When My Ex Cheated, My Brother Confessed

Chapter 3

Reese showed up anyway on Sunday morning.

I was sticking labels on boxes with my uninjured hand when he appeared in the doorway, two paper cups in his hand.

"I checked with the hotel; the moving van gets here at nine. You can't haul all this stuff alone."

I didn't take the coffee he offered. "I told you I'd find someone to help."

"Did you?"

I hadn't.

He set the cups down, rolled up his sleeves, and asked, "Which boxes can we move first?"

I had no choice but to grab a pair of gloves for him and pointed to the already sealed moving boxes. "Those have crinolines inside. They have to stay upright."

He followed my instructions to a T, setting each box down so gently it barely made a sound. I suddenly remembered back when I first started working three years ago, I used to tell him every little thing without a second thought, just like this.

"Why didn't you want me to come help?" he asked out of the blue.

I smoothed out a crumpled label. "I didn't want you to think I was just making up excuses to see you again."

His hands froze mid-movement.

Right then, the doorbell chimed. Arlan walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers and a paper bag of lunch.

When he spotted Reese, he slowed down for a second, but still set the paper bag down in front of me. "All your favorites. When you're done here, can we talk?"

"I already made myself clear," I said flatly.

"It's over between her and me. Aura, I don't want to throw three years away just like that."

I stared at him. A while back, if someone had showed up with hot food for me while I was working overtime on a Sunday, I would've been over the moon. But now, this man looked nothing but rotten to me.

"You don't want to throw it away, so I'm just supposed to forgive you?" I shot back. "You knew how hard these three years were, and you still cheated."

He dropped his gaze. "I know I messed up."

He picked up my coat off the hook, then grabbed my wrist just like he used to every time he picked me up from work. "Let's go for a walk, okay?"

Reese stepped in fast, blocking Arlan's hand and yanking the coat out of his grip. "Did you not hear her? She doesn't want to go."

Arlan glared at him. "Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. You're just her adopted brother!"

"I'm not going," I said, hanging my coat back on the rack. "And stop bringing stuff here, okay?"

He went quiet for a few seconds, then set down the last spare key to my old apartment. "Seven tonight, at that old restaurant we used to go to. Just ten minutes. If you still don't feel the same way after that, I'll never show up at your studio again."

"She's not going," Reese cut in before I could answer. He seemed to realize he'd overstepped right after he spoke, and turned to look at me quickly, waiting for my call.

I stared at the key, and the memory of him going on that blind date popped into my head out of nowhere, sending a dull, unexpected ache through my chest.

Before I knew what I was doing, I nodded. "Just to tie up loose ends."

After Arlan left and the door clicked shut, Reese stayed standing by the coat rack.

"You're actually going to meet him?"

"You heard him. Just ten minutes," I said.

He glanced at the bag of lunch on the table, then pushed the coffee he'd brought me further back onto the desk, away from the food. "You keeping his food too?"

I looked up. The look on his face made my heart skip a beat. "Are you mad?"

"Yeah."

"Because he hurt me?"

He didn't answer right away. After a long beat, he mumbled, "Not exactly."

I held onto the label sheet in my hand, forgetting to let go. He'd already turned around to carry the last box, though. I stared at his back, and my brain started spiraling all over again.

On the drive to the hotel, he handed me his phone and asked me to pull up the navigation. The screen was still open to his photo album. I saw a picture of the new apartment I moved into last year, and screenshots of messages Mrs. Calder had sent him about me.

The text I'd sent him telling him I was moving out on my own, back when all I'd gotten in reply was a single "stay safe", was there too, saved in a separate album all by itself.

"Why do you still have this?"

He glanced at the screen, but didn't reach for the phone.

"I couldn't bring myself to delete it."

My nose stung out of nowhere.

"But you wouldn't even type me a single extra word back then."

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. "Aura, back then..."

"I still have work to do."

I pulled up the navigation app and set the phone back on the mount. If I listened to him say another word, I was scared I'd blurt out and ask what exactly he wanted me to do.

When we parted ways that afternoon, he called out to me and asked if we could meet up later that night. I sent him the address of the restaurant.

Aura: 7:10. Wait for me to wrap things up with Arlan first.

At seven o'clock sharp, I sat down across from Arlan. He'd already ordered dishes for me, but I didn't take off my coat.

"Is there really no way we can try again?"

"I did try to trust you." I said, "But every time you were late replying to a text, I'd spiral, wondering if you were off seeing her again."

He mumbled that he could wait.

I shook my head. "I don't want to live like this forever."

Ten minutes were up. I stood up to leave, and he reached out on instinct, his fingers brushing my wrist.

I took a step back, and my shoulder bumped into a cool coat.

Reese was standing right behind me.

He rested a steadying hand on my shoulder, his gaze fixed on Arlan's outstretched hand.