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“I love you too,” I said quietly.
“I know,” he smiled at me. “Are you okay?”
Am I okay?
No.
I was not okay. But did I want to tell him that? I didn’t want to worry him. He had been worrying about me enough.
But when I looked up at him, I saw that he already knew the truth. I could try to lie to him, but he would know.
So, I told the truth.
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
He gave me a small smile and wiped the tears from my cheeks. “I won’t force you, but I would like it if you could talk to me about it. It would help.”
I sighed and looked down at my lap. “I am ashamed.”
“Ashamed to talk about it?” he asked me, rubbing small circles on my back.
“No,” I said. “Ashamed of my reaction.”
I looked up at him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He stayed silent, waiting for me to explain.
“I am ashamed of how I reacted right now,” I said quietly, looking back down at my lap. “How will I face him, if I can’t even hear his voice without being scared out of my mind?”
“Aria, no,” he said softly, raising my head to look at him. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You went through hell with that man. I know you are afraid. And when people are afraid, they react just like you did earlier. That is not something you should be ashamed of.”
I looked up at him and saw his eyes filled with nothing but love for me. It made me feel safe. It made me feel like it was okay to be afraid. It made me feel like it was okay to react like I did because I know he will always be here for me.
I really do have the best brother in the world.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you. You made it easier.”
He wrapped me in a tight hug. “That’s why I am here.”
We stayed like that for a while. I didn’t want to let go. I could hear our friends yelling downstairs, and I didn’t want to go back downstairs. I wanted to stay here with Gabriel.
“Thank you for covering my ears,” I said after a few minutes.
He chuckled. “You are welcome. I didn’t want you to hear any of that, but the others argued you had a right to know.”
I nodded and let go of him. “I do have a right to know and I am not sorry I was listening. But I am glad you saved me from having to hear about Calvin.”
“I will always be here to protect you,” he said, pulling me back to his chest.
“And I will always be here to protect you,” I said, wrapping my arms around him.
He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. “Deal.”
We heard footsteps running upstairs.
“Aria?!” Nick’s panicked voice reached us.
“My room,” Gabriel yelled.
I raised my head from his chest and looked at the door. A few moments later, the door burst open, and a pissed off Nick ran inside.
