The plane is silent. Pete and Tom stare at each other but say nothing.

We taxi, take off, and get all the way to cruising altitude before either of the Steele brothers breaks the silence.

"I'm going to sleep. Do whatever you want to do, just keep it on that side of the plane." Pete brandishes a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

"Three questions," Tom says.

"Fine."

"You kill anyone?"

"No." Pete untangles his headphones.

"Assault?"

"He threw the first punch. He won't press charges and nobody took a picture. Shit won't end up online. You can back off."

"I don't care about the gossip."

Pete shakes his head like he finds this implausible.

Tom looks his brother in the eyes. "Who was it?"

"Kyle."

Tom's brow screws in confusion. "Thought you guys were still tight."

"Things change."

Tom's voice softens. "What happened?"

"She's been fucking him."

"What?"

"For six months, give or take." Pete's expression goes cold. "He met to beg me for forgiveness."

Clarity fills Tom's eyes. "That's bullshit."

"Why is that bullshit?" I immediately regret the words. I shouldn't get involved. This is personal and I'm not part of the family.

Pete looks at me. "Anyone ever do you wrong?"

That's an understatement. I nod. "Yeah."

"Man or woman?" Pete asks.

"Man," I say.

"Did he ask you to forgive him?" Pete asks.

I nod.

"How did you feel? Like he was really sorry and hoped his apology would help you move on? Or like he was full of shit and wanted you to absolve his guilt?"

I've never thought about it that way, but no one has every apologized to me like they really wanted me to move on. It's always an attempt to absolve their guilt. "The latter."

"Did you forgive him?"

"No, but I told him I did."

"You shouldn't have. You should have let the guilt eat away at him until he couldn't fucking breathe." Pete directs his gaze to the window. "You earn forgiveness. You don't get engaged."

Concern creeps into Tom's expression. "You're fucking with me."

Pete's voice is flat and lifeless. "Nope."

"What could she possibly see in Kyle?" Tom asks. "You're richer, hotter, funnier, smarter—"

"They're in love." Pete's voice fills with disdain. "They couldn't help it."

"She cheated on you?" I ask.

He nods.

"I'm sorry," I say.

Pete expression is blank. "Should have ended it a while ago."

"She doesn't deserve you," Tom says.

But that's not what Pete needs.

I shift into the seat next to Tom and whisper into his ear. "Reminding him of that is only going to make it hurt worse."

Tom swallows hard. He brings his mouth to my ear. "Gotta do something."

"You should leave him alone," I say.

"You guys know I can see you, right?" Pete shakes his head. "If you're gonna whisper, whisper about the things you want to do to each other. I'm fine. Tom, you should worry about yourself for once."

"I don't worry," Tom says.

Pete rolls his eyes. "Hope you're taking this seriously. Cause Denton will fucking kill you if you're just playing around."

"I know."

"One hundred percent chance he leaves the band if you fuck this up," Pete says.

"I'm not a possession or a child. Why don't I get a say in this?" I fold my arms over my chest. I hate that I'm pouting, but I've had enough of being protected.

"You want a say, talk to your brother. How would you like him fucking your best friend and keeping it a secret from you?" Pete asks.

A fair counter-argument.

"Pete." Tom's voice wavers.

"It's fine."

"You were with her six years. How can it be fine?"

"I don't need your help, Sticks." Pete pulls his hoodie over his head and turns to face away from us.

It's about as final as it gets.

Tom gets out of his seat and goes back to pacing. He can't stand doing nothing. That much is obvious.

The feeling spreads to me. It sucks having your heart broken. It's worse when you can't admit it, to yourself or to someone else. I look around the small plane for something I can do to help. I find a set of pillows and blankets. It's not much but it's something.

I sit next to Pete and offer him one of each.

He nods a thank you. "Do me a favor and keep Tom busy. Even if it means fucking him. I've got a massive headache and his voice is driving me bonkers."

"Sure."

"He likes you a lot," Pete says.

"How can you tell?" I ask.

"He didn't offer to kill Kyle."

I laugh. "You have a good sense of humor about things."

"Didn't have much of a choice growing up." He turns his back to me. "I'd offer to talk to Drew but we've never really seen eye to eye about anything."

"That's okay. Just keep this a secret until I figure out how to tell him," I say.

"As much as I like to fuck with Tom, I'd never betray his trust." Pete nods.

Tom is on the other side of the plane. On a love seat. I go to him, slide my hands around his shoulders and press my lips into his neck.

"He'll be okay," I say.

Tom nods. "Wish he wasn't taking after me, getting into fights. My mom is gonna kill me."

"I want to hear more about her."

"I'm not sure I want to talk right now."

"Then hold me for five minutes. Please."

A small groan escapes his lips.

Ah, it's the magic word. I whisper in his ears. "Please."

"You keep saying that and I'm gonna get hard."

"That isn't a problem for me."

"You know Pete likes to watch. Or at least to listen."

I shrug. "So let him listen."

"Damn. You really are naughty." He brings his body behind mine. "Never held anybody this much."

"Is it bad?"

"No." His voice is a whisper. "Different."

My eyes flutter closed. It's late. It would be easy to fall asleep in Tom's arms. It would be just as easy to give in to the lust building between my legs, kick off my panties, and pull him on top of me. But I can still feel the uneasiness in his body. He needs somebody. He might not realize it, but he does.

I won't let myself believe he needs me. Not yet. Not even if I already need him.

"Are you going to see your Mom while we're in Los Angeles?" I ask.

"Yeah. Day after tomorrow. She lives in Tustin. It's about an hour drive from our place in Hollywood. I wanted to go straight there but she's really insistent about us not giving up anything for her. Even Kara's graduation party. All due respect to Kara—she's a sweet girl—but Ophelia's a lot more important to me." His voice wavers. "Of course, in her infinite stubbornness she told me she'll be out all day, with her ex. The one who hates me. Supposedly, she'd prefer me not being there anyway."

"Do you believe her?"

"Yeah. She'll do anything to get her way. But it's not out of malice. She always knows what we need."

"Sounds like you."

"I learned a lot from her." He nods. "Should have seen us fighting over me dropping out of school. Wasn't like I planned it. Just didn't take her getting sick too well. She was the first person who thought I was something other than a piece of shit."

There's something about his voice, a vulnerability. I squeeze his hand, offering whatever comfort I can.

He's quiet for a minute. When he breaks the silence, his voice wavers. Like he's not sure if he should share his secret. "My dad was never in the picture. My biological mom was a drug addict who let her boyfriend beat me when he came down from his high. A teacher picked up on it when I was eleven, then the state stepped in. Must have been in four or five foster homes before Ophelia. All the families were the same. Thought I was some no good punk. I was. Got into fights with the other kids, hit people, got suspended. Only thing I didn't do was drugs."

I turn to face him. There's an ocean of pain in his eyes. It sinks into my skin, as real as my own. I never want him to hurt again. That's impossible, I know, but I need to be there the next time he hurts, to ease his pain however I can.

I wrap my arms around Tom. It must do something to comfort him because his posture relaxes. He leans into my touch.

"Ophelia was the first person who saw past that. The only person. I didn't know how I could ever live in a world that didn't include her. I went on some stupid drinking and fighting tear to convince myself I'd be fine without her."

"What happened?"

"Didn't work. I held it together at home but I was a wreck the rest of the time. Would say I was going to school but I'd go to this practice space instead and I'd play until I was too tired to feel anything." He rubs his cheek against mine. "When she found out, she refused to let me take her to the hospital for her treatments until I got back in school. Refused to update me on how she was doing. Threatened to write specific instructions into her will to ban me from the funeral. She's always had a dark sense of humor."

"She didn't want to be a burden to you."

He nods. "Only time in my life I ever compromised was getting my GED to please her." He pulls me closer. "If the cancer's back, that's it. They don't have a way to treat it."

"That must be terrifying."

"Yeah."

"Can I come with you?" I ask. "When you see her?"

"I appreciate the thought, kid, but it's not a good idea."

"Why not?" I bite my lip. "I care about you. I want to be there for you."

Tom shakes his head. He pushes off the couch and plops in a seat by himself. "I'm gonna try and get some sleep."

He pulls a blanket to his chest and reclines his seat.

And that's it.

End of conversation.