His brother peered around Leo's shoulder. "Where's Kelsey? I thought she was supposed to be coming with you."
"No." He set his travel bag on the floor. No use rushing it to the guest bedroom where he'd be surrounded with reminders of his night with Kelsey. "We're not seeing each other anymore."
Ryan's eyes grew owlishly large. "What? When? Why?"
Leo heaved out a sigh. "I hadn't planned on jumping into this as soon as I walked through the door."
"Sorry. Want a drink?"
"In the worst way." He followed Ryan into the kitchen. Reminders of Kelsey mocked him there too.
His brother grabbed two beers from the fridge and set them on the table. "Sit. Drink."
Ryan let him drink half the bottle, then he drummed his fingers against the table. "So, what happened? I thought it was weird when we only saw her that one day in Buffalo last week but we were so worried about you, I didn't ask." Then Ryan's eyes widened. "I can't believe it's been only a week."
That deserved another swallow. "Eleven days."
"And you're fully recovered?"
"I promise." Leo set his bottle down. "I ended things with her because she got hurt. Hurt because of me. I can't take the chance that she'll be hurt again."
Ryan studied him for a long moment. "That's a lame reason."
Taken aback, and more than a little insulted and angry, he raked his hands through his hair. "What? How? She's so loyal and protective, and I know she'd jump to help anyone. With the trouble that's followed me in that city, I don't want to be responsible for something like that happening again. She means too much to me."
"You know that basing your reason on a what-if that might never happen is crazy, right?"
"Ry, it's happened twice already. I made those guys who jumped you angry, remember? I was the one who told them to fuck off when they started stuff at the parade. They should've come after me, but instead, they hurt you. It's the same thing with Kelsey. She's hurt because of me."
"No. She's hurt because she's a badass who got involved when some assholes went looking to deliberately cause harm. Just like those homophobic bastards who hurt me. Whether you'd said anything or not wouldn't have stopped them. Just look at all of the members of the LGBTQ community who've been attacked simply because of who they are."
Leo stared at his brother for a long moment while the words sank in. "I know you're right. But I can't help feeling guilty."
"You've been feeling guilty about me?"
"Ever since it happened."
"Well, stop." Ryan softened his words with a smile. "You were sticking up for me, and I love you for it. You're the most loyal, protective person I know. If I had to have anyone in my corner, I'd want you."
"Thanks."
Ryan gave him a wise nod over his beer. "You know I'm right about Kelsey too."
"I don't do scared. I've never scared except for three times in my life. The first was when Mom was diagnosed and I realized that she could be taken from us. The second time was when I found you in the park and I was afraid you were hurt so badly you'd never wake up. The third time was that night at the bar, when Kelsey jumped in to help me and there were too many attackers for me to protect her. I'm in love with her, Ry. The thought of her being hurt terrifies me."
"You need to talk to her."
Leo cradled his head in his hands as every word of their last conversations, and the way she could barely look at him during the awards interview replayed through his mind. In his attempt to keep her from being hurt, he'd ended up hurting her worse than anyone else might have because he didn't believe enough their strength together. Twin blades of regret and remorse sliced through his heart and tore up his gut. He'd ruined the best thing to ever come into his life. "I think I messed it up pretty bad. I don't know if it's fixable."
"I think everything is fixable if you try hard enough. You're a fighter. She makes you happy. Fight for her."
He raised his head. Ryan was right. He was a fighter. He would fight for her, for their love, with everything he had. "I will. I promise." He rounded the table and hugged Ryan hard. "I love you, bud. You're a smart kid."
"I know. I should start charging for this advice."
On Sunday night, Leo stood outside Kelsey's door. He rolled his shoulders, blew out a breath, and shook out his hands. He'd been pumped full of confidence by his dad and brothers before they'd seen him off at the airport. This had to work.
His heart beating in his throat, he knocked on the door. Faint barking made him smile. After a long pause where he'd considered knocking again, the door opened halfway, enough to glimpse Kelsey's face and a column of her body.
She didn't smile. "What are you doing here?"
Icing darted through Kelsey's legs and into the hallway. With excited barks, she jumped repeatedly on his jeans.
Kelsey stepped into the hallway. "Come here. Icing."
"She's fine." Leo bent to pet the soft fur, happy that at least one of the apartment's residents was happy to see him.
"She's not fine. She knows she's not supposed to run into the hall." Kelsey lifted her dog into her arms. "What can I do for you, Leo?"
Her eyes widened the barest bit when she met his gaze.
He cleared his throat. Then felt the weight of his travel bag—the same bag he'd had the first time they'd met, and the one he'd taken on that trip with her to Philly. He jerked his head at the bag. "I was supposed to be in Philly for a long weekend."
"Rod mentioned that."
"But I found something when I was there so I had to come back."
A tiny crease formed on her forehead. "What did you find?"
"That I don't
