Say When

T W E N T Y - E I G H T

"Hi," I said.

Jax's eyes simmered with emotion but his body betrayed nothing. My eyes tracked everything else in the room. Anything to keep from meeting Jax's gaze. My brother didn't bother to acknowledge me. He stared at the TV unblinking.

My eyes bored into the back of my Dad's head. I telepathically begged him to turn around. We were not on great terms right now but I needed to him to save me. I stared and stared. An awkward amount of time passed before my Dad finally turned toward me. I saw him hesitate.

"Hi, baby girl. How was work?" The last word choked out. He was trying. It hurt him but he was trying.

"Good." I gave, taking the edge out of my voice for the first time in weeks. He smiled at that. But I couldn't focus on our reconnection. Right now, the most precarious relationship in the room was Jax and I. I was supposed to be home curled up in bed with a heating pad and bottle of Advil. Yet here I was, strolling into my house over an hour after my shift had ended. I shook my head at myself.

On the screen, I watched a towering figure run, stop abruptly, square his shoulders and sink the ball into the basket with a fluid flick of his wrist. Chris and my Dad lept from their seats. Jax kept an eye on me. I took the uproar of their celebration as a perfect time to getaway. My sneakers squeaked loudly against the floorboards in unison with the sneakers of the athletes on TV as headed down the hallway to my room and closed the door. My phone buzzed.

Jax: Feeling better?

My hand shook as I shot back off a text.

Me: Yeah. Took some painkillers.

I responded and waited for him to say something. My phone remained silent. I took off my shoes while thoughts skidded across my mind. I didn't want to think that he was here checking up on me. He was just chilling with Chris. He and Chris were friends before we were a thing so that was not weird.

What was weird was him not mentioning it.

Should I feel some type of way about that? I fell back flat on my bed. Between him and Yuri, my head was throbbing. I needed a hot shower and my bed. I snatched my robe from the back of my door and strode out quickly to the bathroom.

I was halfway down the hall when my hand was grabbed from behind. My stomach dropped into my feet. I looked at the hand holding on to mine and followed the trail up his arm until I finally did what I'd been avoiding since I got home.

I looked Jax in the eyes. I started to speak but he held up a hand to silence me. A moment later I was stumbling over my feet, trying to keep up, as pulled me toward the bathroom not saying a word. The game still blared in the living room. I nervously looked back wondering if they heard the commotion but I could hear Chris and my Dad shouting over the TV. They were oblivious.

We reached the bathroom and Jax closed the door behind us. He lowered himself until he was perched himself on the tub of the cramped bathroom. I stood there frozen in place. He looked at me for an uncomfortably long time.

"Did I do something?" He asked. I shook my head 'no'.

"It's too much for you, right?" He said dropping his head into his hands. Guilt slid down my spine and propelled me toward him. I put my hands on his shoulders.

"No, it's not."

"Then why are you fucking lying to me?" He raised his voice and shot up off the tub. I flinched and turned away.

"I just had a long day. That Sam shit threw me off. I didn't know people would be coming to me for this." I blubbered in hushed tones. My fists were clenched at my side. Waiting for whatever would come. My mind raced. My shoulders quivered.