More to You ✔

Chapter 58 - No Rest (Mitch)

Mitch's heart had zero rest this morning. First with his haunting dreams, then Maria seeing everything he'd wanted to hide and supporting him so freely that he longed to tell her he loved her, but he made a promise to himself that he wouldn't pursue a relationship with her until he was fully healing, or near-fully depending on how therapy went. Now Tom, who could be abrasive, but his relaxed brow, slumped shoulders, and down-turned lips didn't hint at that.

"Hey, everything alright?" Mitch asked.

Tom was busy fidgeting with his hands in his pockets. "Last night I... at supper..." He cleared his throat and made the briefest eye contact with Mitch. "I'd been drinking and was upset about losing Maria... If I'd known about your sister, I wouldn't have been such a dick."

Maria must have said something yesterday when she spoke with Tom. That couldn't have been easy for him to hear from her.

"Thanks," Mitch said dryly. A rumble in his chest reminded him he wasn't the only one owed an apology. "I'm sorry that my actions ruined your relationship."

"It was a group effort." Tom sighed.

It seemed like Tom needed to vent, and even though Mitch was drained, he had offered to support Tom a couple of nights ago. "You want to sit?" Mitch gestured to the chairs on the patio. When Tom obliged, Mitch grabbed his keycard off the hotel room counter and joined him on the patio chairs.

"Were you and your sister close?"

The cool morning air made Mitch's skin prickle as he settled into the chair. Talking about Em with Shawn and Maria was hard enough despite their unwavering sympathy. "The apology was sufficient."

Tom scratched his head. "I have two sisters, and I can't imagine what you went through."

"Hopefully, you never have to."

Tom nodded and stared at the garden beyond the porch.

"You feeling any better about the break-up or Prae?" Mitch asked, even though guilt gnawed at his gut after Prae's speech yesterday. However, he needed a change in the subject.

"No, love seems pretty hopeless."

Mitch nodded. So did his life last night, but that heaviness was cracking. "That fades with time. Maybe you visit Thailand again when it does."

"Perhaps," Tom said with little conviction.

"Sunny and Dan have a great relationship that started abroad."

Tom stared at his hands. "They're the exception, not the rule."

"It doesn't mean they have to be the only one." Mitch hoped he and Maria would follow suit, especially since he knew that was what she wanted. He glanced at the window even though the blinds were drawn.

"It's not that simple."

"Then let her down easy. She's fallen pretty hard for you."

Tom tapped his fingertips on the table and exhaled. "Do you ever think you could have altered the course of your life if you'd acted differently?"

Mitch laughed. "Almost daily. What's your moment?"

"New Year's Eve was when Maria and I had our first kiss. Not long before that, I'd run into Prae and reassured her after the guy she liked was a complete jerk. It was so easy to compliment her because she's amazing, and her reactions were what I had hoped Maria's would be. If I'd spent more time with Prae instead of rushing back to Maria, maybe I'd be happy as opposed to miserable right now."

"It's not too late to find out."

Tom didn't refute it, just gazed out at the fountains in the courtyard.