A Tough Choice

Chapter Eighteen

I glanced at Ethan as we pulled up outside my house. He slowly switched off the engine. Neither of us had said a word the whole way home.

"I don't want to pressure you but is everything okay?" he asked me.

I nodded slowly.

"Do you want to come in for coffee and I'll explain everything?" I offered.
He nodded and sighed in relief. I knew that he was worried that I was keeping something from him.

He followed me into the house and watched me closely as I made him coffee and handed it to him. I slowly sat opposite him at the kitchen table.

"So that was Stuart, my older brother." I admitted.

He spluttered on his coffee.

"I thought you said you were an only child?!" he exclaimed when he eventually stopped coughing.

"I told him a while ago that he was dead to me, so I see myself as an only child." I said quietly.

"What did he do?" he frowned.

"He's just a complete waste of space!" I snapped.

He raised his eyebrow and waited for me to elaborate.

"He's only just got out of prison." I sighed.

"He got in with a gang and was convicted for drug taking, arson and beating up some youngsters from a rival gang." I added.

He raised his eyebrow at me, completely speechless.

"So I don't have anything to do with him." I told him.

"Maybe he really has changed." he said nervously.

"I'm not as forgiving as you, I wish I was but I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him for all the stress and hurt." I admitted.

"Don't you miss him?" he asked.

"Yeah but he's done this before, he always says he's changed and then a few weeks later he'll get arrested again. I don't want to keep hitting my head against a brick wall." I ranted.

"I have my own life to concentrate on." I added.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." he grinned.

"You're a good guy Ethan, I don't think you're capable of doing bad things." I told him.

I smiled slightly as he blushed.

"I'd better head home." he said a short while later.

I nodded and followed him to the front door.

"Are you sure you are okay?" he checked.

"Yeah, I'm used to it." I chuckled.

"See you tomorrow." I smiled.

He nodded and kissed me gently.

I smiled to myself. That was the first time that he'd made the first move. I was proud that his confidence was slowly growing.

I closed the door behind him and made my way upstairs to bed.