"I was trying to protect her!" His voice rises.
“Exactly Ol. Exactly.”
"I fucked up. And I've carried that guilt every single day."
He stops. Breathes and when he speaks again, his voice is quieter but more intense.
“But you know what's worse than what I did? You knowing the truth and still not telling her."
"You want to know why I never said anything?"
Ollie stays silent.
"It would destroy her relationship with you."
"So? Maybe it should. Maybe I deserve that. But at least she'd know. At least she could make a real choice instead of one based on a lie."
We stare at each other.
Brothers in everything but blood. Brothers who know each other well enough that words are almost unnecessary.
"I'm tired, man." My voice cracks. My shoulders slump. "I'm so fucking tired of wanting her and watching her walk away. I'm tired of being the guy who waits."
He moves closer, puts a hand on my shoulder.
"You've been showing up for everyone else for as long as I've known you. For this town. The band. Your mom. Everyone except yourself."
I close my eyes.
See her face. Those green eyes.
"She's already gone."
"She's in LA. Not on Mars.” Ollie squeezes my shoulder. "And something tells me she's not going there to stay."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw her face when she left. That wasn't someone running away. That was someone trying to figure out how to come back."
He heads for the door, letters in hand and pauses.
"My sister's been in love with you since we were kids. Nothing—not distance, not time—has changed that."
The door closes.
I stand there in the quiet studio, the mixing board humming softly.
I let myself consider the possibility that Ollie might be right.
When she comes back—not if, but when—I'm going to tell her everything.
About the letters. About Ollie. About why she never heard from me. About the fact that I never stopped fighting for her, even when she didn't know I was fighting.
CHAPTER 40
THE WEDDING
NATE
