AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It doesn’t matter.”
“So, you were young, then, a child?” He didn’t say anything, so she continued. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m sorry that you felt all that grown-up responsibility on your shoulders as a boy. Would you expect Lyra to fight off a grown man from her mother?”
“No,” he snapped.
“You have to realize that you are holding yourself to impossibly high standards. And the guilt you carry will eat you alive.”
He shook his head.
“Grieving the loss is a process that helped me. The loss of childhood, of the naiveté I should have had, of the loving relationships I wished were there. Then you have to comfort your inner child. Let them know you have their back. That that little boy is safe inside you.”
His brow furrowed as he stared at her.
She sighed. “I know I can tell you it wasn’t your fault until I’m blue in the face, but the reality is, until you start to believe it, you’re still chained to the past.”
He nodded.
“You carry so much on these shoulders. Even now that your brother and sister are grown and on their own.”
“Jasmine still needs me.”
“Yes, I’m sure she does. But just not as her protector anymore. How would it feel if you were to only be her brother, rather than caretaker?”
His brow furrowed. “I don’t even know what that would look like.”
“You could talk to her and find out exactly what she needs from you,” she suggested.
He sat back in his chair, rubbing his thumb along the soft flesh of her hand.
“The thought of not being needed anymore is terrifying, isn’t it? When you’ve built the foundation of who you are around taking care of others’ needs, it can be hard to figure out what you really want.”
He nodded solemnly.
She reached out her other hand, pulling his face towards hers. “But it can also be the most freeing thing you could ever do.”
“How do you know all this?” he asked.
Her lips turned up in a sad smile. “I learned the hard way. Went through it all so that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes as my mother. I wanted better for TJ and myself.”
“You’re really brave—you know that?” He glanced down to her lips.
The tension in the room thickened, making it hard to fill her lungs.
“Bravery is not about not being afraid. It’s doing what scares you in spite of the fear.” Her words came out in a whisper.
He leaned in, searching her eyes.
Every cell in her body screamed to kiss him. But what if that finished this friendship between them? She liked Bently—a lot. She didn’t want that to end just yet for only one night that was sure to be incredible.
She released his face and reached for her empty coffee cup. “You can live your own life now, Bently. White picket fence and all.” She hoped to lighten the mood.
He released her hand and stared at his empty plate. His body turned rigid once again.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Didn’t you read my file?”
She searched her brain for what he could mean, but came up short.
