"Stop lying."

"I'm not."

"You have to be!"

"Why would I lie about something like this? What do I gain?"

"If you still love me why would you go and propose to someone else?"

Now that question stumped him and I felt my heart ache a little at the fact that the man I still had feelings for was going through something that I couldn't help him with.

"I can't go into full detail—"

"Milo." I interrupted and sighed heavily. Here we go again with this secret shit.

"There are some things I need to take care of first, but trust me when I say that I will need your help soon before I can have you back in my arms again." None of this was making sense anymore and it was beginning to annoy the ever loving shit out of me. I stood up from the chair and walked towards the desk. Sitting next him wasn't helping me.

"We can't keep doing this." I paused and closed my eyes. "I can't keep doing this." I made sure to stress the importance of how this was affecting me. Milo seemed confused again and I let out a laugh before looking away from him.

"Milo. I was a shit boyfriend to you. Granted our relationship didn't start off the greatest, but you did nothing but shower me with undying love and I walked all over you. I left you without a good enough explanation and then dated a man who used me to arrest you. Do you even have the slightest clue on how that tore me up inside? How I spent every fucking day being judged and spat on by your men? Your father and brother may act like they forgave me but I know they didn't. What I did, whether intentional or not, is by far the worst thing anyone could do within the mafia. Just let me do what I need to do here and then leave—"

"No." Milo interrupted and I groaned in frustration.

"Milo stop—"

I was taken back when he suddenly got up and walked over to me, standing so close to me I could kiss him without even moving an inch. And god did I want to kiss him. "I will never stop loving you so don't ever suggest that I forget about you and let you leave. I know how it felt for you having to stay here and be around people that viewed you as a traitor. Miko made sure to keep me updated on you whenever he could. We worked together and did what we could so that way I could get out and let everyone know you didn't sell me out and that you were tricked by a low-life scum who deserved everything he got and more." I closed my eyes as his hand cupped my cheek.

"I can't tell you everything yet, but just know for now that this engagement is a ruse for something much bigger than anyone is realizing. If you and my brother are working to help uncover whatever is happening to me, I will suggest you work harder because there's only so much I can do now." I opened my eyes and stared into Milos for what felt like an eternity. I could see that he meant everything he said and the undying love he held for me was practically pouring out of them. I swallowed and took a quick glance at his lips. The lips I wanted to feel on mine. Fee all over me. I could see Milo moving closer to my face, his thoughts most likely matching mine.

But our moment was ruined when the door slammed open and we jumped apart to see Miko hurrying in with a box of...clothes?

"Sorry to ruin the moment," he began and thrust the box into my hands. "Fawn figured out where you were and she's coming here right now."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with this box full of clothes you just handed me?" I asked, looking at the clothes a little better to figure out whose they were.

"You two need an excuse as to why you're both in this room together. So, I gathered some clothes I'd borrowed from Milo and you're going to use it as the guise of why you're here." Before I had a chance to respond, the door to Miko's office practically flew open and Fawn stood in the doorway looking beyond pissed.

"Break my door and I'll break your face, you cow." Miko snapped and Fawn rolled her eyes.

"Oh shove it you absolute complete bellend." She walked into the room and paused to look between Milo and I. We weren't as close as we were before, but the distance would seem questionable to anyone who knew our history. "What's this? We just had an argument about the time you spend with your ex and here I find you with said person?"

She pinned me with an absolutely evil stare and I narrowed my eyes. Yeah, no. Fuck this bitch. "Actually, sweetheart," I made sure to make my voice sound overly sweet, obviously in a completely sarcastic way. "I was giving Milo his clothes back. Unless you would rather have had me come to his room and drop them off?" I looked at Milo with a blank face and handed him the box.

"I wish you both the best marriage ever." I was just on fire with the sarcasm today, wasn't I? Thankfully, no one stopped me as I left the office and headed back to my room. Sean was probably worried and I didn't want there to be any troubles for tomorrow. I knocked on my door three times before I heard footsteps approaching and the door opened to reveal my brother. He looked at me and stepped back to open the door for me, closing and locking it after I had entered.

"Sean I'm sorry for asking for something like that earlier. I know it was probably really embarrassing and not my place to ask at all." My brother knew I had trouble with my word filter sometimes, but even a question like the one I asked earlier would still upset him.

Sean sighed and walked over to the bed to sit down. "It's okay. I'm just—it feels awkward talking to you about it." Yeah, I think I can agree on that part. The sex talk is always the most uncomfortable thing to give and to have told to you. "I'll head back tomorrow morning and talk things out with Josh."

Shit. That wasn't going to work. "Uh, how about you leave after we go shopping?" I suggested and my brother gave me a look of confusion. "Oh come one. When is the last time we had a brother day? Some good ole' brotherly bonding. Happy times." I made sure to add in a cheesy smile and thumbs up, which made Sean scoff at me. 

"Why shopping? What about going to see a movie or something?" 

"You'd go see a movie?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Even though Sean was still learning how to cope with his social anxiety, extremely crowded places were always a no go for the moment. My brother frowned before sighing in defeat. 

"No...maybe we can stay here and watch some movies instead?" I smiled at how hopeful he sounded and couldn't find it in me to tell him no, but I knew we wouldn't get around to it after shopping because of the surprise. 

"Sure we can. We just need to go grab a few things first and then we can come back and watch movies until we fall asleep." Sean smiled and nodded his head, seeming to be excited about our plans. It always warmed my heart to see him so happy at things that no one seems to care about much anymore. You hardly see siblings just being able to sit down and enjoy each other's company without ripping each others heads off. Granted, I do think there are a lot of siblings out there that are very close, but its few and far between. 

After staying up to talk a little more, we finally decided to head to bed. Sean fell asleep instantly, but I couldn't seem to shut off my mind. With all the information I have learned the past couple of days was weighing heavily on me. 

The whole engagement was fake and set up by Fawn for some unknown reason,

No one agreed to the marriage.

And Milo still loved me.

I sighed silently and turned onto my side, closing my eyes and dreaming of the life I could've had with Milo if everything had gone perfect from the start. But it was more of a nightmare due to how perfect everything was and before I knew it, it was already morning and I had gotten little to no sleep. I stayed in bed while Sean got ready before getting up and throwing on a random jumper, my jeans and then sliding on my combat boots. It was hella fucking cold out, I was hella fucking tired and I hella fucking couldn't be bothered.

Note to self: Stop saying hella.

"Are we going to eat breakfast here first?" Sean asked once he exited the bathroom fully dressed. I nodded my head and unlocked my door before stepping out and closing it after Sean entered the hallway. My brother frowned and I didn't like how he seemed to be making the same sad facial expressions ever since he came here. "Did you not sleep? You kept turning in your sleep."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," I reassured him with a smile and patted his back to keep moving forward. Once in the kitchen, I started to make us some toast. No point in making some elaborate meal when we're on a tight time schedule. After getting the toast from the toaster, I smeared avocado onto the slices and sprinkled salt and pepper. Josh always makes fun of my love for avocado toast and Milo used to as well. I threw the knife into the sink with a sour look upon thinking of my ex. And when I turned around to see him entering the room, my appetite all but flew out the window. 

"Save your banter for another time." I quipped at Milo when he looked at the toast when I slid it over to my brother. He raised an eyebrow and took a seat next to Sean at the counter. "You sure you should be getting comfy around me? Wouldn't want to cause another fight between you and your fiance." I hoped my voice was just oozing with sarcasm, and judging by the way Milo rolled his eyes, it worked.

"We got into it this morning and she left. So she's not even around to dictate how I engage in social activities." Milo then turned his attention to my brother and smiled. "Have any fun plans today?"

Sean nodded his head enthusiastically and quickly swallowed the last of his toast. "Uh huh! We're gonna go shopping and then come back here and watch some movies." I watched the scene quietly as I ate my food, just observing the way Milo seemed to genuinely care about my brother.

"Movies? I can't think of the last time I sat down and watched a movie." Milo said and Sean all but choked trying to get his next words out.

"Wanna watch them with us!? It'll be like a slumber party." He then frowned and looked down at his hands. "Well, maybe not that. Grown men don't have slumber parties so that's kind of weird." I glanced at Milo to see his response and didn't like how my heart twisted at seeing him smile warmly at my brother.

"Nah, who gives a fuck? If we wanna call it a slumber party then by god it's a slumber party!" He threw his hand up and Sean high-fived him while laughing. I honestly wanted to just sit in the back of the room and watch them interact in silence, but one glance at the clock made me realize that wouldn't work.

"Come on Sean. We need to head out now if we want to make it back in time for the movies." My brother nodded his head and hopped off his seat, ready to go. Milo looked at me and gave me a smile before looking back at my brother. 

"Let me know when you guys get back, okay Sean? I can't trust your brother to tell me because he most likely won't." 

"How correct you are," I said to him with a smile before hurrying my brother out of the house and to the garage. Miko had offered to let me drive his Tesla since we were going to be at the expensive part of town and I had to agree to it. Driving something too beat up or not expensive enough would get us a lot of stares and I didn't want to put any extra stress on Sean today. As we waited for the guards to open the gate and let us out, I turned to Sean.

"You nervous? We don't have to go out if you aren't up for it." I asked and he shook his head.

"No its okay! I'm a lot better with going out now, its just crowds that I have a difficult time with still." Understandable. I didn't plan to have us going anywhere that was too crowded. I knew there was a Target around here and it would most likely be empty since the people that lived here probably would die before setting foot in such a cheap place. Which I completely beg to differ with because Target can be really fucking expensive sometimes. It was going to be a thirty-minute drive, so I let Sean play his music to pass the time. The sound of Hollywood Forever by K. Flay filled the car and I couldn't help but be surprised by my brother's music taste. I remember him telling me that music helps him believe in the things he wants to do, but is hindered from doing due to his illness. It gives him hope that one day he will be able to do things he never thought of doing and helps to listen to someone else doing them in songs. 

God, I loved my brother so much.

After finding a parking garage, we headed out on our journey to Target. Sean questioned why I didn't park in the parking lot and I used the excuse that I wanted to get some exercise in because the real reason was that the garage was next to the hotel, and it would make it easier to explain why we were walking this way after we finished shopping. 

Seeing Sean in awe at the tall buildings and the fancy cars being driven was something to make me feel proud. Back in our hometown, most people used public transportation to get around and if anyone used a car, it wasn't something over the top. 

"I want that car for my birthday." Sean pointed at a G-wagon as it drove by and I laughed. 

"I'll see what I can do," I told him and he looked so excited over that. I let him continue to oogle over everything as I got a text message from Josh, letting me know he was heading back to the hotel with Miko after getting everything he needed. I gave him an okay and said we'd head back there in about an hour. I didn't need to buy a lot, but I was in need of some jumpers since the weather was getting colder and Target always has the best jumpers in my opinion. We finally reached the store and I was thankful it was nearly empty. That meant Sean could really unwind and just have a good time without worrying so much about what others would think or say about him. We walked around for a while, but it turned out to be a bust because they didn't have anything interesting to buy. A sad day for a Target shopaholic. Sean seemed a little disappointed that we didn't buy anything and I didn't like how silent he was on the walk back to the parking garage.

"Want to  grab some coffee?" I asked him, gesturing at a sign for a coffee shop ahead of us. Sean looked up and smiled before looking over at me. "You can get anything your heart desires," I told him and I felt success at making him smile again.

"Hell yeah!" He cheered and we laughed at each other as we headed inside. But before the door could even close, Sean froze and hurried back outside. I looked at him with worry but noticed as I looked back around, that the shop was packed. Stepping outside, I walked over to Sean who had taken a seat on the bench by the shop.

"Don't worry about it Sean, its okay," I reassured him and he took a few deep breaths to try and calm down. "I'll go order for us and surprise you, yeah?" He nodded his head, still looking down and trying to settle an oncoming panic attack. I felt bad leaving him out there alone, but I knew the one thing Sean hated the most was when someone gave him attention when he was trying to prevent an attack from happening. It only made it ten times harder for him to calm down. So, I made sure to hurry in making our orders and decided to get a ham and swiss croissant sandwich last minute, before leaving the shop and joining Sean again. "Here, I got you these," I told him as he looked up at me and he smiled when he saw the sandwich. I don't know what it is but Sean has an unhealthy obsession with croissant anything. So I knew when I saw this sandwich, it could perk him up. 

Our walk back was quiet and slow as we drank our coffees and shared bites of the sandwich. After Sean finished the last few bites, he sighed and looked up at the sky. "Sometimes I wish I had sought help earlier on when all this started." I chewed the inside of my mouth at this comment as I tried to think of a response. 

"Family life wasn't okay...and I apologize for that because I was partially to blame for that...or well...all to blame." 

"No, mom and dad are. You coming out shouldn't be used as an excuse for how mom and dad treated us, and especially you." I was taken aback at how enraged Sean sounded when he spoke and I never knew how much he resented my parents for how they reacted to me telling them I was gay. "I was terrified I would get treated the same way by them if I said I liked guys too...afraid I'd get treated that way by everyone. So I shut myself off and became scared of any social interaction because I didn't want to be judged. Even when I know someone probably hasn't even noticed my presence, I still think they are thinking about how ugly I look or how fat I am. It's really hard to shut that part of my brain off."

"You've gotten a lot better, though," I told him, and I meant every word. "Before, you wouldn't even leave the house. But look at you now. Walking around the streets without a care."

"I still care. Deep down inside of me, that voice is still there telling me that every whisper I hear is someone talking about me. I just wish I could be better already and stop letting this condition ruin my life." We were silent again as we got closer to the hotel and I wanted to find a way to lighten the mood. When Sean went to throw away his drink as I pulled out my phone to text Josh and tell him to come down now and surprise Sean. He answered immediately and said he was heading down and I put my phone away, looking up to see my brother walking back to me. I noticed behind him a car that looked extremely out of place amongst the Lamborghinis and Ferraris parked around it. Guess someone won a free night at the hotel. I was about to take my eyes off the vehicle when I noticed the window roll down a bit and the tip of a gun stick out. My eyes widened as everything seemed to go in slow motion. My coffee flew from my hands as I ran towards Sean and grabbed him just as the gun went off, and threw us to the ground. The car immediately sped off and everyone around us started screaming and running. I looked around to see if there were any more threats and saw Josh running outside of the hotel. 

"Alec?" I heard Sean's frail voice call out my name and I looked down and to see him clutching his stomach as blood soaked his shirt.