06
The line was filled with the cacophony of the station, but no one spoke.
Caleb’s voice was sharp. “Leo, why didn’t you answer my texts?!”
A small, sharp intake of breath came from the other end, as if he’d startled them. After a two–second pause, a child’s voice asked, “Are you the one the pretty boy was waiting for?”
Caleb was taken aback. He softened his tone. “Who is this?”
“I’m cutie–ple!”
He sighed in frustration, speaking slowly and deliberately. “Can you please put the owner of the phone on?”
“Umm… Cutie–pie sounded hesitant. “But the pretty boy is asleep,” she whispered. “He seems really tired, he’s been asleep for a long, long time. And my mommy says good kids don’t wake people up when they’re sleeping.”
A reluctant smile touched Caleb’s lips. “Alright. When he wakes up, can you tell him to stay right where he is? I’m coming to get
him.”
“Who are you?” the little girl asked. “Are you the one he was waiting for?”
“Yes,” Caleb said.
“That’s not right,” she replied, confused. “The pretty boy said he was waiting for his brother. He said his brother was really nice and gentle, the best brother in the whole world.” She lowered her voice again. “But you sounded really mean just now…” Not like he said.
at ali,
Caleb froze.
Tm sorry,” he said quietly.
After he hung up, Mom chided him gently. “You made him wait so long he fell asleep?”
Caleb’s stern expression returned. “I was just teaching him a lesson Otherwise, he’ll just keep lying.”
Mom looked at him, concerned. “Leo has always been the center of your world. Why are you being so hard on him now? Is it just
because he’s not your biological brother?”
Caleb didn’t speak, just shook his head.
“You’re a deep thinker, Caleb,” she continued. “You rarely let things affect you. The only people who can make you angry are the ones you truly care about. But Leo is so sensitive. Please don’t break his heart.”
Was my heart broken?
A little, I guess. When Caleb accused me of faking it, of lying, of only being there for money. My heart had clenched with a brief,
sharp pain.
Mom didn’t know about my confession. She didn’t know the real reason Caleb was so angry.
It couldn’t be because he cared.
How could anyone be so cruel to someone they cared about?
I never could understand it.
As Caleb left the house, heavy snow began to fall. The traffic was a nightmare, the Rolls–Royce crawling through the congested streets. He lowered the window twice to check the situation, but managed to restrain himself from rushing the driver.
08:29
Chapter
I sat in the passenger seat next to him, but I kept my distance, not like all the other times he’d come to pick me up.
As we neared the station, Caleb took out his phone.
ICan you walk to the exit?
He quickly typed another message. [Never mind. Stay in the waiting hall. Don’t move.]
By the time he parked, he still hadn’t received a reply.
His face was a thundercloud as he got out of the car. He muttered to himself as he strode toward the entrance. “Leo, you’ve really grown a spine, haven’t you? Just you wait until I get my hands on-
His words died in his throat. His gaze locked onto something across the room.
I followed his line of sight and saw myself.
