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He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Nothing you can fix.”
“Try me.”
Brodie shook his head. “Can you come with me? I hate going there by myself. Doctors creep me out.”
“Anything you need.”
“Thanks, Van. Sorry I yelled at you.”
Brodie didn’t apologize. Ever. Hearing and seeing him like this was totally unnerving.
“I’m used to it by now,” I chuckled, trying to ease the tension.
My heart was still pounding hard, my body was shaking, and my hands were sweaty. Brodie looked so lost that I reached out and pulled him into my arms.
He gripped me tightly, trembling, and I heard a sniffle. He notched his face in my neck, and I rubbed his back in soothing circles.
“I know it’s not going to be easy, but it’ll be okay. You’ll be off the pills in a few months.”
Then he began to shake, and I held on even tighter.
“Every step of the way, I’m here. I’m always here.”
CHAPTER3
BRODIE
ONE YEAR AGO
Iwas waiting for Van to arrive at the national music awards show.
Me and the guys had already settled into the bar at the venue and were tossing back shots. But a half hour passed, and still no sign of Van, and my restlessness took hold.
I texted him, and all I got was the usual “I’ll be there soon” reply.
Something was wrong. He’d been quiet for the past month.
Not that I could blame him. His dad passed six weeks ago, and he was still reeling from the grief of that loss. He’d taken two weeks off, and then he was back at work, claiming he was fine.
I didn’t buy it for a second.
I couldn’t imagine losing both parents in the span of a few years. But even though I suggested he take more time off, he outright refused.
Me and the guys did what we could for him. We knocked off our antics in favor of laying low and giving Van a break. I called him more often, too, to check in and see if he was okay.
But it wasn’t just grief that brought about a change in him.
Something else was going on.
On the one hand, when he was around, his hugs were longer, tighter, and he looked at me with an intensity I’d never seen before. When we did have a disagreement, our fights were even more passionate than usual.
On the other, he was avoiding me. If he didn’t need to be on-site, he’d text or call. And I didn’t know what to make of his strange behavior.
This shift between us.
My hunger for him hadn’t changed. If anything, the desire I felt grew deeper, stronger. And other men weren’t doing it for me anymore. I had no interest in anyone else. I finally admitted to myself that this wasn’t just about sex. My feelings for Van were…well, I’d never felt this way before about anyone.
I was obsessed.
