Before My Brother Gets Back

Chapter 1

Maya

I stand at my brother's doorstep, two suitcases weighing down my hands.  Twenty seven years old, seeking a place to stay with my older brother is not my best look, I must admit. But if anyone can accept the circumstances of how I got to be here, and support me all in the same, it's him. Well, I take that back, I'm not sure my brother will be very accepting of the fact that I'm sporting a huge bruise on my cheek and fingerprint bruises on my arms that my favorite cardigan is currently covering. My shoulders ache, but I straighten up and press the doorbell. The familiar chime echoes inside. “Here we fucking go.” I murmur to myself.

The door swings open, and there he is—Alex, with his easygoing grin and tousled hair. His smile fades when he sees me and the luggage.

"Hey, Maya. What's going on?" His eyes scan my face for answers. I watch his pupils constrict and that's when I know he's noticed the bruising on my face.

I push past him into the warmth of his apartment. "Can I come in first?"

He steps aside, "Of course, but you should probably start talking about why the fuck there's a bruise on your face before I get in the car."

He gingerly bats away a stray hair that has fallen across my cheek and I grimace. He jerks his hand back realizing his mistake.

"I'm sorry, but seriously, what the fuck is going on?"

I drop the suitcases by the door and sink onto his plush couch.

I look down at my hands, fingers intertwining in a tight knot. "It's James."

Alex's jaw tightens at the mention of my now ex-boyfriend's name. "What did that bastard do now? I swear to God, I'm going to kill that…" he starts to head towards the door and I reach out and grab his arm.

"No, stop. Just… just let me explain, please." My eyes secretly pleading for him to calm the hell down and not go to James' apartment and end up catching a charge.

He gives me this "why must you try to cage the beast" look and I have to subdue a grin, but finally he relents and sits down on the couch beside me.

I take a deep breath, trying to find the words. "We had a fight... a big one. He accused me of not being supportive enough of his career, of not being there for him."

Alex scoffs. "And that's reason enough to you? Fuck that. That's never okay."

"He didn't hit me… well, he threw his whiskey glass in my direction, and I just happened to be in his line of fire, I guess." I rub my temples, feeling a headache forming.

Alex's voice softens as he sits beside me. "That doesn't make a damn difference, the point is he hurt you."

"Yeah, but I'm okay," I say quickly, shaking my head. "I just..." I start to get emotional and find myself having a hard time getting the words out. "I like to consider myself a smart woman, and I know what may start as a whiskey glass can quickly turn into a closed fist, and that's not the life I want for myself, or I'd want for my own daughter if I ever had one." I wipe at the tear that runs down my cheek.

"I always had a bad feeling about that asshole," he says, reaching for a blanket and tossing it to me. It's sweet that he noticed my tremors and thinks I'm cold, but in all actuality, I'm still terrified from the events that occurred prior to my arriving here. Some I choose not to share because I would rather Alex not have an arrest on his flawless record. 

I sit on the edge of the couch, hugging the blanket he offered me. "How come you never said anything?"

He stops and looks at me, his eyes serious. "I didn't want to interfere, you seemed happy, so I kept my mouth shut."

A bitter laugh escapes me. "Happy? I guess I was good at pretending."

Alex steals the blanket from my arms and drapes it across my lap. "Why didn't you tell me he was treating you like this?"

I shrug, feeling a lump in my throat. "I thought I could handle it. And...I didn't want to admit it to myself, let alone to you."

He shakes his head, frustration etched on his face. "Maya, you don't have to handle everything alone. That's what family's for."

"Yeah, but you have your own life. Your own problems." I pick at a loose thread on the couch.

"My problems are nothing compared to yours," he says firmly. "You come first."

I look up at him, seeing the fierce protectiveness in his eyes. It's comforting but also makes me feel guilty for not confiding in him sooner.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"Don't be." He leans back in his chair, rubbing his own temples. "I'm just pissed I didn't see it sooner. I would've kicked his ass ages ago. And I make no promises that I still won't now."

Despite myself, I chuckle. "You always were the overprotective big brother."

"Someone's gotta do it," he says with a small smile.

Silence falls between us again, but it's not uncomfortable this time. It's like we're both processing everything that just came out.

Finally, Alex stands up and stretches. "You hungry? I've got some leftover pizza in the fridge."

My stomach growls at the mention of food. "Yeah, that sounds good."

As he heads to the kitchen, I follow him, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over me. Being here with Alex makes everything seem a little more manageable.

We settle at the small dining table with plates of cold pizza and glasses of soda. It feels almost normal—like old times before everything got so complicated.

And for now, that's enough.

* * *

I wake up in the guest room to the smell of bacon wafting through the apartment. I roll out of bed and make my way to the kitchen, where Alex is humming to himself, flipping an omlette.

"Morning," he says without looking up.

"Morning," I reply, sliding into a chair at the table. "You didn’t have to do all this."

"Just wanted to start your day off right," he says, finally turning to me with a grin. 

"How very big brotherly of you." I say with a smile. 

He clears his throat, my clue to pay attention. "So, it goes without saying that you are welcome to stay here and get your shit sorted out," he says as he stares me down and points his spatula in my direction for added effect.

"No, Alex I just need a day to look into different…"

"Don't ‘no’ me, Maya," he starts. "Your place is here until you feel comfortable enough to find something elsewhere. Who's to say that asshole isn't just lurking around waiting to find out where you go. At least I doubt he will willingly show up on my doorstep, if he does it'll be his first and last time."

"Easy tiger," I say with a smile. "I just don't want to be a burden…" 

"Listen to me," he says as he sits our heaping plates of breakfast on the table. "You have never been, nor will you ever be, a burden. I am your brother, it's in my job description to take care of you."

"Well, you deserve a raise," I say as I take a bite of bacon. Alex laughs.

We eat in comfortable silence, the kind that only comes with family. 

After we finish breakfast, Alex leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. "So, I’ve been thinking."

"Uh-oh," I tease. "That’s never good."

He chuckles. "I know things have been rough lately. So, I was thinking we should have a little get-together here tonight. Just some friends, nothing crazy."

I raise an eyebrow. "A party? You know I’m not really in the mood for socializing."

"Exactly why you need it," he counters. "You’ve been dealing with so much crap; you deserve a break. Plus, my friends are awesome. You’ll like them."

I hesitate, playing with the edge of my napkin. The idea of meeting new people right now feels daunting, but Alex looks so hopeful.

"Okay," I say finally. "But just a small one."

He beams at me like he’s won a prize. "Trust me, it’ll be fun."

And I do trust him, because there hasn't been a day in my twenty-seven years of life that trusting him has failed me yet.

Well, except when he stole my ice cream out of the fridge after promising he wouldn't. But I like to think that had something to do with being eleven.