𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄

ꜰɪꜰᴛʏ - ᴏɴᴇ

He hit the tap off and placed his vegetables on a paper towel, grabbing a second one for his hands. He could tell that there was something up with his brother just from the way he was speaking, so he spun and gave him his undivided attention.

"What's wrong?"

"Listen—don't freak out."

He grabbed a water bottle and uncapped it, "Yeah, because that's a great preface."

Kaedyn rolled his eyes as he lifted the bottle to his lips, inhaling a large mouthful of cold water. It was definitely something he needed and didn't know; since his incident, he had been trying to keep himself full, eating on normal regimens, and hydrated, but it was so easy to be dehydrated.

"Mason's here."

Kai spit the water out, right at his brother.

He gaped at him with surprise as the liquid dropped off his lips and hit the granite at the same time Kaedyn lifted a hand to his face, wiping off what he'd just gotten all over him. There had to be ear wax jammed in his ears or something because there was no way he just heard what he had.

"What part of, don't freak out, did you not get?" he mulled, flicking his wrist.

"Are you pulling my leg?"

"No," he looked at him seriously, "He's in your room."

Kai placed the bottle down gently, not taking his eyes off his twin. He knew deep down that he wouldn't lie about something like this—not when he was on the road to recovery, but he still had to double-check. Trust issues like his couldn't be rewritten so easily overnight.

When the sternness in his pupils and the nonchalance of his facial expression didn't change upon his gaze, he knew that he was telling him the truth. And while he felt excitement bubbling in his stomach and anxiety wrapping its unmovable cords around his throat, he still had to question it.

"Why?" he whispered.

"I don't know. He didn't say."

His eagerness and sense of logic completely erased all thoughts from his mind. Even just knowing he was within fifty feet from him was enough to let the hairs on the back of his neck stand at ease. He could feel goosebumps traveling down his arms and a tingling sensation, similar to a limb falling asleep, on the edges of his fingertips and in his toes. 

He brushed past the counter and went toward the stairs when Kaedyn's palm on his chest stopped him in his tracks. Under normal circumstances, he would have shoved him away without another word from him, as he was not who he wanted to talk to, but after everything, relying on his brother was much simpler—much more rectifying—than pushing him away and pretending otherwise.

"What is it?"

"I'm pretty sure he's drunk," he sighed, "Don't do anything."

"I would never," his eyebrows dipped, "I'm just excited to talk to him."

"Tread lightly—you don't know what he's been through since the breakup."

Kai nodded, breaking the eye contact. He knew that his brother was just being protective over him, because of their family ties, and Mason due to friendship ties, but it still awoke pain in his body. Not knowing what was going on in his life was something he never thought he'd miss, yet here he stood, wanting to march upstairs and perform a questionnaire on him.

He wanted the in on his life—he wanted every part of him.

But he had a right to none of them anymore; the only thing he was granted was to be a listener. Mason begged him to be one their entire relationship—he would never deny such a want anymore.