Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 66

(Thomas's POV)

The day started well. I woke up and felt lighter than I had in weeks, maybe because I finally got a decent night's sleep. I even managed to laugh at one of Bundah's stupid jokes during breakfast, and that felt like a miracle on its own. For once, I thought things might be okay.

But then, as I walked down the corridor toward the main lounge, I saw them.

Angel and Hendrix stood in the hallway by the old bulletin board, where we had pinned up notes and little reminders. It was supposed to be a place for the usual, boring stuff, but the way they stood there felt like something out of a romantic movie.

Hendrix leaned against the wall and kept his eyes fixed on Angel with this look. The kind of look that twisted my stomach into knots. She smiled at him and reached up to brush a strand of hair from his forehead, and her fingers stayed there a moment longer than needed.

I froze as a sharp pain stabbed at my chest. What was this? I thought I was making progress. I thought I had a chance. But seeing them like this felt like someone pulled the rug right out from under me.

I turned away before they could see me, and the image of them burned into my mind. I needed space and air and something to clear my head, so I walked to the lounge and sank onto one of the worn-out couches. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through it, trying to distract myself from the ache in my chest.

Bundah wandered in later, carrying a deck of cards. "Yo, man, you up for a game?" he asked, and shuffled them in his hands as usual, always trying to lighten the mood.

I barely glanced at him. "Not now."

He sighed and sat down beside me. "Come on, what's eating you?"

"Nothing," I snapped and instantly regretted the sharpness in my voice.

Bundah just shrugged, used to my moods. "Fine. Be like that." He stood up and walked off, and he left me alone with my thoughts. I should've felt bad for brushing him off, but I didn't have the energy to care.

Hours passed. Other patients came and went, and their voices turned into a dull hum in the background, but I didn't pay attention. My mind kept drifting back to Angel. And Hendrix. How close they were. The way she looked at him. It felt like something inside me unraveled, thread by thread.

the way I saw her. Instead, she chose Bobby, the boy-next-door type who could charm anyone with a smile. They started dating, and a month

felt like the universe was making me watch

It was dangerous territory, and I knew what it would cost

I stayed there long enough, the world would stop spinning. Maybe I'd wake up and find out this was all just some

"Thomas?"

up and blinked rapidly as Angel's voice cut through the haze in my mind. She stood there with a can of soda in her hand and looked at me with that familiar warmth that always made my chest tighten. "Hey," she greeted, and her

and ignored the way

took a step closer and didn't take her eyes

empty seat beside me even though I fought

silence stretched between us until I couldn't take it anymore. "What's with you and him?" The words flew out before

She looked

up and took a step back. "You and Hendrix. What's going on? Are

shifted in her eyes-guilt, maybe.

and her eyes darted away. That small gesture cut deeper than I thought it would. Why couldn't she just look at me? Why couldn't she say something that made sense of all this? "You're

and stood up, dropping her can drink on the table.

to let her slip away this time. "Why can't you just

not about him, okay? It's just... I don't know. Everything's mixed

was barely any space between us. "Of actually being happy? Of letting

scared of hurting you. Of

but all I saw was how lost she looked. How much she was hurting. And I hated that I couldn't fix it. That I couldn't just pull her into my arms and make everything okay. Without thinking, I reached out and hugged her. She stiffened at first but then relaxed against me, and her head rested on my shoulder.

Her voice was so soft and full of pain that it nearly brought me to my knees.

back a little and kept my hands on her arms, and I searched her eyes. "Then what's stopping

at me, and in that moment, I saw everything she couldn't say. Everything she

back, pulling herself out of my grasp.

the urge to reach for her again. "You're not hurting me. Not as much as you