With Love, Étienne | ✓

Chapter Twenty

MILO DISAPPEARED.

His parents came knocking on my door, only today, asking if he was here. Apparently his phone had been turned off for days and no-one had heard from him since the night I kicked him out. I didn't have the heart to tell his parents what exactly led to me kicking him out but I told them that I asked him to leave. It was clear from the expression on their faces, even if they didn't say it, that they blamed me a little for it.

Was it bad, though, that I wasn't that worried about where he was, or what he was doing? Of course, I didn't wish for anything bad to happen to him, for he was such a big part of my life for so long, however, at that moment, I simply didn't have it in me to care anymore. I was ready to cut him out of my life and never speak to him again. It was going to hurt - it already did - but it was the right thing to do. Although Milo had been my brother for nearly my entire life, it didn't mean that I was ready to excuse every action of his. I had to draw a line somewhere and I only wished I had noticed earlier on what kind of a person he was.

Could I even call him a human anymore, though? After what he had done? Was he deserving of that kind of a title? He took the years of trust he had built with Louella and I and thrown it away. What bothered me the most was how glib he seemed to be before he was caught. He seemed prideful that he managed to assault someone and get away with it. Never had I heard the words sorry from Milo. He wasn't someone who used them a lot, and he wasn't going to start now. He always walked around with a sense of superiority, as though he was better than everyone. He was brought up in a family that encouraged that kind of behaviour, however. He was the Golden Child of the family. He was one of those textbook-classic-good-boys according to his parents. There was never a wrong he could do.

Little did they know their son had done more wrongs than the devil himself.

This wasn't the first time Milo had violated the law - there were several times where he would drive under the influence, simply because he didn't want to pay for a taxi home. He was only caught once, but I remembered how he would come in and brag that he had managed to get home without the police knowing. He liked that his parents could push money under the table to clear his name and since then, he seemed to view himself above the law. Above everyone and everything.

But Milo wasn't all bad and that was what was causing me the biggest headache. Even though I would never forgive him for what he had done to my best friend, it didn't erase all of the good deeds he had for me. Louella and him both took me under their wing when I was at my lowest point in my life. Together, they both brought the life back into me and made me appreciate the fact that I was still alive. I supposed that was why I felt as though I owed him a lot more than I actually did.

"Étienne, you there?"

Louella's bright voice echoed around the spacious halls of my house and I jumped off my couch and all-but ran over to the door. There she stood, hands neatly tucked together and eyes roaming around the picture frames hanging on the walls. She looked a lot better than she had the previous night, with freshly washed hair and ironed clothes. A light dusting of makeup was brushed across her cheeks that gave her a subtle glow. Her lips spread into a smile when her eyes locked on mine and I found the dark cloud that had been looming over me, disappear.

"Morning," she greeted and jerked her thumb towards the door, "Your mom let me in. She said you'd be in here. I thought I'd pop by and bring some breakfast."

Louella lifted a small plastic bag from the ground and waved it around the air. A small puff of steam rose from the bag and the savoury smell wafted under my nose.

"I got some baked goods," she said, "Are you hungry?"

"I'll have one if you do," I offered, "You didn't have to come over so early though. Why didn't you sleep in?"