Brent sighed in annoyance as he heard the doorbell of his apartment ring. It was 9 pm, and he had spent the past two hours unwinding after a long week of work.
"What the hell do you want?" He said through a huff as he walked towards the door, looking to see who could possibly be disturbing him at this hour.
Much to his surprise, the person standing in front of his door was none other than his little sister Flora. She looked tired, but that wasn't what caught Brent's attention. Her hair was tangled and matted, and she appeared to have been crying. Brent quickly opened the door, concern written on his face.
"Flora, are you okay? What happened?" She didn't respond for a moment, but quickly looked up towards Brent and said in a weak voice,
"Can I come in please? I know we haven't been on the best terms, but... I just... something happened. Something bad." Brent nodded quickly and stepped aside to allow his sister entry into his home. After closing the door behind them, Brent turned to face his sister.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked worriedly. She looked down to the floor and began to burst into tears, leaping into Brent's arms. She cried hysterically into his chest and hugged him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. Brent held her tightly, stroking the back of her head while rubbing her back in comfort.
"It's okay Flora. I'm here. Everything is going to be alright," he murmured quietly into her ear. She cried harder but after a while, she slowly calmed down until she felt like she could breathe again. They stayed in each other's embrace for what seemed like an eternity before Flora spoke up again.
"Me and Ryan broke up last night..." she managed to choke out between sobs. Brent tightened his hold around her as he processed this new piece of information.
"I am so sorry Flora," he whispered. He hated seeing his sister hurt, even more so because she had nothing to blame herself for.
"He doesn't deserve someone like you. You're better off without him." This comment made Flora cry again and hug Brent even tighter. After awhile, she calmed down once more, though she clung to him like a lifeline.
"You don't hate me or anything right?" she asked hesitantly. Brent shook his head.
"Flora.. I could never hate you. Not in a million years." She pulled away from him slightly and stared into his eyes.
"Promise?"
"Pinkie promise." He stuck out his pinky finger, making Flora chuckle lightly. She hooked her pinkie with his, smiling softly at him.
"Thanks Brent. Really, I appreciate it." She wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself.
"Anything for my little sister." She smiled widely and hugged Brent again, this time, much longer. When they finally broke apart, Flora sniffed and stood up straight.
"So, I see you've been taking good care of your place, huh?" she said in an attempt to lighten the mood. Brent chuckled and shook his head.
"Not really. There's not really enough room for proper decorating if you ask me. But hey, it's good enough for a broke college student." He winked at his sister and grinned mischievously. Flora couldn't help but let out a snort.
"Um, anyways.. You can have the bed, I can handle the couch for a night." She gave him a thankful smile.
"Thanks Brent. I really don't deserve it though. Especially not after what happened wi-" Brent cut her off by placing his hand over her mouth.
"Don't you dare say it. It's not your fault Flora. Don't ever think that again." She looked at Brent, her lip quivering slightly. Before he knew it, she was hugging him again. The two siblings stayed there in silence until Brent gently pushed her away.
"Come on, you need to get some rest. We can discuss everything tomorrow." Flora nodded.
"Can I use your shower? I feel gross." Brent laughed.
"Of course you can. Just make sure you brush your teeth too." Flora rolled her eyes playfully and went into the bathroom, leaving Brent alone. He let out a heavy sigh and walked into his bedroom. What was he supposed to do now? His heart ached thinking of how broken his sister must be feeling right now. He sat down on his bed and placed his face in his hands. What could he possibly do to help Flora through this? He wished he could go back in time and change things, to prevent his little sister from getting involved with such a horrible guy. But he can't change the past. All he can do is be strong for her.
He got up, changing the bedsheets and pillowcases to clean ones that Flora would actually want to sleep on. As he finished cleaning up, he heard the bathroom door open.
"Hey," Flora called out as she came walking in a moment later, wearing a clean towel wrapped around her body. Brent immediately averted his gaze and pretended to focus intently on his phone screen.
"Hey you," he replied quickly. "Umm.. You can wear one of my shirts to sleep. And uh, boxers, too. Make yourself as comfortable as possible." Flora smiled warmly at him and grabbed an oversized grey shirt and a pair of plaid boxers from his drawers.
"Thank you," she murmured gratefully, and she went back to the bathroom. Brent put his phone on his bedside table before grabbing a clean blanket and throwing it over the bed. He waited outside the door, listening to her brush her teeth. When she emerged, Brent handed her a bottle of water he had grabbed from the kitchen.
"Just in case. If you need anything else, don't be afraid to call my name. Okay?" Flora nodded and looked into Brent's eyes.
"I love you, Brent." She said quietly, and he wrapped her in a tight embrace.
"I love you too Flora." He squeezed her for a few seconds longer before letting go.
"Goodnight. Just remember that I'm here for you. No matter what." He kissed her forehead gently.
"Goodnight Brent." He watched as she shuffled into his bedroom, closing the door behind her. He turned off the lights in the apartment and headed to his couch. He laid down on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted back to what Flora had told him. As horrible as it sounded, he was glad that Flora finally broke up with Ryan. She deserved better. She was smart, beautiful, a hard worker, but Ryan on the other hand, was nothing short of a douchebag. He shook those thoughts out of his head, deciding to get some sleep before he got any deeper into those infuriating thoughts. He closed his eyes and sleep quickly swept over him.
Brent woke with a start, breathing heavily as sweat dripped from his forehead. He laid there for a few moments, groaning as the throbbing pain in his head slowly began to subside. He sighed and rubbed at his temples, making an effort to get up, but he quickly realized how painful the couch was. He groaned and forced himself to sit up, rubbing his neck gently in hopes of easing the slight stiffness there. He looked around the dark living room, finding the alarm clock.
It was only 3 am. He groaned again and felt the urgent need to take a piss. He stood up lazily, grabbing for a bottle of water close to him and drinking out of it, before he wandered to the bathroom trying his best not to trip over anything. He switched the light on and relieved himself, washing his hands afterwards. He was about to head back when he suddenly heard noises coming from his bedroom.
