To Be a Hero | MLB

38: The Resolve

When I arrive home an hour later, I literally cannot keep the grin off my face. I enter my apartment and close the door behind me, then turn and start toward my room, slipping off my shoes and shrugging off my jacket. My phone buzzes with a text from Antoine, and I pull it out, suppressing a giggle at the smiley face he sent. It's not even funny, but since it's from Antoine, it just makes me so... happy.

I send him a smiley face back and tell him I miss him, even though I saw him less than five minutes ago, when he dropped me off at my apartment building.

"Tori?" a voice calls out, and I nearly drop my phone in surprise. I turn to face the kitchen and see Jakob sitting there, a cup of coffee on the table in front of him. "How was your evening?"

I take a seat across from him. "Pretty great, actually. Antoine took me to the Eiffel Tower." Jakob's eyes narrow, and before he can ask me about Antoine, I add, "Where's Mom? I want to tell her about tonight." And it was true. After having my first kiss, I knew the only one who'd really understand my excitement was my mom, and I want to share my news with her. And besides, this might be a great move for some mother-daughter bonding.

"She's in her room, on a work call. She told me to stay out here and keep anyone from going in there and interrupting." I feel my shoulder sink, and he continues, "The twins are asleep in their room, and Jaxon is sulking on the roof."

"Why?"

He shrugs. "Does he need a reason?"

I smile. "How did he find the roof access, anyway?"

"Since he doesn't have his own room in here, he was trying to find a place to draw and mope on his own," he says. "Then he found the roof access yesterday, and he's spent a ton of time up there since. That's what he told me, at least."

"He was lying, then," I mutter, thinking back to three days ago, when he found me as Reverb on the roof. But then I see Jakob's confused look and amend, "I mean, I'm pretty sure he's gone up there before. Probably. Maybe. I don't know."

Jakob stares at me for a moment, then sits back. "Okay, then. Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell mom? You can tell me, if you want."

I glance away, a grin creeping back onto my face at the reminder of tonight. "Uh... It was nothing." Lie of the century.

"Really? I never knew 'nothing' could make you smile so much." I move to cover my mouth with a hand, but Jakob leans forward again, fierceness sliding over his features.

I drop my hand and groan, muttering, "I know that look."

"You know, I don't like the sound of this Antoine guy. I wanna meet him—you know, make sure he doesn't have some sort of hidden agenda."

"You have met him," I remind him. Then, seeing his blank stare, I remind him, "By the Seine. The day... the day Reverb took over."

A shadow crosses my brother's face. "She didn't take over, Tori. She was defeated."

I try not to show how much his words sting.

"And besides, everything was hectic that day, and I was soaking wet. I never even really got a good look at him."

"Yes, you did," I fire back. "I distinctly remember you glaring at him before dragging me away from him. And I promise you, I would've never agreed to date him if I thought he had ulterior motives. I think I'm a good enough judge of character for that."

Jakob's eyes widen as my words register, and I cringe, wishing I could take them back.

"Dating? Tori, you're dating him?"

I nod miserably, wondering when this conversation had taken such a turn.

"You've known him what, a week?" Jakob asks, then rubs a tired hand over his face. "Listen, since Mom probably won't be available for a while, I might as well tell you this now." He clears his throat and sits straighter. "Dating is meant to be taken seriously, since it involves trusting someone else with your heart, which can leave you vulnerable. Now, trusting the wrong person can be dangerous, as you can end up..."

As Jakob drones on about the risks of jumping into a relationship too soon and not getting to know someone before agreeing to date them, I let my head fall into my hands and wish I could sink straight through the floor. It's awful, having my older brother lecture me about something so personal, but when he gets to the topic of domestic violence, I shut things down.

"Jakob, stop—stop. You really think Antoine would hurt me?"

He shrugs. "It never hurts to be careful."

"I will be." And in my heart, I know it's true.

I'll make sure this is the best relationship of Antoine's life. Because if I do, he won't leave me. And if he doesn't leave me, I can keep my happiness. Right now, that's the only thing I want.

And this time, I won't lose it—I mean him.

I won't lose him.