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Stealing glances down the hallway, I secretly hope to catch any sign of Zoe still being here—the sound of the shower running, quiet footsteps. But the place is eerily quiet, save for the silent clicking of Aaron’s keyboard.
Eventually, the typing comes to a halt, and I can sense that Aaron is about to break the silence. I quicken my pace, gobbling up my breakfast even though my appetite has vanished. Alcohol and processed breakfast foods don’t mix well.
“Dom, I need to say something.”
There it is.
Glancing over at him, I shove a spoonful of cereal in my mouth, shooting daggers at his face. “Do you have to?”
He ignores me. “It’s about Zoe.”
Nervous energy courses through me, setting my skin ablaze with a surge of tension. I keep my composure in front of Aaron, casually dipping my spoon back into my bowl.
“What about Zoe?”
I have no reason to be this nervous.
Aaron hesitates, carefully watching me, trying to pick up on something my body might offer. But I’m a pro at turning everything off. I learned at a young age how to shut off my emotions, and unfortunately for me, I became too fucking good at it.
“I don’t know what happened between you two in the past; maybe you guys had a falling out. I never bothered to get involved because you’re my brother and she’s my sister, so I left it alone when we were younger even though it was uncomfortable to be around the two of you at times. I appreciate you staying away from her when I asked you to.” He takes a deep breath, glancing down at his computer screen for a split second.
“But she’s going to be staying here for awhile. You and Tristan practically live here, and I don’t want that dynamic to change, but I want Zoe to be comfortable too. Our schedules are jam-packed and with our joint business ventures, I can’t afford for you to ghost me.”
“I won’t.”
He narrows his eyes at me from across the room before he stands and walks over to me. “Good. My door is always open, but she’s also my sister, and I don’t know what is going on with her right now except that she’s hit rock bottom or is close to it. She’s in a rough spot in life, and I want to make sure we’re all supporting her. She has no one else, Dominik.”
Hearing Aaron’s confession rips through my chest. I noticed the way Zoe appeared absent last night, unusually quiet and contemplative, her gaze fixed on the window as she stared out at the skyline. It was the same familiar sadness that had consumed her when she sat hunched over at the kitchen table all those years ago, appearing utterly defeated and lost.
I swallow hard, focusing back on Aaron. “Of course, man. She’s family.”
Aaron visibly relaxes, a lazy smile appearing on his lips.
“Thank you. I’m going to try to cut back on work so I can make her feel at ease, but I may need you and Tristan to step in. I trust you more than Tris since he will try to get in her pants at some point.”
The way Tristan was staring at Zoe last night sent my blood boiling. Seeing the expression on his face, as though he was mapping out their future, made me want to tear his head off clean.
“I’ll take care of Tristan.”
Another smile, followed by a deep sigh before Aaron turns around to get back to his laptop. I think he was expecting an awkward conversation or maybe a fight, but the truth is, I’ll do whatever I can to help Zoe out.
Aaron pauses, looking at me as if something else is bothering him.
“What?” I say, picking up my spoon.
“Just, thank you. I really appreciate it. She’s like your little sister too, you know. We all have so much history.”
I suppress the cringe threatening to escape, my eyes falling down to the half-empty bowl of soggy cereal. He wouldn’t dare utter those words if he had any inkling of the thoughts I’ve harbored about Zoe over the years, or if he knew what transpired six years ago in Boston.
My sweet butterfly.
PART TWO: THEN
BOSTON, SIX YEARS AGO
CHAPTER 7
DOMINIK
