Althea

|𝟯𝟯| 𝗕𝗮𝗿

I hold Enzo's hand as we walk down the main street of a neighborhood.

It's early morning and the sun shines over us brightly. I have to shield my eyes with one hand as I skip next to Enzo down the side walk.

We're currently knocking on doors asking if anyones seen a tall guy with dark hair and blue eyes and a big brown birth mark on the side of his face. We're trying to find Declan.

Enzo didn't want to do this because he thought it was no use and his brother was probably long gone by now because that's what he does. Disappears.

But every time Enzo says little stuff like that, I can see that he instantly regrets it, I can see in his eyes that he's sad about his brother leaving and everything that he found out about what really happened that night. And now I know it to.

I mean, how do you deal with that? What Declan went through as a child...no child- no one should have to go through that.

And then what Enzo's went through thinking his brother just left him that night with no explanation and just him and his thoughts that chased all these possibilities of what could have really happened.

Why his brother left him.

Then finding the truth and his brother leaving without them being able to talk.

I glance over at Enzo as we walk down the sidewalk. He's deep in thought, his jaw tightening as he looked around, his eyebrows furrowed.

He gripped my hand in his so tightly that my fingers were starting to hurt but I didn't say anything and just left him with his thoughts for awhile as we walked to the next house.

This next one was tall and painted a bright blue that glowed in the morning sun. I gripped Enzo's hand and pulled him towards the driveway of this next house.

There was a car in the driveway so I was 99% percent sure they were home. I say 99 and not 100 because there were a lot of houses we went to where there was a car in the driveway and no one answered when we knocked on the door.

Some of them I could see through the window when we were walking away.

I climbed the steps of the house with Enzo next to me. I took my left hand out of his for a split second so I could knock but he immediately swiped it back in his grip. Deja vu. I tell you, it's real peoples.

I glance behind me at him with my lips pursed to see him fidgeting as he stood only a few inches behind me. "Okay?" I raised my eyebrow at him, worried a little. He never acts so nervous.

His eyes snapped to mine after scanning the tall houses little porch filled with garden nomes (which kind of creeped me out) and a porch swing and one of those dream catchers.

He nodded. "Okay." He reassured me and I nodded, turning back around, still holding his hand, and knocking on the door that was painted a bright red with my right fist.

I withdrew my fist and glanced behind me at Enzo to see him looking around again, itching the back of his neck. I knew he was hot. In both ways, of course, but I'm talking about the heat hot.

I told him not to wear that thick grey hoodie and those jeans on a hot day like this. But he refused to listen to me, saying he just got new shoes and needed to wear them before it snowed. Therefore he needed to wear the perfect outfit with them. I had just rolled my eyes and didn't put up much of an argument.

He also wore a hat and now I couldn't see his floppy hair. I frowned at that. I loved his floppy hair.

I turned back towards the door, putting my right hand on my hip. "They sure are taking there sweet time opening up this god dang door." I said, shaking my head.

Enzo sighed from behind me. "Told you this was a stupid idea. He's long gone. He left. No one's going to know where he is." he mumbled.

"It's only been like...a week" I said, turning around to see Enzo leaning up against the tall beam connected to the little boxed barrier around the porch with his arms crossed and that sad expression still on his face. "he couldn't have gotten far. We'll find him and then..." I trailed off.

"And then what?" Enzo raised his eyebrow, genuinely curious. "what do I say to him? Do you know what I should say to him? Because I don't. I have no fucking idea what I should say to him after everything. Sorry for thinking you left me to burn with our parents so you could save your own ass? Sorry for not...for not realizing that you...that you..." his voice cracked at that last bit and he looked away, pushing down the front of his New York Yankees hat a bit to cover his eyes.

I frowned, feeling my eyes water a little bit. Just seeing Enzo sad makes me sad. Just thinking about what his brother went through makes me sad. It's just been a sad few weeks ever since he found out and then I found out from being so nosy.

I turn around when I hear footsteps coming from inside the house then the front door being opened up and then the screen door.

A older lady maybe in her late sixties stood in the doorway wearing a very fashionable pink suit I might add with gardening gloves and a rather large pair of scissors in her left hand.

My eyes widened when I realized she was pointing them directly at me and then I was pushed behind someone and now I was staring at Enzo's back as he stood in-front of me protectively.

I peaked around him, holding on to his arm and leaning outward with a small smile on my face, realizing who the old lady is.

"Oh, dear! I'm so sorry!" The lady, who was the flower shop owner, Mrs. Wally, gasped. She turned around, shuffling further into her house and coming back to the front door with no giant scissors in her hands.

She brushed her frail hands together and gave us a kind smile. "I'm so sorry for taking so long to open the door. Those darn insects are back, eating away at my tomatoes!" She shook her head in disbelief, just thinking about it. "I cannot wait until winter so I can dig em all up!"

I covered my mouth and giggled, trying to step from being Enzo but he wouldn't let me and when I looked up he was glaring at the poor old lady who had nothing but smiles on her face.

I pursed my lips and gently slapped him on the arm. He looked down at me with his eyebrows scrunched. I rolled my eyes. "She's gardening her fudgin plants! She's not gonna hurt me you weirdo." I whispered harshly to him, stepping from behind him.

I held my hand out to the old lady as Enzo shuffled his way back a little so he was behind me. "Hi Mrs.
Wally! Remember me? I picked up some flowers for my friend Karlos last sunday."

Mrs. Wally smiled her wide kind smile with her purely whites. I wonder if those are dentures. My grandma Rosabelle has dentures and one time she took them out right at the dinner table years ago when I went to visit her with Gio for the summer.

Mrs. Wally glanced at Enzo as he created a shadow around me as he hovered. Her smile wavered a little bit in suprise (he was probably still glaring at her.) but then she turned her attention back to me and took my hand in mine.

"Oh please, honey! Call me Bertha if you like and of course I remember you! You come to pick up those flowers for your gentlemen every Sunday!" She said with a smile.

My eyes widened and I could just hear Enzo's eye roll behind me as he shifted where he stood a little bit. "Oh no! Karlos and I aren't together. He's with my bestie Elyse," I juted a thumb behind me. "this is my Tater Tot, Enzo Alveraz." I said proudly, looking back at him fondly and he met my eyes, his once hardened glare now soft as he stared at me.

I turned back to Mrs. Wally. I decided not to use her name because I've always known her by her last name. Plus, last names I saved for people I don't know to well or just elderly people in general.

"Oh..." Mrs. Wally said with raised eyebrows as she stared behind me at Enzo. Then realization dawned on her face. "Are you the boy the Peters adopted all those years ago? And the horrible boy who interrupted her funeral with that rubbish?" She accused, wagging her bony finger.

I frowned and when I looked behind me at Enzo he was frowning, glaring at the ground.

I turned back around with as stern as an expression as I could muster up. "Why on earth would anybody lie about something so serious!" I said, my voice raising a little bit, surprising Mrs. Wally. "you really have some nerve talking to someone like that. You have no idea what's going on or what he was going through so I would suggest you keep your opinions to yourself...Mrs..." I glared at her and she gasped and touched her hand to her chest, taking a small step back as I pointed my finger at her.

I'm getting heated just looking at her as her eyes squinted at both us, the friendliness no longer there, replaced with hardened disappointment. She straightened her posture, no longer shocked. She put her hand on the door. "You have no right to talk to me like that young lady-"

"I was just going to ask you if you seen a guy with a big brown birth mark on the side of his face around but now, you don't...you don't deserve to be asked the question." I thought about that sentence for a moment. Couldn't go back now.

I spun around, ignoring Enzo's raised eyebrows and amused expression and grabbing onto his arm and yanking him behind me as I stomped angrily down her porch steps and towards the sidewalk.

"A guy with a big brown birthmark?" I hear the lady mutter behind us as I stomp away, having to use all my strength to pull Enzo behind me. "how about you check that local bar...you- you horrible hooligans!" The lady shouts.

I snap my attention to her and glare. "Oh I will! You- you horrid old lady!" She gasps, touching her hand to her heart.

"Well that's what you should do you- you whiffet!" She shouts back, going back into her house and slamming the door closed.

I stopped walking and turn to face Enzo when he stops walking first. "Can you believe her audacity!" I throw my hands up.

His eyebrow are still raised for a moment. "No. It's horrible how she just did that to you." He says, his voice laced with sarcasm that I choose to ignore.

I put my hands on my hip and shake my head slowly, tapping my foot gently on the sidewalk as a car whisks by, blowing my hair in the breeze.

"Forgetting about her upfront rudeness, we now know where to go. That local bar! Although I don't know why Declan would be there but then again I don't know him to well or at all really..." I trail off when I meet Enzo's eyes.

"Enzo?" I tilt my head to the side, studying his expression. It looks pained and sad and confused. "Do you know-"

"No." He says a little to quickly, meeting my eyes head on.

I scrunch my eyebrows and purse my lips. "How do you know what I was going to say?"

Enzo shrugs and tries to grab my hand but I take it out of his reach and he looks at me as if begging me not to ask any questions but of course I do.

"You used to go to that local bar didn't you?" I ask quietly, looking down at my shoes.

When I don't hear him say anything I peak up at him to see that he's staring at me intently. "No..." he says slowly.

I glance down at his hands to see them shaking ever so slightly. Something I've noticed he does when he's lying along with when he's angry or nervous or scared, etc etc.

I hold up my hand when he goes to move towards me again. He stops in his tracks. "What did we say about lying?" I ask, tilting my head and staring right at him but he won't meet my eyes.

"Enzo?" I say softly, no judgement in my voice. I know he hates whenever his drinking gets brought up. He doesn't want me to hear about it. He doesn't want me to think about it because I know he's ashamed of it. "I won't judge you. I would never do that. But please don't lie." I say quietly.

He looks up and meets my eyes ever so slowly. His eyes scan my face, every feature, as if to search for any sign of judgement but when he doesn't find any he slowly nods. "Yeah...I know the owner...he helped me when I was younger a lot." he says with a shrug.

I nod, watching as he gulps. I step towards him and take his hand in mine. Almost immediately it stops shaking. He stares at our hands laced together with a confused expression. "How do you do that?" he asks, looking back up at me with a small smile on his face.

I stare at him confused. "Do what?" I question.

He gently strokes his thumb over my hand. "Stop the shaking. You always stop the shaking. Every single fucking time." The expression in his eyes change as if he just realized something and now he stares at me with a new light.

I don't know what that expression is but I like it. Actually, I think I love it. When he stares at me like that. It makes me feel things I've never felt before.

I shrug. "Maybe I got magical powers that calms anyone down." I say with a smile on my face.

He watches me for a second, no amusement in his eyes. No. That's no longer there. Just that same expression with a content smile. "Yeah, magical powers..." he says slowly.

I nod and grip his hand, starting down the sidewalk again. "Let's go to that bar now. Declan's probably there now. I have no idea how Mrs. Wally would know he was there but that's our only lead."

Enzo plants his feet hard on the sidewalk and yanks me back to his chest. I let out a surprised shriek as I spin around and slam hard into his chest. "Woah! What was that for dude!?" I stare up at him with wide eyes.

He chuckles. "Your going the wrong way, sweet heart."

Oh.

I roll my eyes and try to move past him, heading the right way now but he stops me again, giving me a quick peck on the lips before his expression turns serious. "What if he's not there?" He asks quietly.

My heart hurts just looking at his eyes. They look sad and scared. What if his brother isn't there? I don't know what we would do. I don't even know his brother enough to know the places he would go in a town like this. He could have left the town all together for all we know!

But I have to be calm because if I'm being real here, his brother probably isn't at the local bar.

He's probably long gone.

But I can't tell him that so instead I cup his face in my hands and move his head so his eyes stare directly into mine and I put on my best reassuring face as I say; "There's only one way to find out."

♡︎

★ Enzo ★

Althea's a little to excited to go into a bar for the first time. But then again, what can I expect from her?

I open the door for her and watch as she skips past me and into bar. I step inside behind her and it looks the same as it did all those weeks ago when I came here plus the few mini statues put up all over the bar.

There's a few men already in here. Two of them at the bar and a couple scattered around at the high tables.

I glance at all the beer stacked up behind the bar and I'm surprised that I don't feel anything. I don't want it. At all.

There's no crave or need for it in this moment like I thought there would be if I saw beer again. And I'm not at all confused on why because I know why.

Because I wanted to be a better person for her.

I know I should want to be a better person for myself but that's not motivation enough. I need her. I need her so fucking much it's unreal how much I need her or what I would do if something ever happened to her. To Althea.

Speaking of, I search the bar when I realize she's no longer next to me and my eyes immediately land on her talking to one of those men at the bar.

He might be short and his feet don't touch the ground, but I can see the way his muscles bulge in his leather vest jacket, a black bandanna around his head, his stringy dirty blond hair coming out of it and falling past his shoulders as he watches Althea talk to him with a neutral expression.

I walk towards them, already hearing Althea's soft but overly excited voice as I sit down on one of the stools. "Knock knock." She says with a smile as she holds her hands behind her back.

I turn in my seat and spread my legs a little so I can grab her by her waist and pull her so she's between my legs. She lets out a small gasp and turns her head with a slightly scared expression but then when she sees it's me she immediately relaxes.

"Hi Tater Tot. I was just talking to this nice looking man." she says, looking back at the guy who goes back to slowly shaking his liquor in his cup before drinking it.

I clench my jaw when he puts his drink down and instantly scans his eyes over Althea's body, licking his chapped lips.

"How about you keep your fucking eyes to your self?" I glare at him. The guys eyes snap up to me and he holds my gaze for a minute before shrugging and going back to drinking his liquor.

Huh.

I thought there would be some kind of confrontation.

I'm not gonna talk about how I wish there was so I could beat his ass because just thinking about why I'm even here in the first place is making me angry.

"Woah there," Althea says, turning so she stands between my legs. She raises her eyebrows. "let's not start any bar fights although I've never seen one before," she thinks about it for a moment and then her gaze finds mine again. "But if you get into a bar fight then ima have to jump in and frick them all up real bad and I don't think anyone wants that." She puts on a tuff expression that looks less intimidating then I think she intended it to as she brushes off each of her shoulders and then holds up her arms and kisses both of her small biceps.

I didn't even realize I was smiling as I watch her examine her biceps with a confused look on her face.

She squeezes her left one to make it look bigger and then she looks up at me, scans my face, and then starts grinning when she sees me smiling as well, her cute dimples popping out.

"We may have to go to the gym..." she mutters, examining her biceps again.

I tilt my head and squint my eyes. "Ya think?"

She looks at me with that look. I don't know what it's called or how to describe it. Just that look.

When I first met her, I quickly fell in love with her eyes. Fuck. Her eyes were so fucking pretty. They were unreal. But the main reason I fell in love with them, is because of the way she used them to look at me. Like she was doing right now. I felt like I was on top of the world whenever I caught her staring at me to long and she quickly looked away. Or when she gaped at me, her eyes smiling (if that was even possible), moving all over my features to make sure I was there. To make sure I was here.

I'm here, baby. I wanted to say. And I'm never going away.

Then suddenly, Althea jerks forward and into my chest. Her expression shows she didn't mean to do it so I look over her shoulder and at the guy behind her who's staring at her ass and licking his lips.

I look back at Althea who turns around and glares at the guy, almost close to tears.

And I don't think. Of course I don't think, I just react like I always do. I just see red like I always do.

I gently grab Althea's waist and move her from between my legs. She's confused as she watches me but as soon as she's out of the way I stand up, move towards the man that was staring at her ass, and I grab him by his collar and drag him out of his seat.

He lets out a small yelp as he tries grabbing the hands I'm using to grip his collar, his glass of liquor crashing to the floor and splintering into a million pieces.

He's shorter then I originally thought and his feet aren't even touching the ground. I almost laugh.

I can feel the eyes of everyone in the bar staring at me but I don't give a shit. I lean in close to the guy. "Do you think it's okay to slap someone's fucking ass without permission? To put your hands on her?" I point a finger beside me at Althea.

The guys face is turning beat red because of how tight I'm holding his collar. I want to punch him so fucking badly. I don't know where all this anger is coming from but I want to beat his ass until I see red.

The guy eagerly shakes his head, his eyes darting around the bar quickly as if to ask for help.

When nobody comes to his rescue, I look around and smile, running my tongue over my bottom lip as my eyes scan over the few people at the bar watching this interaction.

I turn my attention back to the guy and lean in towards his ear, whispering; "you think someone's going to come and help your sorry ass? I think not."

I lean away from the guy and he looks furious as his face begins to turn a very concerning shade of purple. Then, he spits in my face. This motherfucker spits in my fucking face.

I don't even think before I drop his ass to the ground, draw my fist back, and punch him right in his fucking jaw.

"Dang." Someone blurts out and I look beside me at Althea to see her staring wide eyed at the guy on the floor, her hand over her mouth.

I turn back to the guy, his lip bleeding and his jaw bruised and I get on top of him and start punching him and punching him and punching him until my fist starts to hurt.

"Enzo!" I hear Althea's voice call, starting to get worried. "Stop! I know I said I kinda sorta wanted to see a bar fight but I didn't actually mean it babes!"

But I just keep punching the guy over and over again, my vision blurred and my mind only seeing red and I take all my anger out on this guy, most of it from him putting his hands on Althea but some of it from my brother because if I'm being honest, I don't want him to be here, if he's even hear because we haven't seen him yet. What would I say to him? I have no fucking idea and I don't want to know because I don't want him to be here.

Then Im suddenly not punching him anymore and instead I'm being pulled away by strong hands and I try to get out of them so I can continue to beat his ass but I can't and I feel tired. So fucking tired. I see the guy bloody and still on the floor.

I look over at Althea to see her staring at me with wide eyes, her hand still over her mouth but she doesn't look scared as she rushes to me and grabs my hand, taking me away from whoever pulled we from the guy and walking me over to the couch. Althea sits me down and then sits down beside me and grabs my face so I can look at her.

"Enzo?" she says my name quietly, staring at me with concerned eyes. "are you okay? Wait. Of course your not okay you nearly beat a guy to death!" She says, shaking her head in disbelief as if she can't believe she asked that. "do you want to leave? We can leave if you want and I can come back and try to find your brother and you can stay home and watch all the movies you want-"

"No fucking way are you coming back here alone." I said, cutting her off and shaking my head, touching my fist with my other hand.

Althea looks down at my hand and she gasps when she sees how red my knuckles are and how bruised they are. She grabs my hand in hers and begins gently massaging it and running her fingertips softly over each knuckle. "Oooo. I hope you like Superman bandaids because that's all I have at home." She says gently.

I chuckle as I watch her examine my knuckles closely. "Dang. You beat him all the way up. I may not condone violence but...dang." she says, glancing up at me and I can't help but laugh and she smiles, watching me.

She continues to stroke my knuckles gently before leaning down and kissing each one and then reaches up and pecking me on the lips. "I know he touched my bum but I think you took it a little to far." She says, scrunching up her face.

I squint at her. "Ya think?"

She lets out a breathless laugh that turns into a small shriek as someone speaks up. "Someone clean up all this glass!"

Me and Althea both snap our attention to the guy standing in front of the couch were currently sitting on. I recognize him right away with his shiny bald head and the beer belly that never went away. The faded tattoos on his arms and now a fresh one on his leg and that wide smile that never left his face.

"You might want to refrain from starting any bar fights in my bar, kiddo." Jack says, giving me an amused look.

"Told you to stop calling me kiddo." I grumble, leaning back into the couch.

"Told you to stop fighting in my bar but we can't all get what we want now can we?" Jack said, raising his eyebrows.

I roll my eyes but grin anyway. "Still see your working in this smelly ass bar."

Jack rolls his eyes, smiling because he can take a joke. "Still see you can't manage your anger issues."

"Damn. That stung." I say, pressing a hand to my heart.

Jack's eyes leave mine and instead focus on Althea beside me who watches our interaction with raised eyebrows. Jack stares between me and her for a second before smiling once again and holding out his hand. "And who might you be?"

Althea glances at me and I nod my head. She stands up and smiles that wide genuine smile of hers, taking Jack's hand in hers. "Hi! I'm Althea." she says.

Jack raises his eyebrows at her and glances at me because of her over enthusiasm which is just her personality. I glare at him to warn him not to say anything because I know he can be less then nice when it comes to overly happy people like her.

He turns his attention back to Althea. "Hey, Althea, names Jack." he says, giving her a short nod. "You must be Enzo's..." he trails of, furrowing his eyebrows and glancing at me.

Before I can say anything Althea beats me to it. "He's my Tater Tot." She says, looking over her shoulder at me and all I can do is stare at her because damn, she is gorgeous.

"Tater Tot?" Jack cocks his head to the side in confusion.

Althea turns back to him and nods. "Boyfriend, Tater Tot. Whatever you want to call it. I like your tattoos." She blurts out, looking closely at the ones on his neck and arms.

He wears one of those rock band t-shirts rolled up at the sleeves so you can see his muscles. He has piercings everywhere and he got his tongue split a few months ago. Jacks in his late fifties but somehow his style hasn't changed in decades.

"Ah, thank you honey, just got one on my leg a few weeks ago. Bout healed now." He says, looking down at his leg.

Althea looks down to. "Ya know, I was thinking about getting some tats." she says, brushing off both of her shoulders.

I raise my eyebrows at this new information. "Oh yeah?" I say. She turns around to look at me. "Since when?"

She glares at me and crosses her arms. "Since...now" she says.

I chuckle and so does Jack. Althea purses her lips and glares at both of us. "Y'all won't be laughing when I get a tattoo of a sour patch kid somewhere on my body."

"Why a Sour Patch Kid?" Jack questions.

Althea glances at me and then shrugs. "Because Enzo loves those."

I can feel Jack's eyes on me as I watch Althea loose interest in the conversation all together and walk over to the bar to examine one of those mini statues.

"Someone's in love" Jack sings, taking a seat next to me on the same couch from all those years ago.

I snap my attention away from Althea who I was watching like a fucking stalker to make sure I didn't loose sight of her and to Jack. I scoff. "No."

Jack let's out an exasperated sigh as he relaxes into the couch. "No need to lie. You've done enough of that."

I give him a confused look. "What are you talking about?" I ask, glad to move the conversation from his previous statement.

"Don't think I forgot when you stole from me all those years ago." He says nonchalantly, shifting his position on the couch.

I try not to give anything away as I cross my arms and lean back into the couch, my hand still sore from punching the shit out of that guy who must of left. "I don't know what your talking about." I mumble.

Jack gives me a warning look. "Don't lie, dude, doesn't look good on you." he shrugs.

I don't say anything. Only remain silent and take my attention away from Jack and to Althea who's talking to the lady behind the bar who must have just started her shift. The lady smiles at Althea and I hear Althea laugh when the lady says something.

I remember that night like it was yesterday. When I stole from Jack. I know it was wrong but I did it like it was nothing. I wonder how he found out.

"I found out as soon as I came back from that back room," Jack answers as if he could read my thoughts. "you looked hella suspicious."

"You've known for 11 years and didn't say anything?" I raise my eyebrow, still not looking at him and just watching Althea. I couldn't look at him. I felt so fucking guilty.

I see Jack shrug in my peripheral vision. "It was only like thirty bucks and I knew you needed the money, kid. You needed it more then me so I didn't say anything." He says.

I finally look at him, watching his side profile as he scans his bar. "Oh." I mumble.

"But what I wish you did do is tell me that you needed help. I would have helped you. I wish you didn't lie. I wouldn't have yelled at you, you know I wouldn't have done that. The truth goes a long way, remember that." Jack glances at me before going back to watching over the bar.

I turn my attention back to Althea, thinking and thinking and thinking. The truth goes a long way. I have a feeling I'm going to need that advice in the future.

"I'm sorry..." I mutter, picking imaginary lent off my jeans, not being able to look Jack in the eyes.

Jack shrugs. "It's fine. I guess it's fair considering if it wasn't for me, you would have never gotten addicted to that shit," he gestures towards all the beer behind his bar.

I chuckle. "Nah. That was all on me. But, I haven't drunken any in weeks." I note.

Jack looks at me with raised eyebrows. "Really? Why?"

I immediately look over towards Althea and Jack follows my gaze. When I look back at him he's looking at me with that knowing gaze of his. "Ah, I see." He says nodding.

"Your sight is gone to shit. You don't see anything." I mumble, looking down at my jeans.

Jack chuckles. "That, your right on, but I know love when I see it. I've been in love more then seven times."

"Which is exactly why you can't be trusted with statements like that." I say.

Jack shakes his head. "So you don't love her?" He raises his eyebrows.

I start to say something but then I stop, clenching my jaw and watching Althea as she laughs at something the bar lady says. The way her wavy hair cascades down her back and the way her eyes brighten every time she says something.

I purse my lips. "Shut up." I mumble.

Jack shrugs. "So, why'd you come here? I know it wasn't to start fights with my most loyal customer."

Fuck. Now I'm thinking about Declan. Fucking Declan.

"My brother." I say.

Jack nods. He knows what happened all those years ago but not the full truth because I didn't even know the full truth until a few weeks ago.

"What about him?" Jack asks, and I can hear the hatred in his voice.

He probably hates my brother more then me...more then I did. Do I even hate him now that I know the truth? Does hatred for someone just disappear once you find out the explanation for why they did what they did? Do I even have a right to hate Declan now that I know...

"I found out some stuff...the truth" I start, clenching my jaw. "And it changes fucking everything."

"Declan came back?" Jack sits up and when I look at him his expression is something that I can't pinpoint.

"Yeah. And then he left again-"

"He did what!" Jack shouts and almost the entire bar turns to us, including Althea who looks at me worriedly and then back at Jack but then realization comes into her eyes and I know she knows that I just told him.

"Calm down. He had a good reason to...but now I need to find him. I don't know if he left town or if he's still here but Althea's helping me try to find him and we went out asking people if they saw him and Mrs. Wally or whatever the fuck her name is told us she saw him here so...was he?" I look at him with raised eyebrows.

Jack shakes his head and my mood instantly deflates. "Even if he was here I don't know what he looks like so I wouldn't be able to tell you..."

I nod. But then realize something. "He has a big birthmark on the side of his face" I say, sitting up in my seat.

Jack thinks for a moment, stroking his chin in thought. "There was this one guy that came in. It was late, like so late there was barley anyone in here. He asked for the strongest thing we had and I remember how furious he looked. When I tell you this guy had all the negative emotions you could think of bottled up and reflected in his eyes," Jack shakes his head in disbelief. "I was hesitant to serve him because he didn't look in the right state of mine but moneys money and I haven't been getting as many people in here as I used to." He shrugs. "I remember his eye kept twitching like he was some junkie and he had something on his face. I didn't know what the fuck it was but it was big, brown and looked scary as fuck."

"Do you know where he went? When he left?" I asked, getting hopeful now.

But then Jack shakes his head. "Helped him get an Uber and he was gone." He furrows his eyebrows. "You think that was your brother?"

I watched Jack glance over his shoulder, his jaw ticking a little. I followed his gaze to the back door. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused on why he looked a little nervous. I ignore it and clench my fist, the pain still prominent in my right hand as I cross my arms, leaning further back into the couch. "I don't know. Maybe." I mumble.

Jack nods and relaxes into his seat again. "Well...there's nothing you can really do if it's been weeks now." Jack says.

I know he's right but I don't want him to be right. I'm gonna find him one day, I know I will, whether it's to apologize or...I don't even know. I just know I have to find him. The only thing is, I don't know when that's going to be.

"Cheer up," Jack says, planting his hands on his knees and standing up with a tired groan. "you have a very enthusiastic person, or, women, to be more specific, right over there who I think would do anything to help you." Jack gestures towards Althea.

He's right. She would do anything to help me. I furrow my eyebrows, thinking about that. It's been years since I felt like I had someone who would go to great lengths for me.

I needed a person like that. Althea could be that person. Right?

I watch her closely, feeling something in my chest that I've never felt before for someone.

What the fuck is this feeling?

I think about Jack's words. 'Someone's in love'

Am I in love?

Fuck no. I'm not in love with her. No way.

...

♡︎

I know I'm not the only one who's in a writing slump and reading slump because I've been seeing it all over TikTok. I have no idea what's going on but I never felt like I just didn't want to do anything book related.

Anyways...tysm for reading. Not even gonna tell y'all that the next chapter will be out soon because idek when it'll be out but don't worry I won't stop writing this book because, again, I have to much I want to do.

Someone's in love (in a singing voice) eeeee. I wonder what's going to happen next!

Wait...

Word count: 6446

Love, M <3