felt like I was stepping into a life that didn't quite belong to me. There were moments when I almost felt like a visitor in my own skin-like I

just beneath the surface. Our interactions were polite, almost forced at times, w

en on the porch. There was a complexity to Patrick that went beyond the moody, silent guy I'd first met. An

-

, I was on my own, trying to get settled. But on weekends like this, when my mom was working, P

e was unusually quiet, except for the sound of my own breathing and the soft hum of the air conditioner.

stead, I saw him standing outside in the yard through the glass windows. He was p

im. The air between us had always been thick wi

ugh they knew exactly where they were going. The porch creaked under my weight as I stepped onto it

t here?" he asked, his

follow him. "I saw you standing there... I thought

He exhaled sharply, rubbing his hands on his je

ding-but instead, I stood there, feeling the weight of the unspoken words hanging between us. There wa

said quietly. "I mean... I'm still

ance in my direction. For a moment, I thought

g with my dad... he's been distant. Ever since... ever since he started

mom hasn't been the same either. She's happier, su

before it hardened again. "Yeah. I think we

know how to respond. So instead, I just took

ou mad

ering with something I couldn't

g your new sister." I almost winced at the word. It sti

rds. Then he sighed, lowering his gaze. "I'm not mad at you, Charlotte.

or a moment, we stood there, the tension lingering like a t

I whispered, my heart unexpe

I saw something that resembled vulnerability in his eyes. The walls he usually had

you," he said, his voi

feeling a warmth spreading through my ch

h he couldn't hold it in any longer, he let out a sho

o. "Yeah. But maybe... maybe

e. There was something between us now, something real that neither of us could ignore. A sile

n with a new family. Maybe it was about learning to live with th

ilence, "maybe we can survive

is lips curling into a small, genuine smi

sh over us. It wasn't perfect, but in that small moment, it f

-

us didn't feel as suffocating anymore. We still had our moments of tension- those flashes where we both retreated into the places we were

e was around his friends, even the way he looked when he was lost in thought. I realized, with a small shock, that I wasn't just seeing him as my stepbrother anymore. I was

-

atrick and me remained at the heart of it all. It wasn't that we were at odds-far from it. But there was a

r, or even helped each other with homework. But the times when we found ourselves alone felt.

le when he thought no one was looking, the way he always tried to keep his emotions in check even when everything around him seeme

nore it, but

se was quiet, the hum of the refrigerator the only sound. I hadn't seen Patrick for hours, which was unusual for us. Normally, we

otsteps approaching from the hallway. I looked over to se

voice casual but the c

told a different story

Instead, I offered a small smile. "You want to play something? Or

he two of us sat in silence, the comfortable quiet between us almost normal. But it wasn't normal. Not really. I

don't care?" I blurted out, surp

oward me, his brow furr

"You put up this wall, like you don't want a

f quiet that stretched long enough for me

hurt," he finally said, his

lightly, trying to

ld tell me. Finally, he spoke again. "I've been hurt before. People who I let i

ople out, how distant and cold he could be even when we were in the same room. And now, h

tly. "I mean... I thought ma

. "I don't dislike you. I just... don't know how to handle all t

hat Patrick, the guy who always seemed like he had everything figured out, was struggling just like

ng between us. Then, as though he couldn't hold the tension anymore, Pa

ost to himself. "I didn't ask for a new fam

said softly, my voice almost a w

a sound that didn't reach h

is quiet, intense guy who never let anyone in. And now, here we were, two people who had been thrust

a way I hadn't expected. And maybe... just maybe, I wa

-

hat to say or how to act. But there was something different now-a quiet understanding that hovered in the background. We weren't just step-sibl

y lap, though I wasn't really writing. My thoughts kept drifting back to the conversation Patrick and I had shared the night be

didn't want to make him feel li

up to see Patrick walking over, his han

a faint smile tu

eyebrow. "He

to me. "Not much. Just thou

to me. "You can sit,

us said anything. We just sat there, side by side, watching the sky turn

" he asked, hi

ntirely sure what he me

his tone light but with an edge of something el

t was happening between us. But sitting there, next to him, I realized something. Maybe

e... maybe we can make it work. I don

something in his eyes-something that felt like the beginning of understandin

le curling at the corners of

couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, things would turn out oka

-