Flame & Flood (Marellinh Kotlc)

«05» in which they hug

Linh
Linh was attempting to make sense of the muffled sobs on the other side of the phone line, but that was a mission in itself. "Tammy—just... speak clearly— I don't understand what's wrong—"

"She broke up with me, Linh," The hurt in Tam's voice was was something she hadn't heard in a long time, not since they had run away from their parents and were placed into care with Tiergan. "I—I... need you at home."

A gust of breeze rushed past Linh, whipping her hair in front of face as her breathing became shallow and her face a portrait of worry. She pushed the strands back, sighing before finally responding to her twin brother. "I... okay. Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can, okay? I love you."

"Okay..." Linh heard Tam's sniffling over the phone line, and her heart ached just a little bit more. "I love you, too."

Linh hung up the phone, tucking it into her pocket and gazing out onto the road in silence for a few minutes—watching the pedestrians out enjoying their Sunday morning. Why would Biana break things off with Tam? Hadn't they only just gotten together??

Linh jolted back into reality as she felt a hand on her shoulder, flicking her gaze over to see who it was. To her relief, a petite blonde with icy blue eyes was standing next to her. She sighed.

"Hey, you okay? You were kinda just... standing there..." Marella asked quietly, her face furrowed and eyes wide.

"Yeah... Im fine. Tam..." Linh murmured, rubbing her face in her hands tiredly in overwhelm. She needed to go home... as soon as possible. "My brother, he isn't... I need to go home. Im sorry... I'll see you tomorrow at school, yeah?"

In frantic rush, Linh pulled the blonde girl into her arms. She held Marella tight hug for a few, sentimental seconds before pulling away. The dark haired girl only noticed then how... frail, Marella was—delicate, almost. As if she could break her if she wasn't careful. Linh gave a Marella a sweet smile before darting off.

"Bye, Soph!" Linh called out as she dashed past, earning a puzzled expression from the girl. Linh didn't bother explaining and continued on the journey to her car, tossing herself in and quickly pulling out of the parking lot.

~

Linh took in a shaky breath as she felt the cool metal of the front door handle between her fingers, preparing herself for whatever was on the other side. Linh had no idea what to expect. Finally, she twisted the handle.

Stepping into her home, Linh examined her surroundings cautiously. There were no tissues, nothing broken, no mess. Everything seemed eerily perfect.

"Tam...?" Linh called out, pacing up the stairs and frowning at the absence of her brother. She thought Tam would have been waiting for her, if he seemed that upset over the phone. "Are you home??"

The light was on his room. Maybe he was too upset to come see her right away?

No. It was empty as well.

Anxiety was beginning rising in Linh's chest, weighing her heart down. It was something she had always struggled with, especially without Tam by her side during certain times. Especially right now. Linh pulled out her phone, hurrying into her bedroom and navigating to the messenger app.

"Linh?"

So he was waiting for me.

"Tam!" Linh threw her arms around her brother, wrapping around him and holding him tightly close to her. She could feel him trembling, and he clung to her. "Tell me exactly what happened. Everything."

Linh guided him to the edge of her bed, and they both sat down. She—for the first time since she got home—had a good look at her brothers face. Tam had faint bags under his eyes, his bangs disheveled, and his eyes were abnormally red from crying. Linh waited patiently for him to speak, wanting him to explain the entire situation at his own pace.

"I got it in a fucking text message," Tam muttered bitterly, wiping his eyes and flopping backwards onto Linh's bed to lay. "Not even good enough for a fucking call, apparently. Here. You read the messages."

Tam snatched his phone from the pocket of his hoodie and signed in, discarding it on the bed. Linh said nothing, pursing her lips solemnly and gently picking it up.

Bi ❤️

Tam, Im sorry. You are a
really nice guy, but I just
don't think that we're
going to work out. I can't
keep dating you when Im
thinking about someone
else. I hope you
understand. Lots of love,
Bi
8:28am

Biana?
What do you mean?
Who's the other person??
8:30am

Please answer
8:31am

Missed call
8:32am
Missed call
8:32am
Missed call
8:33am

Please pick up the phone.
8:35am

Missed call
8:35am
Missed call
8:37am

At least answer my
messages
8:38am

Hello?
8:39am

Missed call
8:39am

You can no longer
contact this number.