Mickey
"Mickey!" Tre forced through clenched teeth as I stood looking what I was sure was dumb and confused in the bathroom door way.
I shook my head as I attempted to gather my thoughts. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry." Mumbling the last part before loosely placing my right hand over my eyes and looking away.
"How long you been standing there?" He quizzed with a slight chuckle before turning toward the sink. "You know I took you as a lot of things but a peeping Tom was most definitely not one of them." He joked causing me to catch a small attitude.
"I wasn't trying to peep anything." I somewhat lied. Taking a moment to steal a glance at him through the cracks of my fingers. Only to notice him staring right back at me from the mirror. An odd smirk on his face. I huffed before dropping my hand completely from my face and taking a step into the room. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I admitted staring back into his face in the mirror.
"I'm good. Appreciate your concern though." He said squirting toothpaste across his toothbrush and placing it directly into his mouth. By passing running water over it like some sort of lunatic.
"Well good." I said matching his tone. Placing my arms across my chest and looking off.
"Anything else?" He quizzed after spitting into the sink and glancing over his shoulder at me.
"Nope." I said popping the p and turning around. "You're just like my weak ass brother." I mumbled.
"What?!" He seethed quickly turning off the sink and turning toward me.
"I mean like ..." I started but my words quickly got caught in my throat as I turned to face him. His gaze now intense. "If you're not okay that's okay."
"Is it?" He quizzed as his shoulders relaxed a bit. I couldn't quite read him in this moment but he had definitely calmed down from the moment prior.
"I mean like ... yeah." I said stumbling over my words like a child. "As much as you're doing for me I just want you to know if you need me I'm here." I huffed graduating from child to adolescent.
"You're doing exactly what I need you to do just by laying low, staying safe and letting me handle this." He said causing me to slowly lift my eyes from the floor.
"Then why do I feel like I'm not doing enough?" I quizzed taking a seat on the edge of the tub.
"Well maybe it's deeper than that." He said taking steps closer to me. I looked into his face for answers. What did he mean by that? "Hear me out before you catch one of your lil attitudes." He said mimicking a female with the last part.
I laughed even though I didn't want to.
"Have you ever felt needed?" He asked catching me off guard.
I allowed my eyes to fall to the floor again as I thought long and hard about what he had just asked me. "No." I whispered feeling somewhat ashamed by my admission. "Not really." I said crossing my legs and lying my arms against them. For the majority of my life I had only felt tolerated.
Tolerated by my parents and later by my brother. The only person who I ever felt like needed me was my grandmother during her last years. And I still wasn't sure I had served her the best i could.
"Do you want to feel needed?" He quizzed sending me deeper into thought.
"Sometimes I guess." I admitted not really feeling the need to lie to him in this moment. Normally I wouldn't allow myself to be so vulnerable. But for some reason around him all I felt was vulnerable.
