“I know.” She sits up, mirroring my position. “I know he’s been a dick to you, and I think maybe it’s because he feels something for you and he doesn’t know how to handle it.”
“I—”
“Don’t try to deny it, Viv. I’ve seen the way you look at one another. It’s the way Jamie and I used to look at one another before he started pretending I don’t exist. I’m not excusing my brother’s behavior, and I’ll be having words with him, but I think he’s floundering a little again, like when he was seventeen. I’m worried about him.”
“What happened when he was seventeen?” I blurt, intrigued more than I should be.
“He really went off the rails and it was a bad time for our family.” Tears fill her eyes. “All that shit happened with me around the same time.”
“You think whatever was going on with him was connected to you?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe. Cillian was his friend, and he shit all over me. I think Dillon felt responsible, which is ridiculous because the only person at fault was Cillian. I can’t even blame that bitch because she was single.”
“I’d still blame her. She knew he was with you, and she targeted him. She’s not blameless.” Like Saffron Roberts isn’t blameless. She knew Reeve was in a committed relationship with me, and she still went after him.
“It doesn’t matter anymore except for what it did to Dillon. It’s like he woke up one morning the spawn of Damien fromThe Omen. He started acting out in a serious way, and he didn’t care to hide it. He almost got expelled from school. He was constantly drunk or stoned. He lashed out at everyone. It culminated in him drastically changing his appearance.” A grin breaks through her concerned veneer. “When he came home with the piercings, I thought my parents were going to die on the spot. But then he got all the tattoos.” She chuckles. “Mum hates them, but she eventually got over it. She just wants to see him happy. I do too, but he’s not. The only time he lets go of his demons is when he’s on stage. That’s the only time I truly see him happy.”
“You probably hate me for making him leave last night.”
“No. Not at all.” She shakes her head. “He deserved it, but I’m going to talk to him because I can’t have two of my favorite people not getting along. I can’t cut him out of my life, Viv.” Her eyes turn pleading. “He’s always been there for me, and I need to be here for him now.”
“I would never ask you to cut your brother from your life. It’s fine. I can make myself scarce if you want to have him over.”
“I’m not asking you to do that. This is your home, and I’m just a blow-in. I will fix things. I promise. I’ll make him toe the line.”
Good luck with that plan. Dillon clearly marches to his own tune, and I doubt anything Ash says will change his mind.