June First

by Jennifer Hartmann

the way you have, so it never felt right. I wanted to wait for someone special.” “But why would you give it up to me when you know we can never be together? That’s not special, June. That’s heartbreaking.” Now I’m the wounded one. A breath catches, and I swallow it down. “I know it’s complicated, but—” “Complicated?” Brant exhales a deep breath, linking his hands behind his head. He spins away from me, then pivots back. “This is more than complicated. This is impossible.” “Nothing is impossible when two people love each other.” “You’re not supposed to love me like that,” he says, breathing hard, jaw clenching. “It’s different for me. I entered your life already knowing you weren’t my blood. I conditioned myself to believe you weren’t my sister for dark, painful reasons—for survival—but you…” Brant’s eyes glaze over with his own grief. “You were born believing I was your biological family. You had no reason to feel otherwise.” “You don’t know how I’ve felt. You couldn’t possibly.” “You’ve spent your entire goddamn life calling me your brother,” he argues, tone escalating. “Because I had to.” “No. Because it’s true.” I shake my head. “Stop trying to pick apart my feelings like they’re yours to dissect,” I say through the lump in my throat. “Stop trying to twist this into something acceptable when you know damn well that I’m your broth—” “You’ve never felt like my brother!”