"You may be his world, but you're the only thing that ever felt like home to me."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Some people never get second chances. Lilah never thought she'd get one with her brother's best friend.
She's quiet...
If you're enjoying Lilah and Jackson's story, leaving a vote really helps me out and lets me know you are rooting for them too 💞
Also, I cannot get over us reaching 9.25k!! Next up, 10k! 🚀
Thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The apartment door clicks shut behind us, and I'm the last one inside with Natalie only a step in front of me taking off her shoes at the entrance like we usually do. I hover near the entrance longer than I should, taking a moment to breathe. Jackson heads straight for the couch, not taking his shoes off, tossing his backpack down with casual ease like he's been here a thousand times. And maybe he has.
Kayce and Jackson drop onto the couch, already bickering over which game to load up on the TV. Natalie heads toward the kitchen, claiming she's dying of thirst, and I hover near the hallway, feeling like I'm not supposed to be here. Like somehow I've stepped into someone else's life.
I look at the place around me as if I don't even recognize it anymore.
Kayce kicks his sneakers off, letting them lay on the ground between the couch and coffee table and I scowl at him. He doesn't notice, or he's just ignoring it, as he gets up and walks ahead of me into the kitchen, grabbing two waters from the fridge—one for himself and one for Jackson. The normalcy between them stings. It's like I've entered some alternate universe where Jackson never left. Like the last four years didn't happen.
Kayce walks past me again, and my eyes follow him as I glance back toward the living room, where he tosses the water bottle to Jackson. Jackson laughs at something he said, a real, full laugh—one that feels foreign on him now. But I remember it. I remember that sound like it was a memory etched into the foundation of my childhood. It's the sound that used to fill my living room during sleepovers, after long summer nights and backyard bonfires.
I turn my gaze away before I can think too hard about it.
Natalie gives me a look while sipping her own water but doesn't say anything, not yet. But she knows that I need some time to process everything, and that I need to talk to my brother.
I head down the hall and toward my room while Natalie heads to the bathroom to shower and change into something more comfortable since we mentioned possibly having a sleepover. But before I get too far, Kayce's voice calls after me.
"Lil?"
I stop in my tracks and slowly turn around.
He gestures to his room, his expression softer now. "Can we talk for a sec?" His voice comes out soft as well, nearly a whisper. Probably so Jackson couldn't hear us.
I follow him in with small, hesitant steps, my chest tightening. The second the door clicks shut behind us, the wave of silence that washes over us is immediate. He absentmindedly rubs his clean shaven jaw while gazing at the floor, clearly unsure of how to start.
