Three Brothers (Completed)

The End of a Relationship

It ended on Lily's birthday in the beginning of August. James had bought her this small shiny necklace from her favourite store in the local mall. I had switched it out for the balls expensive designer watch she had once told me she wanted. That was part one, all I had to do was wait for the fireworks.

Lily had wanted a small party, she didn't like big things that involved a lot of people, so it was just me and James in our living room sharing cupcakes that we had bought her and opening presents. James was going to take her out on a romantic dinner and a movie after and I was hoping that my plan would ruin that entirely.

Part two came when Lily was opening presents. She picked up James' gift and opened it up all smiles, upon realizing what it was the smile vanished. The look on James' face when he realized what was in the box was priceless. "What is this?" she asked. "I told you I didn't want anything expensive and you get me this?"

James had wide confused eyes. "But, that's not mine...."

"James, this is insane," Lily said, "I can't accept this."

"But that isn't mine," James repeated. "That is not the gift I got you."

For a moment the two stared at each other and then James turned his glare to me. "Don't look at me, you're the one that went on for days about buying her the watch even though she didn't want you to. What were you saying again? Something about you buying your baby momma something pretty?"

James' face went bright red in anger as I handed Lily my present. This was where part three of the plan came into action. Lily opened it up and there it was, the gift James had actually picked out. James had been so angry when he saw it that he tackled me off the couch.

Lily pulled James off of me. "That's it, what is going on?"

"He's being a spoiled little brat!" James shouted. "He switched presents! I didn't get you the damn watch, I bought you that necklace and he went and switched it on me!"

Lily shook her head incredulously. "Why would he do that?"

I looked at James, my eyes begging, pleading with him not to tell her, but he was too angry to listen to me, and I suppose I did deserve that. "He's mad at me because he has this huge crush on you and I'm dating you instead of him."

This time my face is red and by the look on Lily's face when James had told her, I knew then that she had known all along that I had liked her. I'm getting red just thinking about it. Lily stared at us, she looked between us with a strange look on her face that sort of made me nervous. "Royce, can I speak to you outside?"

I followed her out into the backyard, my hands fidgeting nervously in my pockets. I wondered if she would end our friendship. "Royce, you're eighteen," she said. "I like you, but I can never like you that way."

"Yeah, but on prom night, you kissed me," I reminded her.

"No, I let you kiss me. You were so happy Royce, I didn't want to ruin prom for you," Lily explained. "Does me being with James really upset you that much?"

I should have said no, I should have told her I was happy for her. I was just so angry, here I was so madly in love with her I'd throw my brother under the bus, and she had gone and just snapped my heart in two like she didn't even care. So instead I said, "Yes, it does. I hate it."

Something changed on Lily's face in that moment, in fact her whole body seemed to change. It was like she had suddenly stiffened, like she was guarding herself from something. She nodded and smiled and pulled me into a hug. "Okay," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

That night after dinner, after kissing James passionately in the car, Lily broke up with him. James retells the story as the worst break up ever, Lily cried and cried, telling him she liked him but she hated that she was ruining the relationship between me and him, and that she couldn't be the reason our relationship was strained. He said things he'd never forgive himself for, like: "You weren't that important to me," "It's not that big a deal," "See, this is why Connor never liked you."

That last one was a real zinger. That one destroyed Lily, James had seen it in her face. Regardless, my amazing Lily actually apologized to him for wasting his time and then James came home a different man. He blamed me for what happened of course, but he wasn't angry, no it was more like he was defeated. I didn't realize the gravity of my actions until later that night. I have never told James this, but that night I woke up to go to the washroom and heard him crying in his room. He'd deny it if you asked, but I know what I heard.

That wasn't the onlyrelationship I ruined that night. I ruined mine and Lily's, mine and James' andany future relationships James would ever get into. That's right, I'm the solereason that my brother became the womanizer that he is today, I'm the reason hecouldn't commit himself to one single woman. That night I broke my brother'sfragile heart by making the girl he had fallen in love with break up with him.I have never forgiven myself for that, and I doubt I ever will.