ƈʀօȶƈɦɛȶʏ, ռɛա, ʟօʋǟɮʟɛ • ɮɨʟʟɨɛ ɛɨʟɨֆɦ

•31•

"She's not here.", Nik opens the door before I even have the chance to knock.

"Oh. Okay...I just wanted to see how she's doing."

I stand there awkwardly, not really sure what to say next. Nik points to the couch in front of the door and I proceeded to sit down for a little bit.

"She's okay I guess. I am rarely home so I don't really see her much."

I haven't actually thought about the fact that Billie and Nikolas live in a trailer all by themselves. It may sound appealing, but they're probably struggling with money issues.

"How do you deal with all of this?"

He looks at me and pours a good amount of coffee in a mug before putting it on the table in front of us.

"Raising my sister and working all day to keep the trailer and provide our medical needs?", he shakes his head in bitter amusement, "Pretty tough."

What a stupid question to ask...of course it's a huge struggle.

"Have you ever considered to seek help?", I ask.

"I tried once, but they wanted to put Billie in an orphanage. I wouldn't let them. They said they couldn't help me otherwise. And I am an adult, so I couldn't go with her.", his tone is harsh, "There was no way I was going to let them take my sister away from me."

He must love her very much.

"Of course.", is the only thing I can say. My family is fine, but we don't have that kind of connection with each other.

"I'm worried about her, you know. I'm never here. I don't have the time to talk with her, discuss about things she's interested in.", he looks deeply disappointed, "I wish I could be a better brother."

"Are you kidding me? You have two jobs so she can live with you in the trailer she grew up in. What more could she possibly want from you?"

"A brother who can listen to her problems and understand."

"She has friends for that. She has me."

He looks up at me and grins softly. He looks both pleased and devastated by my answer.

"Thank you for being there for her. Even though when she's looking at you, she doesn't see you."

What's that supposed to mean?

My confused expression doesn't go unnoticed and he chuckles. "You didn't get me did you?"

"To be honest, not really."

He sighs and picks up a knife to slice the apple he's holding. He offers me a piece of the fruit before putting the knife back down.

"It's obvious that your feelings for her are not platonic.", he looks at me.

I blush immediately, trying to avoid eye contact. How could he possibly know?

"I...I don't think-"

"It's okay. You're a good kid. You care about her."

I sigh in relief but something about him knowing how I feel makes me uncomfortable.

"She doesn't talk much. We always talk about me and when I try to turn it around she changes the subject."

He sighs but his expression doesn't change. He probably already knew that.

"She doesn't like talking about herself because she isn't used to it. Growing up with me, she didn't have anyone to talk to because I was always somewhere else. I think it's a matter of trust. She just needs to realize she can count on you."

"She will.", I reply, determined to be the one that Billie can trust and talk to.

Nik nods in approval and checks his clock. "My sister will be back in almost half an hour. You can wait for her or...", he leaves the suggestion hanging.

"I'll wait.", I immediately respond and he smiles genuinely.

"You really like her don't you?"

My face must be really red by now but it's fair much since I've been revealing my feelings for Nik's sister from the moment I stepped in the trailer.

"I mean, I would appreciate it if your sister got me out of the friendzone.", I mumble, embarrassed.

He chuckles and sets a strand of my hair behind my ear. "She will. You just have to make a big impression. Knowing my sister, she probably already likes you. You just have to make her realize it."

I smile in both hope and frustration.

Hopefully, she'll be back soon and we can talk about yesterday's phone call.

Hello, sorry for disappearing but I'm back and ready to write a romantic as hell chapter (prepare for the next one) for y'all. Hope you're still here xoxo