Chapter 270: Bros Before Heartbreak (Ugly Red Shirt Edition) [Dominic’s POV]

The laughter inside the house didn’t sit right with me. Because there was an empty chair at the table.

Ian’s chair.

I pushed back from the counter, ignoring Jasper’s rant, and grabbed my jacket.

"I’ll check on him," I muttered.

Mrs Everhart looked up immediately. "Thank you, Dominic."

I nodded and slipped outside.

The porch light was on, casting a dull yellow glow over the steps.

Ian was sitting on the steps, with his elbows on his knees, staring at nothing.

He didn’t look up when I sat beside him.

The step creaked.

He exhaled sharply. "If you’re here to tell me to calm down...."

"I’m not," I said quickly. "I’m here to sit."

That shut him up.

For a while, we just stared out at the dark street, listening to the crickets.

"You gonna punch Jasper later," I asked quietly, "or should I book the appointment now?"

Ian let out a breath.

"He doesn’t know when to shut up."

"Never has."

"You okay?" I asked softly.

He didn’t answer immediately.

"No," he said finally, and looked away again.

"You shouldn’t have walked out on Mrs Everhart," I said gently. "She didn’t deserve that."

His shoulders tensed.

"I know," he muttered. "I just...I needed air."

"They want the best for us," I continued. "All of us. Even when we’re being idiots."

"It’s just..." he exhaled hard. "Then why does it feel like I’m always the one getting screwed?"

He ran a hand over his face. "I trusted him, Dom."

"I know," I replied.

"He knew how I felt about June." He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "And he still did that. In front of everyone."

"That doesn’t erase what you meant to him," I said.

"It felt like it did."

He dragged a hand down his face, then leaned back against the railing.

"Did you talk to him?" I asked.

He shook his head. "What’s there to say?"

"There’s always something to say."

He scoffed. "Easy for you to say."

I looked at him. "Is it?"

That made him glance at me properly.

"You ghosted everyone," he said bluntly.

"Yeah."

"You shut us out."

"Well.... I don’t have an excuse."

"And now you’re out here giving advice?"

I nodded slowly. "Because I know what shutting people out does."

"It doesn’t protect you," I continued. "It just makes everything worse.."

Ian’s jaw tightened again.

"You know what hurts the most?" he said quietly. "Growing up, we all had our people."

I stayed silent, letting him go on.

"You had Liam," he continued. "Always Liam. You two were inseparable."

My chest tightened at the name, but I didn’t interrupt.

"The twins had each other. Casper and Jasper." He huffed. "They always had backup."

"And us?" he looked at me. "It was me and Ren."

I swallowed.

"We had pacts," Ian said. "Stupid ones. Like... no girl comes between us. Ever. Bros before heartbreak."

I huffed. "You literally wore that shirt."

He snorted despite himself. "That ugly red one. God, don’t remind me."

"For three days straight," I added. "After you two fought in ninth grade."

"And he forgave me," Ian said quietly. "Just like that."

"Exactly," I said. "So don’t act like this is unfixable."

His smile faded.

"That’s why this hurts," he said. "Because it wasn’t supposed to be him."

The anger drained from his posture.

"I don’t even know what I’m more mad about," he admitted. "The kiss... or the fact that I still care."

"That’s always the worst part," I said quietly.

He nodded, staring at the floor.

"I was holding flowers," he muttered. "A bouquet I picked with my sister. I even bonded with Yuri over flowers."

I winced. "Okay, yeah. That part’s brutal."

He stood abruptly, pacing once, then stopped. "I looked like a fool."

"You didn’t," I said firmly. "You looked like someone who loved honestly."

He scoffed. "That’s not comforting."

"I know," I admitted. "But it’s true."

"You sound way too mature for the youngest in the group," he said quietly. "Since when did that happen?"

I shrugged. "Since life stopped being fair."

We were silent for a while.

"You think he meant to hurt me?" Ian asked.

I thought of Ren’s face earlier. The guilt in his eyes. The way he’d explained everything to me this morning. His voice was literally shaking.

"No," I said honestly. "I think he panicked, and made a mess."

Ian exhaled slowly.

"What if I forgive him and he does it again?"

"Then you deal with it again," I said. "But don’t make decisions based on what hasn’t happened yet." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

He was quiet.

"You don’t have to forgive him tonight," I added. "You just... don’t have to burn the whole thing down either."

Ian breathed out slowly.

"Come back inside?" I asked eventually.

He hesitated.

"Jasper’s probably eating your portion," I added.

Ian rolled his eyes. "That idiot."

"He said it’s more food for us."

"Of course he did."

I stood up and held out my hand.

Ian rubbed the back of his neck. "I should have a talk with Ren first."

I raised a brow. "You sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Tonight. Before I overthink it."

"Alright," I said, standing. "I’ll get him."

He hesitated, then added quietly, "Thanks... for not making it a joke."

I smirked. "That’s Jasper’s job."

That earned a real laugh.

—

Inside, the noise hit me again.

Jasper was arguing with Casper over who ate the last garlic bread. Mrs Everhart was pretending not to hear them.

Ren sat stiff at the table, barely touching his plate.

I caught his eye and jerked my head toward the door.

He shook his head immediately.

I walked over and leaned down, lowering my voice. "Come on."

Ren shook his head. "Is he.... is he still mad?"

"Yeah," I said honestly. Then I placed a hand on his shoulder. "But he’s ready to listen."

"I already cooled him down," I added. "The rest is on you."

He hesitated, then stood slowly.

I gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "Go."

Ren nodded, and walked out.

I stayed back, watching the door close behind him.

The chaos inside the house didn’t feel so heavy anymore.

Because sometimes... fixing things starts with just not walking away.