My Best Friend Brother

Episode 41

Adam and I sat in silence as he drove us back to his place.

With Elle in the backseat fiddling with her fingers.

We had absolutely no idea what to say in order to slice a knife through the tension so we just sat quietly. It wasn’t classified as an awkward silence, but it also wasn’t very comfortable. Somewhere in between, I guess.

After Elle’s little panic attack, I decided that maybe it wasn’t best for her to attend cheerleading because of obvious reasons, and also because she was already late anyway. It was cancelled as a whole since she was the captain.

We just made up a lie and told her to say that she was sick.

Adam and I also came to a small agreement that she shouldn’t go home at the moment, especially in her state. Many words weren’t said since we were still a little shaken by the whole situation but we still came to an understanding.

I didn’t exactly know how I felt about the entire thing, to be honest…

I wish I could say that I understood Elle and what she was going through but I can’t because then I would be lying. The only way for me to truly understand is if I had undergone the same experience but that also wasn’t the case.

I do however feel that she’s a bit easier to read and I do understand a little more of her actions and words.

I’m not stupid and I don’t fully trust her, if at all. I don’t hate her anymore than I already did of course. But I also don’t like her anymore either. As said before, I just understand her a bit better, not her situation.

Adam pulls up in his driveway and we all exit the vehicle. Elle stands there idly as she rocks back and forth on her heel. Adam and I exchange a few glances before we lead her into the house with her behind us.

Libby would have to be the most shocked one out of all of us. After all, she always had a bitter taste in her mouth for Elle and understandably, she told me straight up, “I still don’t like her but… I do feel sorry for her, no one deserves that.” Her words exact.
She called back Liam and caught a ride here. She should be here any minute though, if not already.

She couldn’t come back with us, at least she said that she wouldn’t. Libby didn’t know how she would have reacted in the same air space as Elle, much less they would be sharing the same seat.

When we had opened the door, we saw Liam and Miranda sitting there with Libby in the kitchen. Without another word, Adam simply nodded to them and wearily left to go to his room, leaving a very shy Elle still standing at the door.

“Um, hey guys. This is Elle. Elle meet Liam, Libby’s boyfriend and Miranda, his sister.” I introduced them awkwardly. Elle simply gave a tight-lipped smile with a little wave before focusing her eyes back to the floor.
“Wait, Elle? Isn’t the girl-” Liam begins confused before Miranda nudges his side painfully and sends a wide smile at Elle in the process, looking her up and down. Liam winces and sends a glare at his sister and afterward, acknowledging Elle.
I gesture for her to sit and she slowly settles her self beside Miranda.

I then proceed to head off into the kitchen to speak to Libby, “I didn’t know they were going to be here.” I whisper.
“Well, I’m sorry! Liam had already picked up his sister from band practice, it wouldn’t have made sense to drive her all the way home!” She whisper yells.
“Could you at least carry them back to your room?” I ask.

“Sure, of course.” She agrees. “Oh and Ariel?” She says. I look at her by the kitchen entrance. “Be careful.” She warns me. I send her a nod with a small smile, appreciating her concern for me….. I follow Libby into the living room. “Uh, you guys can come up to my room.” Libby gestures between Liam and Miranda.
“Yes!” Liam jumps up almost instantly from the couch and we all look at him weirdly. “I mean, sure yeah, whatever.” He shrugs.
“Miranda?” Libby raises a questioning eyebrow.

“Nah, I think I’ll stay here with Elle.” She eases closer to her as she sends a small smirk in her direction. Elle hides her blush behind her long blonde hair as Miranda shamelessly flirts with her.

Liam shivers and pulls Libby along with him. I awkwardly decide to slowly back out of their little conversation as I head upstairs to look for Adam.

I round the corner to Adam’s room and hesitantly knock on the door. After 3 firm knocks and I don’t get a reply, I push open the door to his room to see Adam sitting on his bed. His elbows rest on his knees as he holds over, and his hands cover half of his face. Adam’s eyes are bloodshot red as he stares across the room blankly at nothing in particular.

Adam just sits there, not moving an inch.
And that’s when I see it.

The single tear resting on his cheek.
I hurriedly lock the door and rush over to his bed and take a seat beside him, resting a hand on his back as I try to comfort him, not even knowing what I was to comfort him about.

I had never seen Adam cry before so I was quite helpless in this situation.

He flinches as my hand makes contact on his back and his eyes snap to mine, the reddest I’ve ever seen them. but this time, not with anger but with sadness.

It’s like he was unaware that I had entered the room, caught up in his own thoughts. His body visibly relaxes slightly when he realizes it was me but as if possible, his eyes grow sadder.

“Adam… are you– are you okay?” I question and a second later I mentally scold myself. Of course he wasn’t ‘okay’. He was f—–g crying Ariel.

He simply shakes his head no as he continues to look straight across in front of him. I leave the conversation there, not sure what else I could do or say to make him feel better since I’m not exactly sure why he was upset.
Several minutes past and they felt like hours. Suddenly, he speaks, “It’s… true, you know.” He whispers as he stays planted in his same position. My eyes snap up to meet his face, elated that he was beginning to speak. That, however, didn’t last long as my curiosity spiked interest in what he was talking about.

He seems to catch my confusion and continues. “About what Elle said.” He still doesn’t look at me.

“Adam, you know that’s–” I was cut off by him.

“No, please. Just let me finish.” He pleads and I snap my mouth shut.

“I-I love you…” His voice grows even quieter. “I guess I never really realized it at first but… that was what I wanted to talk to you about when we got back.” He explains while I try to calm down my beating heart, thumping hard against my rib cage.
He loves me.

Adam Haynes loves me.
“I had it all planned out.” He lets out a short, humorless chuckle. “I was suppose to take you out to dinner, a few other spots that I thought you meet love… and then if I wasn’t gonna back out again, I would tell the most beautiful girl in the in the world that I love her.” He says as if living out the thought in his head.

“It wasn’t suppose to be like this…” He says, almost inaudible. “It wasn’t f—–g suppose to be like this!” He shouts loudly and I visibly flinch when he angrily pushes everything from off of his bedside table, some glass breaking in the process….. He stands and fustratedly pulls at his hair, pacing swiftly around the room. “You couldn’t do a-anything about it…” I say lowly, trying to convince not only him, but myself.

“That’s where you’re wrong Ariel. I could have done
everything about it.” He seethes. “You see that girl down there? I feel like she’s the way she is because of me. ” He points a finger at his chest. I stand from the bed, taking slow steps toward him.

“I know I wasn’t the start of it, that was all her f—-d up parents’ fault, but I’m no better. God knows, that I’m no better.” He runs his hands down his face as his shoulders slump.

“You don’t deserve this, Ariel.” He whispers. “You deserve someone that has a normal life and someone who you can have a normal relationship with, without having to worry about which old f–k buddy is gonna show up next!” He shouts and I jump slightly at the tone of his voice.

“I love you so f—–g much and I don’t know what I would do without but…” His voice cracks slightly. “Adam, it’s–” I’m cut off by him.

“No, Ariel! Everything is not ‘okay’. Gosh, why don’t you see that!” His voice grows even louder, if possible. I’m sure that everyone downstairs can hear him, along with Libby and Liam.

“I just wanna be able to go to school and not have to put up with s–t from anyone, come home and relax with my girl, and then f—–g go to sleep with her! That’s not too much, is it?” I’m sure by this time he isn’t talking to me, he’s talking to himself and momentarily looking up.

I stand directly in front of him and gently hold his face between my hands, allowing me to see the various tears that slipped down his cheeks. I slowly wipe them away with the pad of by thumb and afterward, send him a sad smile as a tear slips out of my eye also.
I don’t know exactly why I was crying, I do know though that seeing Adam cry, the man that I… the man that I love, cry… is enough to make me shed a few tears myself.

He doesn’t return my smile, instead he just sobs harder as he places his head in the crook of my neck and rests his hands on my waist. I wrap my arms around him, gently stroking his back as I hear him sniffle into my neck.

I feel his tears soak my skin, “I love you, Ariel.” His voice is muffled into my neck.
I lead us over to the bed, lying down first and him afterward as he buries his head into my chest. “Shh, I know. I know you do.” I whisper to him as I stroke his hair with my hand. “And I love you too.” I continue.
I feel him tense at my side at my words but soon after, relaxes his muscles. He looks up at me and I remove a strand of damp hair that was stuck to his forehead.

He then comes up and places a soft kiss on my lips and I respond instantly to his soft lips on mine. He tightens his hand on my waist as he holds up further to deepen the kiss, now hovering over me, resting his weight on one of his elbows and brings the other hand up to softly caress my cheek.

He lets out a soft groan when our tongues connect and afterward he nibbles and tugs at my bottom lip. He attacks my lips for a little while longer before carrying his own down past my jaw and onto my neck, where he inhales my scent and plants little pecks on the sensitive skin before sU-Cking harshly on my neck, surely leaving a hickey.

Soft m0ans escape from my mouth as he makes his way further, planting kisses all of my flat stomach as he rides up my shirt higher up.

He makes his way back up and once again captures his lips in mine and I m0an at the contact as my hands make their way under his shirt, trying to ease it off.

He suddenly pulls away at that.

“S–t, um, they’re still downstairs, we shouldn’t–” He begins but I cut him off when he’s about to move off from me, by tangling my feet around his waist.

I look at him with pleading eyes, “Please. I need this.” I whisper as he gazes down at me. I don’t care that I’m practically begging. Only God knows how much I need this man right now.

He looks down at me intently.

And with that, he takes off his shirt……