Chasing Innocence | ✓

49 | empathetic arrivals

He isn't lying beside me when I wake. My hand caresses the empty sheets next to me, expecting the warmth of his body.

I sigh softly, finding my door open ajar. I feel his presence in my room, like he'd only just left me.

In his drunken haze, I'd led him to my bedroom where he'd cried himself to sleep. Even Maia looked slightly alarmed by his distraught behaviour.

In the safety of my room, the angry man I'd known vanished. He held onto me like he wasn't sure what would happen if he let go.

A knock sounds from the front door, startling me. I realise it must have been what woken me up. I scrub a hand across my face as my feet land softly against the door.

The knock sounds again. I wrap my arms around myself as I peer through the peep hole in the door. My heart stutters.

"Oh my god," I whisper. I wrench open the door, fighting back tears as I throw my arms around the unexpected visitor.

"Hey, sis," Dean says, delicately.

I loop my arms around his neck as he holds me against him, pressing his chin atop my head.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, pulling away. He looks surprised by my warmth, like he'd expected me to slap him.

I guess history hasn't really highlighted me in a positive light when it comes to our distant relationship. How would Dean know how I'd react to seeing him? A lot changes in five years.

"Maia called."

I sigh, indicating for him to walk inside as I shut and lock the door behind us. He trails me into the kitchen where I offer him a coffee that he accepts with a timid smile.

"Maia called you?" I frown, filling the kettle with water.

He grimaces. "I was just as shocked as you. But she said that you weren't in a good place and that if I wanted to fix everything that I broke, then I should be here for you right now."

I pour a spoonful of coffee into two mugs before pouring in the hot water. I open the fridge, grabbing the milk as Dean perches on the stool by the counter.

"Don't you have to work?" I ask, pouring in the milk and grabbing one sugar for my brother's coffee. The way he's always had it.

"Took some time off," he thanks me as I pass the mug, cradling it in his hands.

"You didn't need to do that—"

"I wanted to," he says, sternly. His dark eyes meet mine and I see the earnestly within them. "I fucked up, Ree. I've been ready to own it for a while now, but I wasn't sure how to show you that you're an important part of my life. Here's my chance."

I clear my throat, sipping from my mug as my eyes burn. "How long are you in town for?" I ask.

"About a month," he shrugs. "But if I need to stay longer, I have enough leave to take. I haven't exactly needed it over the years," he says, solemnly.

"No girlfriend to visit? Friends?" I question. "What about the guys you went to high school with?"

He shrugs. "I fell out of touch with a lot of the guys after— after I left. My closest friends are in the navy anyway. And no, no girlfriend. It's hard to meet anyone with work."

I nod, blowing against the steam of the mug. I brush a hand through my knotty hair, wondering if I look like I've just woken from the pits of hell. Maybe that's why Dean looks so sympathetic.