AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The beauty of being a child. Everything seems possible.”
I looked up at my brother. “Do you regret it, our career?”
“No, not for a moment.” His answer had come quickly, thank god. “Just because I’ve decided to scale back doesn’t mean I didn’t love what we did.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Tiago put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s the truth.”
“I know. You wouldn’t lie to me.”
“Never.”
The air between us was bittersweet, the significance of this moment weighing heavily on our hearts. For the first time since our birth, we wouldn’t be sharing a house. We’d always been inseparable, leaning on each other for support and comfort throughout the highs and lows of life. And now, with me moving out, the reality of our situation hit home.
For both of us because in my brother’s eyes—identical to my own—swirled the same emotions I had in my heart. But I didn’t know how to console him, how to soothe the ache that had settled deep within my core. The words wouldn’t come, so we packed in silence, each lost in thoughts as we wrapped up the last remnants of our shared life. The distance between us was already growing, even though we were physically close.
As we closed the final box, sealing away years of memories and experiences, a deep sense of loss hit me. This was the end of an era, a closing chapter in our lives that neither of us was prepared for. The emptiness of the room seemed to mirror the emptiness inside me.
I cleared my throat. “That’s it, I think.”
“It is. Tomás, I…” He coughed a few times until he had himself under control again. “I just wanted to say thank you. You’ve always been there for me, taking care of me when I needed it most. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you.”
“Don’t ever thank me for that. That’s not how it should be.”
“Maybe, but I need to say it. Because I am so, so grateful for having you by my side all these years. I don’t think I ever told you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
His sweet eyes were sincere as they met mine, and a surge of love for my brother rolled through me. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to share this journey with you. I just… I’m sorry if I was too overbearing. I know I can be overprotective, and I hope you understand it always came from a place of love.”
He nodded, his expression softening as he gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I know. And I never held it against you. We’ve both grown so much through the years, and we’ll continue to grow, together and apart.”
“I won’t be the same now that you have Cas.”
I didn’t mean to make him feel guilty, but I had to say it. I needed him to know how I felt, even if I was pretty sure he knew already.
“It’s okay to feel that way. Change is always scary, even when it’s a good thing. But you’ll find your own path, just like I did.”
“I wonder if we relied on each other too much, like we never learned how to stand on our own.”
My brother was quiet, but I could read the truth in his eyes. “I think codependent is the accurate term,” he finally said.
It stung, but then again, the truth often did. “I never meant for that to happen.”
“I know that, and neither did I, but it did. That’s why this is so hard.”
“It’s hard for you too?”
Tiago pulled me into his arms and hugged me as if he never wanted to let me go. “It’s tearing me apart.”
Strangely enough, that made me feel better. If he’d been all casual about it, it would’ve hurt so much more. And I held him close, and we stood like that, neither of us saying a word.
When we let go, our cheeks were wet with tears.
“Tomás,” Tiago said, and I nodded.
“You’re retiring completely.”
“Yeah.”
