But I couldn't keep hiding forever., The more awkward the situation, the less I could afford to hide., I let go, and Dustin also pulled back the duvet, looking at my face,

"Heard you were caught in the flood. Scared me half to death.

", He was explaining why he came. I managed a wry smile,

"What, did I make the evening news?

", In this age of the internet, even the smallest events get blasted online. Today's flood was massive, and yet people were filming instead of helping.

"Yeah, looked like a drowned rat,

" Dustin said, raising his hand., I instinctively moved aside, but he didn't show any embarrassment, just gave a light chuckle,

"I just wanted to fix your hair. You looked terrified.

", I didn't respond, and Dustin sat on the edge of the bed,

"How are you feeling?

",

"I'm fine, got checked out.

",

"But you seem quite shaken up, even cried, huh?

" My red-rimmed eyes didn't escape his notice., Dustin knew I wasn't crying from fear, but his words eased the awkwardness., I chuckled,

"Dustin, your emotional intelligence has really skyrocketed lately, lying just to cheer me up.

", He nodded,

"Yeah, otherwise you'd keep avoiding me.

", His words left me at a loss, but Dustin just smiled,

"Felicia, I know you've been avoiding me lately because I confessed my feelings for you, right?

", Since he brought it up, I didn't pretend otherwise,

"Yeah, it's become awkward facing you.

",

"I regret it, you know. Regret that I ruined the simple sibling-like bond we had. But then, I genuinely fell for you and felt it'd be a regret not to confess. Thought maybe you felt the same, that maybe if I spoke up, there'd be a chance,

" he admitted frankly. , I found it hard to be harsh,

"Dustin, I've always seen you as a brother, almost like a real one. You know, when Conrad used to bug me, I always ran to you.

",

"Yeah, I've been thinking about how I lost that girl who depended on me. Realized it was my fault for scaring you off. So, can Dustin take back what he said? Pretend you never heard it, and let's be like before?

" His request genuinely surprised me. , Words once spoken are like spilled water; they can't be taken back.,

"Felicia, I know you don't see me that way, so I've reined in my feelings. From now on, I'm just your brother, nothing more,

" Dustin said, raising his hand,

"I swear, I promise.

", His sincerity made me feel small for, clinging to any grudges. I nodded and extended my fist to him, a gesture we often used as kids. Whenever Conrad, Dustin, and would get into trouble and decide to keep it a secret, we'd bump fists before heading home. , Dustin smiled and bumped his fist against mine.,

"What mischief are you two up to now?

" Conrad's voice came from the doorway, eyeing our joined fists., Dustin withdrew his hand,

"If it's mischief, naturally we can't let you know.

", Conrad walked over, his gaze falling on the scrape on my forehead that Ernest had overlooked earlier., When he cared, he'd fret over me losing a couple of strands of hair. Now I was hurt, and he could overlook it., They say men are heartless, and it seems to ring true.,

"Did you get your head checked?

" Conrad asked me.,

"Checked, nothing wrong,

" I tugged at the duvet, feeling a bit cold.,

"Cold? Running a fever?

" Conrad reached out, his hand landing on my forehead., This time it wasn't that I didn't refuse, but rather I forgot to, or perhaps didn't react in time, or maybe because for the past ten years, I was used to his touch., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.