Page 37 of Chasing After You

“In public, right?”

I rolled my eyes, although it always felt nice when Oliver worried for me. “I don’t know, we haven’t talked about what we’re doing yet. Just that he’ll meet me at Wild Roast so that we can hang out right after my shift.”

“I don’t trust him,” he confessed.

“I don’t either, but he’s my little brother, Ollie. My only family. Now that I know he doesn’t hate me, I’m all for trying to rebuild the relationship.”

“I know… I just… I got a weird vibe from him. I think you need to be careful.”

“He’s always been a little weird. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I maintained. “I don’t think it’s right to judge him badly just because of that.”

Oliver’s brow wrinkled. “But I saw how he looked at you. It didn’t seem very… brotherly. What if he’s like… you know…”

“No, I don’t know. What if he’s what? And I don’t like you insinuating that kind of stuff about him.”

“What if he’s like my guys?” Oliver asked, wringing his hands in front of the pillow.

I stopped packing and sat down on the edge of the bed. “What if he is?”

“Why aren’t you concerned about this?”

“Because he’s my brother.”

“But he’s not really—”

“Ollie,” I scolded. “I don’t want to hear that again. I know you’re just worried about me, but stop assuming the worst about him. You don’t know him like I do. You don’t know him at all. You defend Hayes and Hudson, always saying that they shouldn’t be judged on how their brains are wired. I don’t know if Dori is like them. I don’t think he is. But even if he is, he’s still my precious baby brother.”

“Hestalkedyou, Josh,” he stressed.

“And your husbands kidnapped you and kill people in their basement.”

Oliver went quiet at that, his mouth snapping shut with an audible click. He looked away, hugging the pillow tighter, like he wished it could swallow him whole.

I sighed, running a hand through my short hair. “I’m sorry. That was… a low blow.”

“No,” he mumbled. “It’s fine. You’re right.”

I stood again, going back to my packing, folding the last of my shirts and stuffing them on top of my charger and toothbrush case. “Look, I’m not saying I trust Dorian completely. But Iwantto. It doesn’t have to be so complicated.”

Oliver made a soft sound. “But itiscomplicated, Josh.”

I zipped up the duffel bag. “Yeah. I know.”

He finally looked up again, his eyes soft and worried. “Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“I promise,” I said. “And if he says or does anything that makes me uncomfortable, I’ll walk away. I won’t let myself get hurt.”

Oliver’s frown deepened. “Youalwayslet yourself get hurt. That’s why I’m worried. You give too much of yourself to everyone around you, even if they don’t deserve it.”

I laughed, slinging the bag over my shoulder. “Maybe. But I’m getting better at not letting that happen.”

I stopped in the doorway and looked back at him. “Thank you for letting me stay here. You didn’t have to do all this. Really.”

“I wanted to,” he said quietly. “You know you always have a place here.”

“Yeah,” I smiled. “I know.”

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