The Ghosts We Bury
Elias stared at the man in front of him, his grip tightening on the doorframe as if grounding himself in reality. The smirk, the easy confidence, the way his presence alone filled the space with a suffocating weight nothing had changed. Yet everything had. “Brother,” the man said, leaning casually against the wall. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Elias didn’t move, his body a taut wire ready to snap. “You shouldn’t be here.” The man chuckled. “That’s funny, considering I had no idea you’d be here either. Small world, huh?” His eyes flickered over Elias’s shoulder, and for the first time, a hint of something darker bled into his expression. “Or maybe not so small.”
Elias didn’t have to turn to know what he was looking at. He could feel Lila’s presence just behind him, her breath shallow, her body still wrapped in nothing but the sheets they’d tangled in minutes ago. “I said, you shouldn’t be here.” The man sighed, pushing off the wall. “Relax. I didn’t come here for trouble. I came here for you.” Elias felt the shift in the air, the way the room suddenly felt too small, too dangerous. “I don’t do that anymore.”
The man tilted his head, examining him like a puzzle he hadn’t quite figured out yet. “No?” He glanced at Lila again, then back to Elias. “You sure about that?” Elias’s muscles locked, every instinct screaming at him to get him out. Now. But before he could move, Lila’s voice cut through the tension. “Who is he?”
The man’s smirk returned, slow and knowing. “She doesn’t know?” He let out a low whistle. “Damn. And here I thought you were an open book these days.” Elias turned slightly, his gaze catching hers. “Go inside.” She didn’t. Of course, she didn’t. Instead, she stepped closer, pulling the sheet tighter around her. “Elias.” He clenched his jaw, knowing there was no escaping this now. “He’s my brother.” Lila’s eyes widened, flicking between them, seeing the similarities now that she knew to look for them. The same sharp jawline, the same intensity in their expressions, though his brother’s was laced with something more dangerous, something unpredictable. “You never told me you had a brother.”
“There’s a reason for that.” The man sighed dramatically. “Come on, don’t be like that. I’ve changed.” Elias laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You don’t change.” His brother raised a brow. “And yet, here you are, playing house with a girl you swore you’d never let yourself have. Looks like I’m not the only one.” Lila tensed beside him. “What does that mean?” Elias didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Because the truth was, his brother wasn’t wrong.
Silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Then, his brother’s expression shifted, losing its playfulness. “We need to talk. Now.” Elias hesitated, torn between shutting the door in his face and stepping into whatever storm he had brought with him. “Fine,” he said finally, voice like steel. “But not here.” His brother nodded, stepping back. “I’ll be waiting.”
Elias shut the door before he could say anything else, pressing his back against it, exhaling sharply. Lila was watching him, her eyes searching his face. “Elias, what’s going on?” He ran a hand through his hair, every nerve on edge. “I need to handle this.” “With him?” “Yes.” She swallowed. “I should come with you.” “No.” The answer was immediate, firm. “Lila, you don’t understand. My brother… he’s not someone you get involved with.” Her jaw tightened. “And you are?” He flinched, her words hitting too close to something raw. “I need you to trust me.” She stared at him, and for the first time, he saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes. Not about him but about whatever world he had just dragged into their lives. “Elias,” she whispered. “Don’t shut me out.”
He stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands. “I’m not. But right now, I need you to stay here. Please.” She exhaled shakily, then nodded. But the way she looked at him, the way her fingers lingered against his as he pulled away it felt like she was afraid he wouldn’t come back. Neither of them said it. He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, then turned and walked out the door. His brother was waiting at the end of the hall, arms crossed. “Thought you’d changed.”
Elias didn’t respond, just kept walking. His brother fell into step beside him, smirking. “Guess not.” Elias exhaled, knowing whatever came next would change everything. Again.