Page 25 of Everything About You

“Milo. Don’t.”

There’s some issue with the Instagram Story upload, but it prompts me to retry, so I tap it and watch as it finishes posting

before pocketing my phone.

“Why are you hiding from your brother?”

“I’m not.”

I throw my arms up, gesturing around the dimly lit hall. “We are literally hiding.”

Rhodes sighs. “It’s just complicated. I don’t want to get into all of it.”

He takes a few steps away before leaning his back against the stone wall, hanging his head and shoving his hands into his

pockets. I can tell he’s genuinely overwhelmed, so I am slow to move closer, but I do.

“I don’t mind.”

When he looks up at me, he looks more pained than I’ve ever seen him.

“It’s a bit of a cliché, I’m afraid,” Rhodes says, gaze falling again.

“Well, that doesn’t matter.” I kick my toe into the stone next to him. “Look, maybe I was wrong. I don’t know... we’re

kind of in the same boat here in some ways. All alone here in Paris. On our own. After the way I’ve treated you, you probably

hate me, but—”

Rhodes’s head jerks up, and he furrows his brow. “I don’t hate you.”

The sincerity in his voice gives me goose bumps. “Well, I just haven’t exactly given you the benefit of the doubt, so I’d

understand. Honestly, most people in our situation probably would hate each other.”

“Do you hate me?”

“Well, no. I don’t hate you.”

“That’s quite convincing.”

I throw my hands up. “Things have felt complicated, to say the least. You can’t act surprised that I don’t exactly think of

us as friends.”

He shrugs. “I suppose you’re right. I dunno, I just would like us to be. I’ve tried to make that clear. Tried to prove I’m not here to screw you over, Milo. It’s honestly got nothing to do with you.”

I believe him, though I’m not sure why.

“But then... what is it about? I mean... why is this so important to you?”

Rhodes points down the hall. “You saw Ollie. You heard him. Can’t you piece it all together by now? I’m only Ollie Hamilton’s

brother. And I suppose, out loud, that doesn’t sound so terrible. I can see that. But you don’t know what it’s like, especially

when my father only ever wanted us to be footballers like him. Ollie has gone and done it, and I’ve failed at everything I’ve

ever tried.”

“Surely that isn’t true.”

“You want to know the truth?” Rhodes asks. “I didn’t even make it into the academy with Ollie. Not even with my father’s influence.

He even offered to buy my way into the club. How pathetic is that? I know my problems aren’t the worst to have, but I feel

it every day....” He makes a fist. “I feel like nothing. All the time. I just feel like nothing.”

My heart aches at this.

How can this boy—this boy threaded gold and blue, so bright and charismatic—feel like nothing?

“You’re not nothing.”

“I appreciate that,” he says. “But I’ve disappointed my father my entire life. Maison Dauphine just... It’s my last chance

to actually do something for myself. Make a name. Ollie’s career is about to absolutely blow up, and by the time it does,

if I don’t have something to show... I don’t know. It’s complicated, I guess. Family dynamics and all that.”

I know a thing or two about family dynamics, but this sounds next level. On a scale I can’t even imagine.

When I don’t say anything, he frowns. “I know you’ve got your reasons. But I’ve got mine as well. It’s like every time I see

an Instagram post or get a Premier League app notification about Ollie, I just get this reminder—this feeling like I’ve got

to win. Otherwise, I’m stuck being Ollie Hamilton’s brother.”

That need-to-win feeling is one I know very well.

“I don’t want to compete with you,” he says. “I wish we could just both win.”

Desperation rises within me. “Maybe there’s some way we can?”

He shakes his head. “I’ve already asked Yvette. I tried twice now. She said there’s one position. That’s it. And it sounds

like whoever works the resort show will have the advantage when all is said and done. Since Pascal and the whole team will

be there. One of us will be at the show, and the other will have to man the desk and watch press hits all night. Haydée and

Zoe will be staffed, and if I’m honest, I think I did more harm than good. It seems like my asking only irritated her—like

maybe now she’d keep it that way to spite us. It makes no sense. You’d think they’d want the extra help.”

My breathing slows as the gravity of this dawns on me.

“You asked Yvette?”

He winces. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” I don’t even know how to express the sense of appreciation I feel in this moment. “It’s

just... I didn’t realize you’d asked her.”

“I really do want us both to win,” he says.

“That’s really nice of you to ask Yvette,” I say. “I mean, I’m with you. I don’t get why it’s so impossible. It’s almost like they want us to compete. Like they think we’ll give them better ideas if we’re both vying for something.”

Rhodes shrugs. “You could be on to something for all I know.”

“à bon chat, bon rat.”

With a quizzical expression: “ Pardon ?”

“It’s better for them if we compete, I think. The rat challenges the cat and vice versa.”

He snorts. “And who’s who?”

“I fear I might be the rat.”

“No way.”

I roll my eyes and shrug. “I might be. But seriously. You shouldn’t feel like you’re nothing, Rhodes. You’re really clever,

you know.”

He smirks. “That’s true, isn’t it?”

“And you’re funny. Sometimes.”

Rhodes scratches his chin. “There’s no way you ever find me funny.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Have we ever actually had a laugh together?”

I think we may have had a laugh together at his family flat. Anything else would be having a chuckle together—and even that

could be a stretch.

“We did both laugh in that staff meeting—the one where Haydée made you pronounce French words in front of everyone.”

I roll my eyes, stifling a smile. “You laughed at me, that’s different.”

“You laughed as well! From where I was sat, I was laughing with you.”

“Of course I had to laugh it off, I sounded like the world’s biggest doofus.”

Rhodes’ eyes go wide. “Whoa, doofus .”

“Yeah, doofus. Me, trying to speak French. You’d think I’d have improved by now.”

“I think you’re improving,” Rhodes offers. “You know, Milo, nobody can ever say you don’t put effort into things. Even if

something seems impossible, I reckon you’re going to try.”

Full-on smiling like an idiot now, I can’t pretend I’m not enchanted by the way his eyes twinkle when they meet mine.

“I can’t believe you thought I hated you.”

“I thought it was entirely possible. I wasn’t the best.”

“I feel like it was pretty clear. I did ask you to dinner the first time we met. That isn’t exactly what you do with people

you hate.”

“Well, sure. But we didn’t follow through on that. Things change.”

Rhodes considers this. “Things certainly change.”

Maybe Celeste was right all along. He did try to hang out with me several times. And he did get me macarons.

“Did you want to follow through on that?” I ask.

There’s a moment of shared quiet. I study him—his posture, the way he turns toward me, and his gaze that falls to my mouth—and

I wonder what he’s thinking right now. I wonder if I’ve spent all this time misreading him.

I guess now I’m going to find out.

My phone will not stop buzzing in my pocket, so I fish it out. I’ll silence whatever this is quickly.

Celeste: LMAO at you on the Maison Dauphine IG story

Celeste: who approved this

Celeste: I’m crying!

What is she talking about?

My stomach immediately drops as I navigate to Instagram. There are way more notifications than usual, even for Maison Dauphine.

Our latest story seems to be getting a ton of reactions and replies and—

Oh my god.

It’s a photo of me in my tuxedo, holding up a peace sign in front of the Venus de Milo .

On Maison Dauphine’s Instagram Story.