In Case of Heartbreak

15 | salvage

C H A P T E R 1 5 | K A T I E

It was late in the evening when Dean went home. He was wary about leaving, especially after I'd opened up about my struggle with insomnia, but once Theo had returned, I'd reassured him that I'd be fine for the night. More so, I'd wanted to avoid the inevitable awkwardness that would transpire with Dean staying over while Theo was sleeping just down the hall.

Because while he had never been one to be overprotective, he was still my older brother.

I'd watched him go, waiting as the elevator doors had closed until I'd slipped back into the apartment, heading straight upstairs and to my room with hopes that, after an emotionally draining day, sleep would come easily. Though as I laid in bed, the time well past midnight, my mind was wide awake and my eyes had been drawn to the stars.

They were shining brightly – an endless possibility of wishes floating thousands of miles above.

Sighing as I rolled over, I knew that there was no chance of me falling asleep anytime soon. Weighing my options, I slid out from underneath the covers and tiptoed down the stairs to see the harsh glare of the television lighting up the living room. Theo sat on the couch, having yet to change out of the work clothes he'd arrived in, nursing a beer while his attention, though unfocused, was on the screen. A creaky step near the bottom of the staircase gave me away, and when his head turned towards me, he managed a small smile.

"Aren't you tired?" I asked, hugging my arms around my stomach consciously.

He shrugged indifferently. "Couldn't sleep," he said, though contradictory to his words, his voice was laced with exhaustion. A frown creased his forehead, his eyes surveying me for a quick moment before he tipped his beer towards me. "You want one?"

I surprised myself by nodding, stepping into the kitchen to realize that he'd not only bought a case of beer, but he'd also stocked the fridge with more food than the two of us would ever need. Grabbing two beers from the fridge, I headed back to Theo, dropping into the empty space beside him on the couch. He raised an eyebrow with concern at the beers, but when I sent him a pointed look, passing one off to him, he sighed, finishing off the one in his hand with one long gulp.

"Thanks," he muttered.

Twisting the cap off my own drink and taking a sip, I ignored the bitter taste, but couldn't ignore the obvious scrutiny Theo had me pegged beneath.

"What?" I asked, moments later, breaking the silence.

He took a swig from his beer. "Can you promise not to get mad if I ask you something?"

"Depends on what it is." Though I already knew, and as though it would protect me from his question, I pulled my knees up to my chest.

"I get why you don't want people to know much about your life. You don't want them getting too close to you, and even though Stella's still around, I left, and mom – " His voice shook slightly. " – Mom's not around." His words weren't so much an observation, but a fact. "But from just a few hours I could tell that you and Dean are close, so why not let him in?"

I dropped my gaze dejectedly as I took a deep breath. "I told him about mom a while ago," I said. "He had followed me to her room one day at the hospital and I couldn't hide it."

"Sounds like he was just trying to be there for you."

"That's the thing though; he wasn't. It was all one big mistake, and even though we'd been getting close, I hadn't even thought to tell him about mom until I had no choice."

"And even then, when you knew he was a good guy, why didn't you tell him about everything else?"

"I didn't want him to worry. He had his own pain to deal with; he didn't need my problems putting extra weight on his shoulders."