The Better Brother

Andrea said.

We both laughed and continued our light-hearted abuse of my parents. They meant well, but they never truly understood me.

“So,” Andrea said, her tone suddenly shifting. “Have you heard from him?”

I froze. My heart felt like it stopped beating for a full minute. I knew Andrea would ask about him. Still, it didn’t stop me from feeling breathless and blindsided. My ex was the last person I wanted to talk about.

“No,” I said. “I’m not sure he even knows I left Dallas.”

“Of course, he knows,” Andrea said. She rolled her eyes. “It’s all over Facebook.”

“It is?”

“Well, I posted about it,” Andrea said with a shrug.

“That doesn’t mean he’s seen it,” I said. “Besides, why would he care? He dumped me.”

“Trust me, I know.” Andrea sighed and sat up. “How are you doing?”

Andrea’s green eyes found mine. She didn’t look away. She held my gaze until, finally, I felt my entire body cave and my resolve melt away into nothingness. As much as I didn’t want to talk about him, Andrea knew I needed to.

“I miss him,” I said honestly, “which is ridiculous. I know that. But I can’t help it. I still really miss him.”

“You were together for two years,” Andrea said. “It would be weird if you didn’t miss him.”

“But, he doesn’t deserve it,” I said firmly. “He totally screwed me over. I stayed with him while he finished med school. Despite the long hours he kept and the stupid fights he would pick every time he got stressed out about some test, I stayed. I put up with all of it. Then, he starts his residency and just bails? Who does something like that?”

“An asshole,” Andrea said bluntly. “A pathetic little asshole.”

“Exactly,” I said. “Then, why the hell do I even still care?”

“Because you’re a good person,” Andrea said. “You have a heart. A big one.”

“I wish I didn’t,” I said.

Andrea snorted and moved to the edge of the couch. She reached out her hand for me to take. With a sigh, I slid out of my chair and moved to sit beside her. She held my hand and once again fixed me with a stare that was almost too understanding.

“Do you want me to kill him?” she asked, her tone serious.

I laughed and threw her hand away from me.

“I’m serious!” she said. “I’ll do it. I have the shovel in my trunk already.”

“You’re insane.” I rolled my eyes.

“That may be true,” she said. “But I’m here. Whatever you need.”

“I’m glad you came,” I said.

“You needed me.”

Her response was simple, but it spoke to the core of who Andrea was. She and I had been through everything together. From Kindergarten to college graduation. From weddings to funerals. It wasn’t a surprise that she knew what I needed better than I did.

“I’m glad I moved,” I said. “This place is going to be good for me. I went into town today, and it’s perfect. There’s this little coffee shop in the square that I could spend all day in. I’m going to get so much writing done here.”

“That’s amazing,” Andrea said. “Now that Dr. Assface isn’t holding you back anymore, you can finally get some real work done.”

I frowned. “Holding me back?”