Too Close to Be Innocent
1329 Words
“Take them off yourself.”
Elena’s cheeks burned. Her voice was tight with embarrassment and annoyance. “It’s just a cut on your hand, not like it’s broken.”
Julian curled his lips into a small smile and didn’t force her.
“Alright, fine.”
He hurried. With a sharp click, he unbuckled his belt.
Elena jerked her head away like she’d been burned, her neck flushing red as she stared at the wall.
She heard the soft rustle of fabric, then his lazy, innocent voice.
“Hey… I’m done, big sis.”
Elena kept telling herself, it was just first aid, nothing else. Only then did she stiffly turn back, her eyes carefully landing on his thigh.
She tried hard not to look anywhere else.
Most of his injuries were on his knee and… the inside of his thigh, where broken glass had cut him.
She crouched down and started with his knee, cleaning it, disinfecting it, then wrapping it in gauze.
Finally, it was the inner thigh.
She glanced at where the cut was, pressed her fingers against his skin, and said, “There’s glass in here. I need to pull it out, so don’t move, okay?”
“Mm.” He let out a low hum, his voice rough. “I won’t.”
Elena took the tweezers from the kit. Just as she was about to start, her eyes flicked sideways.
Her face went bright red.
It was… up.
“Pervert,” she muttered.
Julian swallowed, his face looking ridiculously innocent as he defended himself. “Hey, big sis, I’m a normal guy. That’s just how my body works. I’m not doing it on purpose.”
She grabbed the thin blanket off the couch and threw it at him.
“Cover it. I don’t want to see it. Or I’ll cut it off.”
“Hey, hey—don’t,” he blurted.
With the sharp tweezers still in her hand, Julian really didn’t doubt she might snap and do it.
After he covered himself, Elena focused back on the cut on his inner thigh.
It was pretty deep.
She had to lean in, sliding the tweezers into the wound and pulling out tiny bits of glass, one piece at a time.
Her movements were careful and focused.
Julian watched her lowered face and suddenly asked, “Did you ever study medicine, big sis?”
She didn’t look up. Her hands never stopped. “No.”
“You look like you know what you’re doing.”
The way she worked was clean and steady, nothing like a beginner.
Elena paused for a second, a faint, complicated smile on her lips. “No one ever helped me with my wounds. I had to do it myself. After a while, you get used to it.”
Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly, half his face hidden in shadow as his voice turned cold.
“Who hit you?”
Elena kept her head down, long lashes trembling as she focused on his wound.
“No one.”
When she looked up again, there was a gentle smile on her face, soft enough to look almost kind.
She repeated, “No one ever hit me.”
Julian hated that look.
He knew she was putting on her mask again, hiding herself.
“All done.”
She stood up and started packing the kit away. “Try not to get it wet. If it gets infected tomorrow, go see an actual doctor.”
As she turned to leave, Julian grabbed her wrist.
“Hey… can you stay with me for a bit?”
Elena stopped. Her voice was firm. “No. Julian, we were wrong from the start.”
He wouldn’t let go.
“Hey…”
She looked at him quietly.
“Thanks for standing up for me earlier,” she whispered. “But don’t hurt yourself like that again. I’m not worth it.”
His lips moved. “I’m sorry… big sis.”
He suddenly stood up and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck, his voice low and strained. “If I’m causing you trouble just by being here, I’m sorry. But please… don’t push me away.”
If she’d yelled at him, hit him, even slapped him like before, he wouldn’t be this scared.
But she looked at him with a calm, almost cruel seriousness.
I’m not worth it.
That terrified him.
He was afraid she’d drift farther and farther away.
He held her tighter, as if he wanted to crush her into himself.
He looked strong, but his heart was shaking inside his chest.
“Don’t say things that hurt like that, okay?”
“Please.”
Elena felt the fabric on her shoulder slowly getting wet.
His voice was breaking, thick with tears.
He couldn’t control it at all, his low, hoarse words blurring through her ear.
“I really… I really like you, big sis.”
For a moment, Elena wavered.
Being with Marcus was exhausting.
She always had to watch his mood, be thoughtful, try to please him.
Only with Julian could she be a normal girl—get mad, act spoiled, do whatever she wanted.
But did Julian really love her?
Maybe.
Or maybe he just liked her face, her body, the thrill of chasing her.
Maybe it was because she was the woman his brother wanted.
Someone else’s prize always looks sweeter.
That rush of novelty made him think it was true love.
Maybe he was just bored, horny, chasing excitement… or trying to get back at Marcus.
Any of those could destroy her.
If she really betrayed Marcus for Julian, she’d probably end up dead.
She knew it.
Julian would never fight his whole family for her.
No matter how bad the brothers’ relationship was, blood was still blood.
A guy like him could easily find someone prettier, sweeter, more obedient.
When someone new showed up, he’d tired of her.
She wasn’t perfect to begin with.
Maybe she’d been too naïve.
Thinking she could climb into a higher world just by trying harder.
But what she’d heard in that private room today made it clear—some doors just don’t open for people like her.
Try as hard as you want, you’re still a joke.
Both brothers were bad news. Every single one of them.
Even if she wanted to leave Marcus right now, it was just a passing thought.
The moment she thought about what happened to Tom, fear crushed it.
Until she found a way out that was truly safe, all she could do was take things one step at a time.
Elena decided and shoved Julian away.
“I don’t like you.”
She intoned it, clearly. “The one I love is Marcus. Not you.”
Julian lowered his head, eyes bloodshot, tears still clinging to his lashes.
Seeing him like that made Elena feel both annoyed and oddly amused.
“I’m not even crying. Why are you?”
Julian just stared at her with those red, wounded eyes. “I thought after today, you’d be a little closer to me. I didn’t think you’d still want to push me away.”
Elena sighed, regretful too. “Guess it’s because I met your brother first.”
If she’d met Julian first, maybe she’d be the one chasing him instead.
Fate was weird like that.
“So if you met me first… would you have fallen for me?” he asked quietly.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice low and sad. Then he answered himself, “You wouldn’t…”
This heartless woman.
She didn’t get his strange logic, and she didn’t answer.
Even fake promises can give people hope.
She didn’t want to give him any.
And she didn’t want to say anything even crueler when he was already crying for her.
So she stayed silent.
He looked at her with red-rimmed eyes and said slowly, “I’ll prove it. I’m not the wrong guy.”
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