11

Alistair

I sighed as I surveyed the chaotic state of the living room. Julian lay sprawled face down on the couch, still dressed in his clothes from the previous night.

This seemed to be Julian's new routine.

I knew he was struggling after Liliana rejected his proposal a few weeks ago, but his behavior was deteriorating rapidly.

He had begun skipping work and delving deeper into drugs. It reminded me of the patterns I had seen before when he had struggled with addiction. I hoped this phase would be brief and that he would find his way back to a healthier path soon.

It was tough seeing my brother in such despair, but I couldn't deny the relief I felt when Liliana didn't accept his proposal. Yet, the guilt was equally overwhelming.

I slammed down my coffee mug, hoping to rouse Julian. He stirred with a groan.

"Morning," I said sarcastically as Julian slowly sat up, holding his head in his hands. "Rough night?"

"Ughh, too loud," Julian moaned. "What time is it?"

"Almost 10 am," I replied, handing him a glass of water. He drank half of it in one go and sighed.

"Thanks," he muttered, avoiding eye contact.

I settled into the armchair across from him, facing him directly. "So, care to tell me where you were last night?" I asked.

Julian squinted at me over his glass. "Are you my dad now? Lay off, man."

I sighed, trying to stay calm. "I'm just worried about you."

"I'm fine," Julian grumbled.

"Julian, you're spiraling," I insisted.

Julian shrugged, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the floor.

Trying a different approach, I said, "Pull yourself together, or you'll lose Liliana."

At the mention of Liliana, Julian's head shot up.

He jumped to his feet, swaying a little. "You don't know anything about us," he snapped.

I stood up too, feeling my anger rise. "You're not treating her right, Julian. She deserves better. She'll figure that out and leave you."

Julian scoffed bitterly. "Taking relationship advice from you?"

I clenched my fists at the mention of my failed marriage.

"Don't deflect," I growled. "I'm trying to help because I care."

Julian let out a bitter laugh. "Sure, big brother to the rescue. Did you kiss Liliana to make her feel better about me too?"

His accusation hit hard. If he only knew how much I had held back.

"Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at her," Julian sneered, his eyes narrowing.

"Are you serious?" I snapped back. Julian knew I had feelings for Liliana, but I'd never betray him like that. "But if you keep this up, I won't hold back next time I see Liliana."

Julian slammed his cup down, water spilling over the table.

"Don't say her name!" he exploded.

For a moment, I thought he might swing at me. But then his expression crumbled.

"Liliana deserves better than me," he admitted quietly, sinking back onto the couch. "I tried, Alistair. I really did want to be the man she needed."

Seeing Julian so broken tore at my heart. I sat down next to him with a heavy sigh.

"I know you tried," I said gently. "But you can’t drink your problems away. You have to work at a relationship. Make it a priority if you guys are having issues. If it’s not right, then make a clean break and move on. Trust me, I learned that the hard way."

I thought of my ex-wife and felt a twist of regret. We had dragged on our relationship longer than we should have. We both would’ve been happier ending things sooner.

Julian dropped his head in his hands again. "I just wish I could fix this," he said. "Make Liliana happy, be better..."

"Then be better. Get yourself clean. You’ve done it once, you can do it again.” I squeezed his shoulder. “You know I’m here for you. You don’t have to do it alone."

My heart ached for him. Under all the lashing out, Julian was still thevulnerable kidI grew up protecting.

With Julian being five years younger than me, the impact of losing our parents was bigger for him. It had messed up him. He feared rejection and had a boatload of insecurities. Liliana turning him down had brought a lot of that back for him.

That wasn’t her fault. Maybe I hadn’t been supportive enough.

Julian didn't respond or lift his head. I stood up with a sigh, realizing he probably needed space to process.

"I'm heading out," I told him. "Text me if you need anything, okay?"

Julian just gave a half-hearted grunt in response. I hoped I had gotten through to him at least a little, but only time would tell. As frustrated as I was with Julian lately, I knew it came from a place of deep hurt and insecurity.

But he had to be the one to decide to change. Brothers or not, he had to walk his own path.