More to You ✔

Chapter 53 - Fix You (Mitch)

Prae wouldn't look at Mitch after she returned from her talk with Tom. Her furrowed brow matched her expression last night, but she made a beeline for Emma instead of Mitch. The girls swam towards the rocks near the falls, leaving Mitch and Shawn alone.

Mitch knew the anger was coming once everything hit the fan, but it didn't make the impact less biting. He'd failed not one but two women in one shot, adding to the extensive list of his asshole antics. He should have stuck to sleeping around with people who moved through life without attachments. That was comfortably numb at worst. This was eating away at his insides like hungry termites.

Maria sat alone in the same spot she'd crumpled down on the log earlier. When he'd pictured her split from Tom, he'd never imagined it would destroy her. It took every ounce of self-control not to shower her with compliments and affection until that pain vanished, but he had to respect she'd asked for space, not only from him but from everyone, it seemed. Perhaps she didn't despise him for the conversation he'd had with Tom. Or perhaps she did.

Shawn treaded water beside Mitch and flicked some droplets at his face. "I thought you'd be happier."

Mitch's gaze wandered to Maria's unchanged frown. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't feast on the tears of the innocent."

Shawn grinned. "Damn. I have an entire chapter of your unauthorized biography to rewrite."

Mitch chuckled despite the sinking feeling in his stomach. His body kept him afloat for now. "My attempts to help seem destined to implode."

With a sigh, Shawn asked, "What did you try?"

"To help Prae, and Maria, and Tom."

Shawn raised an eyebrow. "By having Prae stay over?"

"I told you, that wasn't what it looked like. She was upset and needed a place to sleep it off." It wasn't the whole truth. If he hadn't been in tears, he doubted she would have stayed. Like with Maria, he'd lured Prae in with his fragmented conscience that had taken another hit this morning. He wasn't sure how many more he could endure, but he had to stop letting it bleed onto others.

"How was your night?" Mitch asked.

"Emma's always good company, and she was asking about you and Maria. More than usual."

Mitch couldn't help but look at the despondent Filipina again. Why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut?

"You don't think that's strange timing, the evening before their break-up?"

Mitch's shoulder tingled, and he blinked away a few water droplets dripping from his hair. Their break-up could have stemmed from many factors. "What did you say?"

"Neither confirmed nor denied. She was persistent though." Shawn smiled up at Emma as she reached the top of the waterfall rock with Prae.

"Thanks."

Shawn was a much better friend than Mitch. Mitch should have guarded Prae's secret and found another way to protect her.

"I'm going to join Emma for a jump off the falls. You wanna come?"

Prae's expression still had softened little despite her chat with Emma. "Nah, she's mad at me."

"Emma?"

"Prae." Although Emma hadn't been too friendly toward him either.

"What happened?"

"I betrayed her trust and told Tom something I shouldn't have."

Shawn didn't respond, but his glance at Maria said enough.

"Not for that reason, even though it had that effect. Prae's pain reminded me of Em. All the times I should have done more, but didn't." He'd failed her as an older brother in innumerable ways.

"Emily had her reasons for making her choices, and she was too stubborn to take your advice," Shawn's voice cracked as he spoke. "Don't dwell on the decisions you can't change. You'll get stuck there."

Mitch scoffed. "Easy for you to say. I've been there for all of your bad decisions and fights and they're mild."

Shawn pressed his lips together and didn't say more. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"I'm good." Mitch swam instead to a quiet corner of the pool, giving Prae the space she deserved. He didn't know why Tom didn't act on Prae's feelings since he and Maria weren't working out. It would have improved both of their moods.

Because he's not an opportunist leech like you.

When Tom returned a while later, he tentatively approached Maria, and they talked. He crossed his arms, and she stayed curled into her knees for a while, gradually opening up like a hesitant flower. As Tom took her hand, she smiled weakly, and Mitch turned away. Was that why Prae was so upset? Was Tom winning Maria back? Mitch sought Prae's reaction, but the moment their eyes met, she jumped from the waterfall and plummeted into the water. She swam past him to Tom, whose connection with Maria seemed to have been fleeting as they sat as stiffly as before.

Maybe Maria wasn't icing out everyone, just Mitch. He damn well deserved it.

***

It wasn't until mid-afternoon, when they descended toward the parking lot, that he worked up the courage to pull Prae aside to apologize.

"Prae, can we talk?"

She stared ahead, not even a glance in his direction, her dress swishing at her ankles. "I have nothing to say to you."

"I can see you're upset with me."

Prae narrowed her eyes at the trail where gnarled roots undulated on the leaf-covered ground like snakes.

"I'm really sorry I betrayed your trust."

Again, she would not respond, only focus on her feet.

"You were so devastated. I thought I was helping."

"You only confirmed I am only ever an afterthought to that man." Her tone wavered in a way that told him without seeing her face she was fighting tears.

"That's not true, Prae."

Her hands gripped the straps of her leather backpack. "He found out how I felt, and he tried to mend his relationship with Maria."

"Tom's not—"

Her sandals crunched on dry leaves as her red-rimmed eyes stared him down. "Stop! The only feeling worse than last night is this one. I should have never believed any of your self-serving lies."

His stomach churned. They hadn't been lies, but he had relied on Prae to deal with Maria's relationship. He'd risked revealing her feelings but never considered showing his. Had he known deep down encouraging Prae would get the result he wanted? "Tell me how I can fix it."

"It is finished. If you want to fix something, fix yourself and leave me in peace. You have done enough."

Her words left him more winded than the climb to the seventh-tier waterfall earlier. He should have remembered his sister never appreciated his help either, especially the more distance that grew between them. In the end, he had become a much bigger fuck up than she had, and nothing had changed since then.