Thorns & Oranges

Size Doesn't Always Matter

Chapter Thirty-Two

Vince came up to my room ten minutes later. I was sitting on the side of my bed so my back was facing the door but I knew he stood outside a few minutes listening to me cry before knocking. Wiping the tears off my face quickly wasn't the hard part. It was the red eye syndrome you got from crying that I couldn't hide.

"Come in," I said softly after a few minutes of trying to pinch my cheeks enough to fix the state of my face.

"Elina..."

"I'm sorry about breakfast," I muttered without looking at him. "Maybe we can try again tomorrow."

He sighed and closed the door, knowing this was going to take longer than his usual pat on the back and the "everything is going to be ok" spiel. He'd have to milk the information out of me, give his opinion on the matter, and then try to dispense some advice without sounding like an asshole. This was not going to be fun for him and I had half a mind just to tell him to leave me alone.

"Don't worry about breakfast." He walked over and sat next to me, both of his hands clasped in his lap. "We need to talk."

"About?"

"The cop."

I snorted. "Which one?"

"Let's start with the one that proposed."

"I'm going to say no so there's nothing for you to worry about. I only brought it up to get a reaction..."

"Well, you definitely got one. I wasn't worried, Elina. I just...I know you. If you wanted to marry him, you would've said yes the second he asked. Since you didn't, I know you have doubts and he's probably not the right guy for you."

"How would you know what's right for me? You barely know what's right for you."

"Guys have three basic necessities after they hit puberty: food, sleep, and sex. You mess with one and our whole world is thrown into orbit. Now, since I know you broke up with him, and not the other way around, one would be inclined to think the void was somehow filled in the interim. Not to mention it took him this long to propose. If he really wanted to marry you he would've asked long before now. The guy is scum, Elina."

"I never said he wasn't."

"Then what the hell was that all about?"

"You wouldn't understand. You never understand."

"I understand plenty. You were with a cop fresh out of rehab. You hid it from me, he hid you from everyone else, he proposed and then you smeared it all over the place during what was supposed to be a family breakfast. I know you weren't digging at me which means you were doing it to someone else. I know you don't care what Dom thinks so that leads to..."

"Don't," I interrupted, glancing at him for a second before looking back down at my hands. "Just let it go. I don't want you to analyze it like one of your literature books."

I knew I was asking a lot of him. He was my brother and he never let things go when it came to me. He beat them until the subject was dead and not completely buried. Sensing he needed to take a different approach this time however, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. Normally I would talk to him about this; especially since Michelle wasn't here he was the only other option. If there was one thing my brother always did right with me, it was comfort and listening when I needed it.

"What happened with Rey?" he said softly after a few minutes.

"Nothing of importance."

"Now that's not true. I know these tears aren't for the other policía bastard. So...what happened with Rey?"