Connection | 18+

Chapter Seven

   “I'm not deaf; I heard you. It's just…I'm not hungry.”

   Which was true in a way but I’m usually never hungry. I eat to survive, sometimes when I'm too fatigued to even stand.

   Or sometimes when someone offers me, which is seldom.

   Nick brings our food and I thank him with a smile.

   Narrowing his eyes at the way I dodge his actual question, he cuts his sandwich in half and asks, “So, why did you want to meet?”

    Telling him that I wanted him to oversee my work would sound…absurd.

   So, I opt for a half-truth.

   “Just wanted to ask some questions,” I say as I sip on my water.

   “Didn’t I say that it was none of your business?”

   “I…”

   Before I can finish my sentence, he slides his plate toward me, nodding at it with an air of quiet authority.

   “Eat.”

   There it is again—

   That command.

   That voice I can’t defy.

   Despite my lack of hunger, despite my will, my hands move on their own, reaching for the sandwich.

   As I take the sandwich in my hands, a wave of frustration washes over me. I feel docile at how fast my hands move on their own. But it never seems to matter when it comes to him.

   There’s something about his voice, that unyielding tone, that makes resistance feel impossible. It’s as if my body obeys before my mind can even catch up.

   I take a bite, and the taste is lost on me but I do feel satisfaction when it reaches my starved stomach. I glance at him, trying to muster some defiance.

   “I’m not even hungry,” I say, my voice lacking the conviction I intended.

   But he doesn’t respond, just watches me with that same calm, unreadable expression. And despite myself, I take another bite, feeling the small rebellion rip away as I hum in pleasure.

   “So, what did you want to ask?” He asks as he takes a bite from the other half of his sandwich.

   I think of going straight to the point but think better of it and opt for the thing I was curious about.

   “How did you and Daniel become friends?”

   He stops in the middle of taking a bite.

   Just as I think I’ve once again overstepped my boundaries, he responds.

   “We’re not friends.” 

   I look up at him, wide-eyed, incredulous. What the actual fuck? From what I know, Daniel considers Ethan his best friend. And this jerk isn’t even courteous enough to call my brother a friend? 

   “What do you mean by that?” I ask, my tone, sharper than I intended. 

   “It means it’s none of your business. Just get to the point instead of beating around the bush.” 

   I frown at his dismissive tone. 

   “Forget it,” I retort, unwilling to engage further if he views his friendship with Daniel so trivially. “You really don’t consider Daniel a friend?” 

   He looks at me with irritation and when he finds that I won't settle until he answers, he speaks, “It’s not about whether we’re friends or not. We’re more like… associates, I suppose.” He takes a moment, his brows furrowing in thought. “We have different outlooks on things. I help him with his job sometimes and other times… we just exist in each other’s lives. It’s complicated, just like your relationship with Daniel. We don’t confide in one another; we’re just there… when there’s no one else.”