A New Beginning

Chapter Thirty One

David, his jaw slightly slack with surprise, opened the door wider and stepped aside to let James in. He stared at him for a moment and wondering why James is here..

"Uh, come in... What are you doing here?" He said, his voice betraying his bewilderment.

James stood in front of David, his expression sincere and apologetic. Though it was clear it was difficult for him to open up and apologize, his determination to make things right was evident.

"I..." James began, his voice soft and hesitant. "I wanted to talk. I know things between us haven't been the best, and I'm here to try and make amends."

David's surprise was slowly replaced by a mixture of disbelief and hope. He had never expected his twin brother to take the initiative to patch things up between them. He studied James' face, searching for any signs of insincerity.

"Amends?" He repeated, his voice a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. "You want to make amends... after everything that's happened?"

James took a deep breath, his expression filled with remorse. He met David's gaze, his eyes sincere and filled with genuine regret.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have walked out on you like I did, and I shouldn't have said those things. I realize I was wrong to say you don't need a brother" James said, his voice quiet but resolute

"Why now? Why the change of heart?"  David asked, his voice now softer, filled with a mixture of hopefulness

"Last night, I bumped into Killian. We had a few words, and I realized how stupid I was being. He made me see that I was walking away from my family and that I'm making a big mistake. I don't want to lose you, David. You're all I've got now" James continued, his voice tinged with a hint of sheepishness.

David's mind briefly wondered why Killian hadn't mentioned their encounter that morning, but he quickly pushed the thought aside. He looked at James intently, his voice a mix of hope and skepticism.

"How do I know if you actually mean it, James?" He asked, his tone guarded but hopeful.

"I don't know how to explain it but I've done running away.." He took a deep breath and met David's gaze, his expression earnest.

"You say you're done running, you want to make things right.. But how do I know you won't walk away again the next time things get hard? You really hurt me the last time I saw you, all i wanted to do was to help you" David explained, his voice laced with a mixture of hope and doubt.

"I can't promise that I won't mess up again But what I can promise is that I'll try. I'm tired of being alone, David. I'm tired of pushing everyone away and I realised that I do actually need you" He admitted, his eyes not wavering from David's.

David's defenses slowly softened as he listened to James' words. He could hear the genuine regret and determination in his twin's voice, and against his better judgment, his heart softened. Deep down, he wanted to believe that James was sincere, that he was truly committed to making things right.

"You realize that you need me?" David repeated, his voice quieter now, his skepticism slowly giving way to a hint of hope

"You're my brother... Mom and Dad would have wanted us to get on. They wouldn't want us fighting and avoiding each other" James emphasised, his voice filled with remorse.

David chuckled slightly at that, leaning back in his chair. "Whoa, hold on a minute," He said, his tone light but sincere. "You never really knew them and I never said I avoided you or wanted to fight. That's all you, buddy. You're the one who walked out and said you didn't need a brother!"