Always You ✔

01 Chapter

Six Months Ago

I finished packing and took a deep breath. All done. Now, I just had one last thing to do—check on my baby brother. If we missed our flight because of his legendary laziness, there would be no saving him from my wrath.

Dragging my suitcases to the front door one by one, I sighed. Why do I always get stuck doing the heavy lifting? I knocked on my brother’s door a few times. No response. Typical.

"Alright, here we go," I muttered, pushing the door open.

There he was, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding our family photo like he was auditioning for a tragic movie scene. I mean, I get it, we’ve been through a lot, but come on.

I stepped closer and squatted down in front of him. "Hey, Polo. You ready to go?" I asked, trying to sound upbeat.

He nodded, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. His eyes were red, and his face was streaked with tears. Great, emotional meltdown. Just what I needed right now.

I stood up, about to make my exit, when he grabbed my wrist, giving me that serious look—the one where you know some heavy emotional dialogue is about to hit.

"Seb, do we really have to do this?" he asked, his voice cracking. "I mean, is this really the best idea? Just walking away, like nothing bad ever happened? Do you actually want this?"

I tried to keep a straight face. How did I get stuck in the middle of a drama scene?

I pulled him into a hug and patted his back like I was soothing a giant toddler. "Yeah, Polo, we need this."

He let go of me, sighing like he’d just been told his favorite TV show got canceled. The look on his face said it all—he wasn’t on board with this plan.

I started to take a step away, but Polo wasn’t done yet. "Don’t, Seb. Please don’t do this to me," he whispered, and I swear it was like a puppy begging not to be left behind. I almost felt bad. Almost.

"Polo, listen. I know it sucks, but we don’t have a choice," I explained, doing my best not to roll my eyes. I didn’t have the energy for this emotional rollercoaster.

He threw his hands up like a contestant on a game show who just lost everything. "Yes, we do! We don’t *have* to leave!"

Cue the tears—both his and mine. I tried to keep it together, but seeing him like this made me crack. I was supposed to be the strong one, but here I was, crying like a baby.

"I’m sorry, Polo," I managed to say through sobs. "I didn’t mean to hurt you or make you cry, but I just... I can’t deal with this anymore. You’re all I have left, and I can’t stand seeing you like this." He hugged me again, like a tiny human blanket, and I felt a wave of guilt.

He was being so sweet, and I... I didn’t deserve it.

I sniffed and looked at him, whispering, "I’m sorry, Polo."

(But in my head, I was screaming, "I’m sorry for dragging you away from everything you know! I’m sorry for keeping secrets! I’m sorry for being a mess of a sister!")

"I know I haven’t been the best sister," I said, still sniffling. "I’ve been harsh. I know that. But after... after everything that happened, I just... I can’t see you suffer like this anymore. This house? It’s not home anymore, Polo. It’s a haunted house, and not the fun kind. We need a fresh start. We can’t just stay stuck here forever."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sound *really* harsh right now."

I snorted. "Okay, fine. I *am* harsh. But I’m not heartless. You’re my only family, Polo, and I’ll never leave you behind."

He nodded slowly, like he was finally getting it. I took his hand, gave him a little smile, and asked, "So... you ready now, Polo?"

He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and said, "Yes."

Finally.