Brother After Dark

Chapter Sixty-Five

Blaire.

I could not believe my eyes as the familiar figure of the only man I have ever loved so much stood in front of me.

“Z-Zach?” My voice trembled as his name slipped from my mouth.

Is that really him?

I was convinced that I have not completely lost my mind when he began walking toward me until he was only a meter away—enough for me to smell his familiar scent, proving that he is real… that I didn't just imagine him... that he's really standing in front of me right now!

I have no idea how he managed to slip into our house while my father was here. Unless he's actually the one who let Zach in, but that's impossible. Is it?

His cryptic message earlier flashed in my mind…

“Blaire— “Zach tried to reach his hand to me, but I instinctively backed away.

“What are you doing here Zach?” I said coldly.

A part of me wants to celebrate right now. Because after a horrible year, I finally get to see him again. I admit that I have missed him so much. His scent, his hair, his voice, the warmth of his skin, his kisses—the way he made me feel special in every possible way. But I can’t seem to bring myself to jump for joy right now. The pain that has piled up in my heart overpowered my desire to hug him.

“I-I am here to see you, Blaire…” he said, sadness evident in his eyes. “I want to talk to you.”

I let out a sarcastic laugh. “To see and talk to me? How laughable. You could have done that for the past months—back when I needed you the most!” The suppressed emotions burst from my chest as I yell at him.

I trembled as I tried to rein back my tears. Damn it. I should not be crying in front of him!

“Blaire, I… I am sorry if didn’t contact you for a year. I have my reason for doing that..” Zach muttered in a pained voice. “When you fell from the stairs and almost died—it nearly killed me as well. I was devastated and I didn’t know what to do. The doctors were also at a loss because you have lost a lot of blood that day. But we couldn’t find donors who would match your blood type. That’s why…”

“You went to see Ewan Gibson… my biological father,” I completed his sentence for him.

Zach only nods in silence; his expression is of pure sorrow and longing.

I already know what happened after the accident. Ewan, my biological father, had just told me about it. But somehow, I still wanted to hear it from Zach.

“The only thing that I could think of that day was to find a way to save you. Seeing you on the hospital bed, unconscious, almost made me lose my mind. That’s why I scheduled a meeting with Ewan Gibson—I know that you have the same blood type. I was desperate. I informed him about your existence and that you are in a critical condition and needed a blood donor…” Zach trailed off as if reminiscing the moment when he begged my father to save my life. “At first, he couldn’t believe it, but he was eventually convinced. He agreed to donate his blood but only on one condition—I must stay out of your life.”

My heart ached despite already knowing this much. Knowing the situation from Ewan is one thing but hearing it from Zach is another.

Zach stepped closer to me again, but I backed away, not wanting him to close the distance between us.

“Blaire, I was desperate to save you, so I followed Ewan Gibson’s condition. It did it for you— “

“For me?!” I snapped. “Did you know how much I’ve suffered after I woke up in the hospital?”

I gritted my teeth as I lashed out at him. All my deeply buried frustrations, anger, and disappointments just suddenly exploded within me. I wanted him to know that he was not the only one who have suffered.

“If you ditched me to save my life, then why the fuck are you still here, Zach?!” I hollered.

Zach took a deep breath before taking another step toward me. “I can’t keep on living a life without you anymore, Blaire. I want to be with you— “

My palm flew to his cheek before he could finish his sentence. Zach’s eyes widened while holding the cheek that I slapped.

“I was miserable for a year, Zach! My family was a mess and I had to go with my biological father. Sure, I am doing well in my career right now—but I still feel empty. I can’t feel any fulfillment in anything that I do,” I cried. “I was broken for the past months—those were the times when I needed you the most, but you weren’t there! You chose to stick in that stupid deal with my father.”

A lone tear trickled down Zach’s face, wetting his cheeks.

“I tried to find you, but nobody knows where you went. I tried to convince myself that you will eventually come back but a year has passed, and I still didn’t hear anything from you!” I violently wiped the tears off my face. “I was trying to live without you—to find my happiness when I am alone. But why are you suddenly barging into my life again as if nothing happened?”

Silence reigned in the whole room for a few seconds. Zach didn’t talk for a while and here I am, crying my eyes out in front of me. His eyes are filled with despair as he quietly stared at me while his tears wet his face as well. It felt like my heart was being shredded into pieces seeing him like this; broken, defeated… weak.

I wished I could wash away the anger in my heart. But right now, I want to be honest with my feelings. I want him to feel my frustrations as I also feel his.

“Blaire… I know that whatever I say now will change the past. It will never erase the pain I’ve caused you, but I want you to know that…”

I gasped when Zach suddenly kneeled in front of me. His trembling hands reached out for mine, intertwining both of our fingers. I suddenly felt weak when I felt the familiar warmth of his hand—the feel of his skin… that felt like home.

“I-I’m sorry, Blaire,” his voice broke. “I wanted to save you, but I failed to consider what you would feel after that. I acted selfishly just like your parents, and I regretted it.”

I bite my lips to fight back my sobs. Zach tightened his grasp on my hand as if trying to gather some strength so he can keep talking.

“I blame myself every day for not taking care of you during your most vulnerable moments. I should have been there to comfort you and assure you that everything will be alright. But I couldn’t do it, because I foolishly chose to follow Ewan’s conditions…” he helplessly buried his head in my hands as speaks. “I s-should have begged him to stay with you. I should have been there for you... I-I should have…” Zach broke into tears without finishing his sentence.

A sob escaped my lips. I can’t bear to watch him like this. The man that I love… showing his vulnerable side while begging for my forgiveness.

“I-I’m sorry if I caused you pain. I’m sorry if I failed you… Blaire, I’m sorry if I loved you this way,” Zach muttered brokenly.

My knees trembled and before I knew it, I was already on the floor, kneeling in front of him. I was crying my eyeballs out and I couldn’t shake off the pain in my chest. We both cried in each other’s presence without uttering a single word—as if our tears were enough to convey our emotions.

It was a moment of silence until Zach broke it again.

“Blaire, I know I don’t deserve you because you deserve someone better. Someone who will not hurt you, someone who will not abandon you. But I apologize because I also can’t bring myself to forget you. So instead of giving you up, I will just do my best to become a better man for you,” Zach wiped the tears from his eyes before holding my hands once again. “Will you give me a chance to make you love me again?”

“Zach, it’s true that you’ve hurt me. It’s true that I was angry because you have abandoned me… but that doesn’t mean that my feelings for you have changed…”

I still love you, is what I wanted to add but my lips tremble before I could say it.

A ray of hope and joy flashed in his eyes after hearing my words. Zach gently caressed my fingers before he whipped something out of his pocket.

My eyes widened in disbelief when I realized that he was holding a velvety box in front of me. He opened the small box and revealed a dazzling platinum ring fashioned with a brilliant diamond gem.

“T-That’s…” my voice was stuck in my throat as I stared at the ring.

“The past year without you felt like hell and I couldn’t imagine living another year without you by my side, Blaire.” Zach took the ring out of the box and bared it to me. “Please give me a chance to love you again… to love you better than before. To take care of you better than before. I won't ever leave your side again..." Tears rolled down his cheeks. I could feel his pain, his love, his sincerity. "I will be your friend... your brother..."

"Brother?" I echoed.

He nodded. "Your lover after dark."

I let out a small smile as a blush crept over my cheeks.

"Blaire Gibson... would you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me?"