Conversations In the Storm

Chapter Six - Why Did He Do It

"You asked why I did what I did."

He glanced towards the candles still burning on the coffee table and slowly straightened his shoulders. He had hoped it would be easy, but she deserved this. She deserved the truth. He drew in a breath and looked her in the eye as he spoke the words he knew were going to upset her. 

"I broke up with you because I promised your brother I would."

For a few seconds, there was utter silence. Even the rain seemed to have eased for her to process what she had just heard. Out of all the possibilities, she honestly hadn't expected this to be one of them.

Her brother? Her own brother? Why would Nick have promised Adrian that he would leave her? Why would Adrian have demanded that promise?

So many ugly thoughts raced through her head - perhaps that there had never been anything real between them,  maybe it had all been a sick joke that Nick had played in collaboration with her brother. No, she dismissed that thought straight away. But then what could it be?

"Adrian? You promised Adrian you would leave me?"

"He just..."

"Why would you do that? Why would you make a promise like that to him? Nick, what good would that have done?"

Unhappily he reached for his empty glass before immediately setting it down again.

"Did he ask you to break up with me? Why would he do that?"

"It's not as simple as that, Care."

"What did he say to you? After all, he never made it a secret that he was disappointed with us being together. I noticed that we didn’t hang out with your friends, as if you were ashamed of me? But you still stayed, you knew he wasn't thrilled and you stayed. So something else must have happened, right? He must have said something pretty serious."

"Caroline, do you really went to hear this?"

He was pleading with his tone, even with his eyes, 'please don't make me say it,' but the news that her brother had orchestrated the break up had knocked her down. Sure, it shouldn't have been as big a shock considering their shamefully pitiful excuse of a relationship, but it was. She wanted to hear all of it.

"Tell me."

His thumbs pressed into the corners of his eyes almost painfully. It hadn't been his intention to break his friend's trust. However he didn't know if he could still call Adrian a friend. Their relationship had become so strained in recent weeks, almost a mutual dislike had begun to fester between them. Now he didn't know what they were. He didn't know if he could forgive Adrian for everything that transpired. Hell, he had almost begun to hate him for being such a pitiful support to the woman he loved. He no longer could protect Adrian from Caroline, nor did he want to. She deserved so much more than she had gotten, and he had made the choice that he would put her needs first.

Slowly he drew in a large breath, and then he spoke.

"Adrian changed after Summer, Care. I mean, I know you all did. I don't know the full story of what happened, and I couldn't explain why Adrian took it so hard, he used to complain about her so much. I guess I assumed that was the reason, that he felt guilty for not being a better brother. But I saw him go from a happy go lucky bloke to someone so pensive. He was in such a dark place. He tried to commit suicide twice before he turned sixteen."

Her audible gasp made him look up and reach for her hand, but she withdrew it, her fingers trembling as she covered her mouth.

"He spent a lot of time at my place after that. And over the years, he got better but he was never that guy he was when I first met him. I swore to him I would always be there for him, Caroline, that nothing would come between us."