence of who I am is being molded by this unrelenting anger.
"I’m sorry I left and never reached out to you. It wasn’t fair to leave you to handle everything by yourself." His eyes, filled with regret, study me like they always used to do when we were younger. Liam has always been good at reading people. He feels everything they’re feeling and as good of a quality that is, I don’t like it when he uses it on me.
"How long are you staying this time?"
Liam places his hand on my shoulder and smiles, "I have no return trip planned yet."
He’s staying.
"What about the hotels?"
"I’ve got that covered. I’ll get back to them eventually, don’t worry."
"You’re staying?"
"I’m staying."
A smile tugs at the corners of my lips, relieved that Liam is planning to stay for a while. Without thinking, I hug him, ready to let go of everything. Liam hesitates for a second before his arms wrap around me and the tension between us melt away, replaced by a sense of comfort in having him back.
He whispers the words,"I've missed you, brother,"I feel a lump form in my throat. The weight of his absence hits me like a ton of bricks, and I can't help but bury my face in his shoulder.
"I’ve missed you, too."
"Hello, husband.” The sound of Leora’s footsteps halts. "Oh, I’m sorry—Hi Liam."
