Forbidden Fruit •Timothee Chalamet (Stepbrother)

61.Sunset

(Sorry for long hiatus <3 but I'm back and trust me..you don't want to miss the drama in the next two chapters. Double update because I love you guys! Almost 20k! I can't believe it! Check out chapter 62, because that's when it's really going down!)

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The strong smell of bleach fills the air, burning my nostrils. I wrap my cardigan around myself tightly, feeling the chill in the air, causing my skin to prickle with goosebumps. Hospitals always made me feel uneasy. I watch the doctor carefully puts Ansel's arm in a cast, listening as he tells him that it's broken in multiple places.

"So..you're sticking to the story that you just fell? Because this looks deliberate." The doctor eyes Ansel skeptically, eyeing Ansel's arm, causing him to grumble.

"I already told you, I tripped and fell onto my arm." Ansel says irritably.

It surprises me that Ansel doesn't throw Timothée under the bus. There seems to be an underlying and unexplained loyalty Timothée and Ansel, probably rooted in the influence if their father, who'a always ingrained the importance of keeping family secrets.

"Very well then." The doctor hands Ansel a copy of his x-rays and painkillers. "Here you go."

Ansel grunts in acknowledgment as the doctor closes the door behind him, leaving just us two. I find myself anxiously swinging my legs off the chair but then our eyes meet,and I quickly look away.My thoughts are consumed by Timothée next door with Natalie, making sure their baby is okay.

"Theirs" echo's in my head.

It's still hard to believe. My vision of him becoming a father was always different, I always imagined it would be with me

"Amelia," Ansel's voice breaks through my thoughts, and I focus back on him, turning my body to face him. "As much as I dislike Timothée,I deserve this broken arm." He says, surprising me. My eyebrows knit together. "I should have never touched you, under any circumstances, even if I was drunk." Ansel continues. "It's not an excuse."

I sit in silence, grappling with his words. For so long, I normalized violence, detached and accustomed to this abuse my whole life, I believed that I somehow deserved it.

"I'll go to therapy, go to AA, I'll do whatever it takes for you to forgive me. I don't expect another chance, I just want you to find it in your heart to forgive me. Because I do love you. I've always loved you." A flicker of vulnerability flashes on his face. "Do you think you'll ever forgive me?" Ansel asks me, his eyes pleading.

When I look at Ansel, my heart aches for him. Despite the fact that Timothée and Ansel have different eye colors, theirs a striking similarity in their eyes when they're sad. The countless times that Timothée looked at me with the same remorseful eyes rush into my head.

"Get help..and I'll forgive you, Ansel." I reply gently, my eyes dropping to my feet. "But we can't be together." I continue, my gaze still lowered at my feet. "Because I'll never love you the way I should. I've only been in love with Timothée and I think you know that." I confess.

"I do." Ansel's voice rings with honesty and pain. "I don't understand it...I don't understand you two." He says as he shakes his head. "Your love is so...fucked up." He says as he rubs his forehead. "But if that's what you want, I'll try to respect that. It'll be tough and I'll be bitter..but I love you enough to let you go."Ansel's voice cracks with emotion.

"Thank you." I reply with a faint smile, an unexpected knot forming in my chest caused by the realization that this chapter between Ansel and I has officially closed.