I sat at my desk and hesitated for all of three seconds before calling her. She picked up on the first ring.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey?” I echoed. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for weeks, and all you have to say is ‘Hey’?”
“I’ve been preoccupied, if you haven’t realized.”
“Oh, I realized.” I leaned back in the chair, pressing my thumb against my temple. “You still mad at me for what happened?”
She sighed. “I was never mad at you, Theo. You’re my little brother. I never should’ve involved you in my mess to begin with. I didn’t expect him to call you.”
“I know. I should’ve played dumb. Or just not answered.”
“Theo,” she said gently, “it’s good. You’re good. Please. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay.” I paused. “How are you? With the courts and everything?”
There was silence before she said, “Well…we decided to call off the divorce.”
“…What?”
“Yeah. We talked. Outside of everything, and decided to give it another go.”
My face screwed up in confusion. “And…he just forgave you?”
“No.” Her voice was honest. “No, he just agreed to try again.”
I blinked, letting that land. “After everything? He still wants to give you another chance?”
“Theodore.” She dragged like she used to do when I was in trouble. “Listen to me. Relationships are really fucking complicated. Especially when the trust has been broken and everything about your relationship is put to the test.”
“Don’t I fucking know it,” I mumbled under my breath. My gaze wandered to the ceiling, where it stayed for longer than I noticed.
“Theo,” Kassandra said, “you still there?”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my jaw. “I’m just…surprised, that’s all.”
“Trust me, nobody’s more surprised than me. But sometimes distance gives you perspective.”
I swallowed hard, shifting in the chair. Her words hit a little too close to home.
I didn’t say anything, and Kass kept talking.
“We’ve both changed a lot over the years, and I think we stopped seeing each other clearly. I don’t know how it’ll end, but I know I want to give it a real shot again. Not just for Ava. For us. Because we loved each other enough to try again.”
I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. My fingers tapped a slow rhythm against the armrest.
Carmen had seen me clearly.
That’s what scared me. She saw through all my big gestures and good intentions and still said no.
“You’re quiet,” Kass said.
“I’m listening.”
She let out a soft laugh. “That’s a first.”
I cracked a tired smile. “Don’t get used to it.”
