Crash 》Hemmings

Chapter Twenty Four

"I can leave if you want me to. I know this is a big deal," Luke gently told me.

I quickly grabbed onto his arm, afraid that he would try to leave if I wasn't holding him. "Don't go."

He didn't say anything. He simply moved closer to me and gripped my hand tightly. He didn't have to say anything. This small gesture gave me my answer.

I took in a deep breath as I waited for my laptop to turn on. I looked over at Luke wide eyed.

"What if he hates me?" I asked.

He gently touched my cheek. It was comforting. "He's your brother Paxton, he's not going to hate you."

"But..I just left him," I mumbled as I clicked on the blue Skype app.

"He's your family. Trust me on this."

I didn't say another word. All of my attention was on the computer in front of me. I sent Steven and invite and waited, hoping he would answer. A familiar face popped up and I nearly started to cry.

Except I didn't cry anymore.

"Steven," I said barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and said it again, so he would hear me.

"Shit," was all he said. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

He cut his hair short and slicked up in the front. He lost his baby face and his jawline was very prominent. He looked much older than sixteen.

"How are you doing Steven?" I asked. My voice sounded really funny. Luke wasn't close enough to be on the computer screen. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

Steven shrugged. He was having a hard time looking at me. I couldn't blame him.

"Okay I guess. It's um, it's good to see you again Pax."

My throat tightened. "You too."

There was a long pause between us. I wished things weren't so awkward. I could still remember back to when we would always pick on each other.

Then Steven started crying.

Not just a simple cry when you hurt yourself or the silent cry so no one notices. Full on sobbing, his face hidden in his hands. I had to look away for a moment.

"S-sorry," he stuttered out, wiping under his nose. "It's just..I miss you Pax. Home isn't the same. It's hard."

"I'm so sorry," I whispered out. I was squeezing Luke's hand so hard I probably cut the circulation off. But he didn't say anything.

"Come home," Steven whined. He was still crying.

I shook my head. "I told you, I can't. This is my home now."

"Bullshit."

"I can't just up and leave-"

"Why not?" He yelled. I jumped a little. "You up and left a year ago so why can't you do it now? You're great at leaving!"

I didn't say anything. A small part of my was expecting this. Although I was hoping it wouldn't happen. I knew he would have pent up emotions.

"Why did you have to do this?" He screamed at me. I was hoping he was home alone. I didn't want any of my other family members to see me. This was enough for one day.

"Steven-" I tried to cut in.

"I don't want to hear it Paxton! You left me all alone! My only family member that I was close to and you left me! How could you do that to me? Do you not love me?"

"Don't say that!" I yelled at him. At this point I was crying too. This didn't go how I planned. "Of course I love you Steven, you're my brother!"

"Then why did you leave?"

I yanked my hand away from Luke so I could hide my face for a moment. My whole body was shaking as I sobbed into my hands.

"Answer me!" Steven yelled.

I looked back at my computer through my blurry vision. I couldn't even make out my brother's features anymore. "I had to get out okay? I had to live my own life and I knew if I stuck around there I would never get out! If I stayed in that god damn place any longer I would have been trapped!"

"Some sister you are," Steven muttered. And then the screen went black.

I cried loudly as I shoved my laptop away from me. Luke's arms were around me instantly and I grabbed onto his shirt tightly. He hugged me so tight it was hard to breath, but I didn't care.

"He hates me," I sobbed out. I buried my face deep into Luke's chest. The smell of his laundry detergent and cologne filling my nose. I pulled his shirt closer to me.

"He was just mad," Luke assured me. His tone was quiet and gentle. I had a hard time hearing it over my crying. "He will get over it. He doesn't hate you Paxton."

"You heard him! I just left him all alone Luke! Who does that?"

Luke lifted me into his lap and I curled up into a ball. He rested his chin on top of my head and just let me cry. He rubbed my back, his strong grip never faltering.

"I'm a horrible person," I whispered.

"You're far from horrible," Luke said.

"Don't lie to me."

"Paxton," he murmured. I shook my head, still hiding my face.

"Baby girl," he said barely above a whisper.

I looked up at him. My breathing was uneven, I was shaking, I couldn't see him properly. But none of that mattered. Those two words he spoke caught my attention.

Luke held onto me with one hand while he used the other to wipe away my tears.

"It's going to be okay, Paxton. I'm here. Okay? I'm here forever, I promise."

"Don't promise me that," I whispered looking down. "Don't make promises you won't keep."

He tilted my head back up to look at him. I sniffled.

"I plan on keeping that promise, baby. Paxton Brooks, I promise I'm here to stay. I care about you too much to ever think about leaving you. You're a part of my life now."

"Okay," I mumbled out. Luke pulled me into another hug.

"I was scared," he said. "I was scared of commitment because it didn't go well for me last time. I didn't want to be left broken and in pieces. But today proved to me that I can never be as broken as you are. I want you to be mine Paxton."

I nodded into his chest. "Don't let go."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

A/N: SO THEY'RE TOGETHER NOW AND THAT'S PRETTY FUCKING COOL

I love how popular this story is but my other ones aren't getting any love. Seriously, go and check them out!

So I'm updating because tomorrow I'm going on a college tour to a college that I'm not even going to lol. Annnnnd I have a shit ton of homework so that sucks.

K thanks for reading!

Twitter: l0stcreation