Recover: Book 2 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

57: Never Labelled It

Yet my peace was a temporary thing. Walking away from the door and towards my bed, I barely had time to sit down when suddenly a knock sounded. With furrowed brows, I tried to ignore it, knowing only Ollie and Ben were here—and I didn't want to talk to either.

But whomever was on the other side wasn't having it. The door opened, and in walked the curly haired blue-eyed boy.

"You could have at least responded," he whined as I glared at him.

"I don't want to talk to you," I said, choosing to avoid the fact I couldn't hear whatever he said on the other side.

He sighed at me like I was the dramatic one, then closed the door behind him before walking across the room and sitting on my bed.

"Get out," I grumbled, chucking one of my pillows at him.

Ben's brows furrowed impossibly further as he caught the pillow, gently resting it on the bed. "We need to talk."

"You need to talk to your partner if you wish to change her mind, not m—"

"It's not about the decision... I accept it. I don't like it, but... You're both right. I need to support her."

"Well..." he had taken me by surprise, so I didn't have an amazing comeback. Which meant what I ended up saying was, "Good. Now get out."

But Ben just sighed and scooted over on the bed until he was beside me, legs propped up, back resting against the headboard.

An immeasurable amount of time passed before he said anything. I, with crossed arms, continued to pout at the wall, wondering at what point he was going to rub in that he still gets to keep Ollie. Meanwhile Ben's gaze was fixated on the ceiling, doing its usual thing as he searched for the cracks.

"When did we stop being friends, Lukas?" he finally whispered.

"We never..." I started, but trailed off. Because he was right. We did stop being friends. But when? Was it when he took Ollie from me? Before? "I don't know," I confessed. "But... were we ever really friends?"

"I'd like to think so," Ben said, though his tone was far from wistful—full of remorse as a result of my confession.

Slowly, I turned to look at him while he kept staring up. "You always have and always will be a brother to me. Ever since we met, I was sure of that." Because I promised Stephen.

Finally, Ben turned his gaze down, waves of blue crashing into me as he said, "But I've never seen you that way."

In the past, before Ollie, this phrase would have seen his eyes mull with morose and longing. But instead, he seemed almost bittersweet... nostalgic. Like the feelings he had for me before—the romantic ones—were far gone.

But that was evident.

One look at him and the way he stared at Ollie like she was the epitome of his dreams was enough to know only she consumed his heart these days.

"Thanks," I grumbled, looking away from him. "Maybe that's our problem though."

"Perhaps," he mumbled. "Or perhaps there are other things going on..."

He didn't add to his abstract statement straight away, but I didn't feel like commenting on it. Instead I asked, "Why are you here, Ben?"

"Ollie demanded I make up with you."

"Oh, and now you do as she says?"

He shrugged. "She's not wrong."

"But she was wrong before?"