Broken Hands

155. Mending

The neighborhood was wrapped in an unsettling stillness, the kind that made every small sound feel amplified. The faint rustle of leaves stirred by the evening breeze, the distant hum of a car engine, the rhythmic tapping of their footsteps against the pavement—all of it felt sharper, heavier, as if the silence itself was waiting for something to break it.

Grayson listened to the sound of their feet echoing around him, but this time, it wasn't just his own. His cousins were walking beside him. Their last walk together for a long time. Though none of them knew it yet.

Damien's words had taken root—too deep to be uprooted.

Grayson didn't want them to misunderstand. He wasn't distant or cold. He was doing this because he loved them. But after the incident, fear had held him back—kept him locked inside himself. Not that he had fully recovered, but he was ready to let them know something. Maybe, just maybe, he could leave them in peace and keep their relationship intact.

"So why did you call us out, Grayson, if you're just going to stay silent?" Julian's voice shattered the quiet, laced with frustration.

Grayson halted.

Russell glanced at Julian, shock flashing across his face as he also stopped walking. "Julian."

"I'm not mad, just saying." Julian muttered, then let out a sharp sigh his hands slipping into his pockets.

Grayson met Russell's gaze.

"Well?" Julian drawled. "You're not gonna tell us anything anyway. You always keep secrets."

"Julian, stop! If he brought us here, he has something to say."

"Then say it." Julian urged. "Tell us why you're acting weird. Tell us what really happened when you were gone. Tell us everything."

Grayson couldn't. They wouldn't understand. And worse—it might get to Damien. "I already did."

Julian scoffed. "No, all you did was say a phrase. A phrase? Seriously? And you act and look like you've seen hell?"

Grayson licked his lips, hesitant.

Julian huffed. "I'm not doing this today. I just broke up with Judith, and I really have a lot of work to do."

Russell's eyes widened. "Wait, what? When?"

Julian looked away, kicking at the ground. "She's a pain, okay? And I don't wanna talk about it." He exhaled sharply before turning back to Grayson. "But you—Grayson's not going to say anything. He never does. And even when he does, he lies by omission."

His piercing blue eyes burned with accusation.

"Julian, damn it, Grayson did nothing to—"

Julian shook his head, stepping back. "I shouldn't have agreed to this in the first place." Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode off, retreating in the direction they had come from.

Russell stared after him, then muttered, "What the hell's gotten into that kid? If it's puberty, it better stop. Damn. I'm telling Aunt Nora about this when we get home."

Grayson let out a quiet sigh. "It's fine. I guess I pushed him too hard."

Russell rolled his eyes. "Let's sit. My back's aching." He motioned toward a nearby bench. They both walked to it, lowering themselves in silence.

A long pause settled between them before Grayson finally spoke.

"I'm leaving."

Russell, still distracted by Julian's outburst, didn't process it at first. "To where?" he asked absently.