Darn Stupid Brother You Are

(Angel's POV)

I couldn't believe we were finally free from our punishments after a week of non-stop chores. My friends and I were all glad to be done with the endless scrubbing and cleaning, and we celebrated with a quiet night in the common room. As we sat around the TV, watching a mindless soap opera, my mind kept wandering to Hendrix. I was still angry with him, but he was my priority. I needed to make sure he was okay, and we needed to talk. "I'm so glad we can finally hang out again," Hande said, smiling.

"Me too," Cylan agreed. "I was starting to think we'd never see the light of day again."

Charlotte sighed. "I am happy, we don't clean this place first before we watch TV."

"Right? Ugh! I can't believe that was my life for two whole weeks. This center is turning me into something I am not." Hande replied. "Has anyone seen Dilada?" She suddenly asked, looking around.

Charlotte shrugged and shook her head and Cylan spoke up, not looking away from her phone, "Maybe she's using the restroom. That girl's too shy to say it if that's where she is." They laughed at that.

I noticed that Dilada was missing, but I didn't give it much thought. My mind was preoccupied with Hendrix. I needed to make sure he was okay. I had been thinking about him nonstop since our last confrontation, and I knew I needed to talk to him.

I wondered what he was doing, if he was okay, and if he had listened to what I said.

I knew I couldn't shake off the feeling, but I didn't know if I should share it with my friends.

"Earth to Angel!" Cylan joked, waving her hand in front of my face.

I snapped back to attention, momentarily shocked.

Hande noticed my distant expression and asked, "Angel, what's wrong? You seem a little spaced out."

"Oh! What? Nooo! I'm cool. I'm fine." I blabbered.

I hesitated, avoiding their eyes, unsure if I should confide in them. I trusted my friends, but I didn't want to plant any seeds of doubt in their minds about the center. They had come here to get better, and I didn't want to jeopardize their progress.

"Don't mind me." I said finally, "I'm just tired, that's all," I said, trying to brush it off.

Cylan raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's all? You can tell us if something's bothering you."

I appreciated their concern, but I decided against sharing my doubts. Not yet, at least. I needed to be sure about what I was feeling before I said anything.

I shook my head, trying to brush off their concerns. "Yeah, really, it's nothing. Let's just enjoy our night, okay?"

Hande nodded. "Okay, so anyway, where were we? Ah yes, the latest episode of 'As the World Turns'... I was saying, can you believe what happened to Emily?"

My friends nodded, but I could tell they were skeptical. I hoped I was just being paranoid, but my gut told me something was not right about the center.

I decided then and there that I would meet Hendrix and talk things over with him. I would meet Hendrix and fix things with him. Considering what happened with Dr Nixon and Miss Stefan, he would have a clue as to what their deal is seeing that he had been treated by Dr Nixon.

Just then, Hendrix walked into the common room, and our eyes met. I felt a rush of emotions as I got up and walked towards him. We stood facing each other, the air thick with tension.

For a moment, we just looked at each other, neither of us saying a word. I could see the regret in his eyes, and I knew he was thinking about our fight.

Hendrix took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it. I wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence.

But then I stopped myself. I thought I knew what to say, but I didn't know.

Hendrix seemed to sense my uncertainty. He took a step closer to me, his eyes searching mine.

Finally, I settled for a simple apology

And then, simultaneously, we said, "I'm sorry."

We both burst out laughing, and the tension between us dissipated. We decided to sit outside, away from the noise, and gaze at the stars. It was a quiet, peaceful night, and I felt a sense of calm wash over me. As we sat there, Hendrix turned to me and said, "Hey."

I looked at him, unsure of what to say. "Hey."

We sat in silence for a moment, watching the stars twinkle above us.

I couldn't help but think about how things used to be between us. We had grown up together, finishing each other's sentences, knowing what the other was thinking. But things changed since we grew up. It had started when he began keeping multiple girlfriends at the same time, and his reckless behavior with women had left me feeling sad and concerned. I had promised myself never to give up on him, no matter how much he frustrated me.

But now, as I looked at him, I realized that I couldn't even tell what was going on in his mind.

Despite that, I cared about him deeply, and I wanted to help him find his way again.

We sat in silence again, the only sound being the crickets chirping in the distance.

Hendrix broke the silence again. "Do you remember when we were kids, and we would sit outside and watch the stars?"

I laughed. "Yeah, that's when you were less of a douchebag and just a sweet little boy. We were so close back then, we would look at each other and laugh like we did back there." I sighed, "Then, it was like we had our own language. No one understood us, except us."

We sat in silence again, lost in our own thoughts.

"Do you ever feel like we can ever regain that connection we used to have? Go back to the way things used to be I mean..." I asked, looking up at the stars.

Hendrix thought for a moment before responding. "I don't know, Angel. I feel like it's natural for people to grow apart, but I don't know why."

I shook her head, and took a shaky breath. "But I don't want us to grow apart. I understand it's because we've changed so much. We're not the same people we were when we were kids. But we can gain some of it back."

I hadn't realized a tear had slipped from my eye until he wiped it off, his finger lingering on my cheek.

Hendrix nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too."

We both smiled at that.

Then he turned to me with a curious expression. "So, what were you apologizing for back there?"

I smiled, "Well, I was apologizing for yelling and scolding you. I keep forgetting you're not my little brother anymore."

Hendrix rolled his eyes as he smiled. "I'm not your kid brother, Angel. We were born in the same year, after all. You only got a few months on me."

I reached out to ruffle his hair, a habitual gesture that felt both familiar and strange. But as soon as my hand made contact with his head, Hendrix grasped my wrist sharply, his eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and something else. My heart began to pound in my chest as I felt a spark of electricity run through my body. The air around us seemed to vibrate with tension. We both stared at each other, the same feeling that I had felt in the empty therapy room seeming to sizzle between us. I realized for the first time that Hendrix was no longer the little boy I used to know. He was a man now. A man.

Hendrix's eyes seemed to bore into mine, as if searching for something. "You really see me as just your little brother, don't you?" he asked, his voice low and gentle.

I tried to pull my hand away, but not too hard, because I didn't want to break the connection. Hendrix's grip was firm, but gentle, and I felt a thrill run through me as he began drawing lazy circles on my wrist with his finger.

My face grew hot as I blushed, a feeling I didn't want to acknowledge was overwhelming me. I couldn't look away from Hendrix's eyes, which seemed to be burning with an inner fire.