The Mechanic

FORTY SIX

An unexpected chuckle escaped from my mouth. "A sniper, huh?"

He smiled, but it faded fast and his expression grew more serious. "What happened between you and Harry?"

I bit my lip and shrugged. "We just...just realized that we're not meant for each other. Things are...complicated."

Dirk sighed softly. "Every relationship is complicated in their own way, I guess. Like what they always say, love is a battlefield. You have to fight for it everyday if you really want it."

I gave him an amused look. "Wow. Since when did you become that deep?"

He just flashed a cheeky smirk. "Blame Zayn. His depth is infectious. I swear that guy is like a walking philosophy book."

That made me laugh. I spent a night with Zayn and I had a glimpse of how deep he could be. "You've been spending a lot of time with him lately, huh?"

"He's really cool. Even Mom likes him. He's like a brother to me now."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So I'm not your favorite sibling anymore?"

"You were never my favorite to begin with."

I hit his arm with my lightly closed fist, earning a whimper from him.

"That hurts!" Dirk exclaimed, rubbing his arm. "Mom! Jay punched me!"

I stuck my tongue out and rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up. I just patted your arm."

The door swung open, revealing our mother.

"Mom, Jay hit me," Dirk said, faking a miserable face like a child.

But Mom didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes were fixed on me, and I could tell that something serious happened. Even Dirk sensed it.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Dirk asked, getting up from bed. "Are you in pain? Where does it hurt?"

Mom quickly shook her head. "I'm okay." Then she glanced at me. "Harry is downstairs."

My pulse leaped. My chest began to race, and a mixture of unexplainable emotions consumed me.

He's here.

He came to see me.

I should be happy or touched, but a haze of possibilities and questions clouded my consciousness. Was he here to explain himself? Would I hear another bunch of gut-wrenching revelations?

Dirk turned to me. "I can tell him to fuck off if you want."

"No," I muttered, leaving the bed. "I need to talk to him."

"Are you sure you're ready to face him?" Dirk asked, concerned. "You don't have to force yourself."

"I'm okay. Harry and I have a lot to talk about."

Mom placed an arm around Dirk's shoulders, encouraging him to let it go. She gazed at me. "Go. We'll stay here upstairs so you two can talk in private."

I gave them a smile and headed out of the room with sweating hands and pounding chest. I saw Harry on the couch, sitting there and fidgeting the rings around his fingers.

His head shot up and our eyes met. Shock froze me when I saw his face, particularly the dark circles under his eyes. He looked like hell.

Well, we're both stuck in the pits of hell, so this shouldn't be surprising.

I shoved away a handful of tangled hair from my face, then swallowed repeatedly to find my voice.

"What are you doing here?" I finally asked, my voice shaking. I crossed my arms on my chest and remained standing near him.