Navigating Hermes (Book Two)

Chapter Twelve

Welcome to the new readers and welcome back to everyone who's been here for a while. Thank you for all of the support. Please let me know what you think and don't forget to vote if you enjoy so others can more easily discover this series. See you next week! - Amy

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     The first thing Julie did in the morning after brushing her teeth was walk next door to Marcus' house and let herself in. She hadn't even bothered to bring her key since she knew the door from their shared garage would be unlocked.

     It was a wonder to Julie that her and Marcus had identical houses based on the state of things once she stepped inside. It made her feel extra grateful that during university, their father decided to have a semi-detached duplex built on a severed plot of land so Julie and Marcus could each have their own homes while still being with each other. The homes were attached by their double-car garages. Instead of them each having their own long garage, they decided to have it be a larger shared space since Marcus had a lot of toys, so using part of Julie's garage allowed them all to fit. It was also the reason why they would sometimes still end up blocking each other's cars.

     Julie walked through Marcus' house, dodging greasy bags of takeout and empty beer bottles and cans. Jesus, it's rank in here, she thought when she got to the stairs, which were near the kitchen. She ignored the large pile of dirty dishes and leftover spoiled food on the counters.

     After being transported back home the night before, Hermes made Julie promise him that she'd call him if she needed anything at all. He stressed that it didn't matter what time of day it was or how busy he seemed. He was worried after Marcus' outburst and while Julie denied it, she was afraid of how Marcus would react at her morning check-in. She couldn't handle her twin being upset at her and he'd really hurt her feelings the night before.

     "Marcus?" Julie carefully opened the door to his room, not surprised that it was completely dark inside.

     "Go away," Marcus groaned from under his covers. "I have a killer headache."

     Julie smirked and made her way over to his bed, sitting on the edge. "And whose fault is that?" she teased.

     Marcus let out a long sigh. "Did I hurt you?"

     "What do you mean?" Julie frowned.

     "Last night is pretty hazy, but I recall accidentally body-checking you and... slapping your arm away a bit too hard."

     Julie's hand unconsciously went to her wrist, which did feel slightly tender. "I'm fine, Marcus, but I'm worried about you."

     A sob came from Marcus, making Julie immediately pull up the covers to join her brother, spooning him as he cried. "It's ok," she whispered, hugging him tight as she tried ignoring the stench coming from him. I'm going to have to take a good shower.

     "Everything is so fucked," Marcus cried.

     "What happened, Marc?" Julie asked, using the nickname only she was allowed to call him. "I thought you were finally starting to get better?"

     Marcus shook his head. "I don't know, I thought I was too. I think the wedding stuff was just helping me keep my mind off Molly and once it was over things were quiet again and I just started feeling extra lonely.

     "Fuck," Julie said, her own tears starting to flow. "This is my fault. I was so busy being selfish about my non-relationship that I completely missed all the signs."

     Marcus turned his body around to face his sister. "It's not your fault, Sissy. You were going through your own fresh heartbreak so I didn't want to bother you with mine. It's been months and I'm still a fucking wreck."