Insisting on sleeping on Bennett's couch had seemed like a good idea the night before, seeing as how I was a guest and all, but by six in the morning, I'd decided it was probably the worst idea. I felt like I hadn't slept at all. The cushions weren't comfortable and my body was too long so I had to curl up to keep my feet from dangling off the edge of the arm supports. I briefly considered getting up just so I didn't have to try getting comfortable again.

Just as I was shifting, a light from the hallway above me turned on. I turned my head up to the balcony and saw Bennett stumbling toward the stairs, his head bowed. He was dressed in a navy blue suit and his hair was wet, as if he'd just gotten out of the shower. As he came up to the couch, he seemed to have noticed me and I froze with my eyes half-closed, hoping he wouldn't notice I was awake. After a minute he started moving again, this time more slowly as if he was trying not to wake me up.

It was ruined, however, when his phone started ringing. He quickly searched his pockets and pulled out his phone, trying to cover it with his hand. "It's 6:00AM," he answered the caller in frantic whisper.

I stretched out and yawned loudly, letting him know I was awake. I wanted to know if he was leaving. Why else would he be up and dressed already? Was I supposed to leave as well? I pushed myself into a sitting position, keeping the blanket wrapped around me.

"I'll be there shortly, I've got to go," Bennett said sleepily into the phone and then pulled it away from his ear. After a second he finally turned to face me, rubbing a hand across his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I was kind of up anyway," I told him. It seemed like he was more sorry to be awake than I was. I could tell he wasn't a morning person.

There was a moment of silence and he shifted his weight. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked.

Did he think I was done sleeping? It was six in the morning and I'd called out of work. If I didn't have to leave the house, I was going back to bed. "Are you leaving?" I asked instead.

He frowned a little. "There is a problem with one of our projected resorts, so I have to go in."

"Are you going to drop me off at my place?"

"No. You can stay," he told me, noticing his tie was crooked and adjusting it. "I don't mind. I hope to be back sooner rather than later."

I chewed on my bottom lip little. Was it really okay for me to stay at his place alone? It was weird enough with him here, how would it feel without him around? "Are you sure?"

"You won't steal anything, will you?"

"No!"

"Then I trust you to stay here," he stated, yawning again. "You can take another bath, if you'd like."

I had to admit, that Jacuzzi was a deal maker. Plus, even if I went back to my apartment, my bed wasn't in good shape. "Okay."

His phone went off, signaling a text message and he scowled a bit. "Ugh," he muttered and went into the kitchen.

I followed him with my gaze, pulling the comforter up to my chin. Maybe when he was gone I could use his bed instead of the couch... I shook my head, throwing myself back down into a lying position. That would be way weird. I could deal with the couch. At least until I found another place to stay.

"Feel free to use anything while I'm gone," Bennett said as he passed by me again, this time with a water bottle in hand. "I'll lock it, so don't let anyone in."

I nodded, feeling shy.

He stared at me for a moment and then cleared his throat. "Well. Bye, then."

"Bye," I mumbled and he nodded and headed back toward the stairs. I settled back down and closed my eyes. Bennett was so different than how he was when I'd met him. I really did wonder if it was because of the night I snapped at him. I shoved a pillow over my head and groaned. No matter how I thought about it, it was mortifying. How could I get drunk in front of strangers like that? Especially on wine?

Eventually, I fell back asleep and when I woke up it was around 10:00 AM. The house was silent and the sun was shining through the glass wall, lighting up the room. Beyond the wall I could see the lake, sparkling under the morning sun. It was beautiful and I understood why Bennett had designed it like that.

After forcing myself off of the couch, I chose to head straight for the Jacuzzi tub. I wasn't sure when Bennett would be back and I didn't want him walking in on me again. Thinking about it made my cheeks warm and this time I made sure to lock the door. Fortunately, the bubbles had pretty much covered my body, but who knew what he'd seen? It wasn't like I was ashamed of my body. It was more like I didn't like being caught off guard while naked.

I slipped into the bath and immediately turned on the jets, letting them massage my sore back. Thinking about sleeping on that couch again made me cringe. My torn up bed back at my apartment probably would've been more comfortable. I had to start looking for a place right away. A two bedroom would cost a lot more than my last apartment had, but I did have to think about my brother coming back. It was still a few months away, but I wanted everything to be ready for him.

My phone suddenly started ringing and I considered ignoring it. It might be the police though, I thought to myself. Sighing, I shut the jets off and slid to the edge of the tub, drying my hands off with a towel before reaching for my phone on the counter. When I caught sight of the caller I.D I slipped, just barely managing to keep my hand with the phone out of the water.

"H-hello," I greeted, leaning back against the edge of the tub for balance.

"Henley!"

"Brandon!" I cried, my eyes widening. "How are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything? What's going on?"

A chuckle came in response to my questions. "What are you? An interrogator?"

I scowled a bit. "No."

"I'm okay, don't worry. I actually have some good news."

I sat up a little straighter in the tub. "What's that?"

"I might be getting out earlier than expected," he said, trying to play it off as cool, but failing pretty badly. His voice was higher than normal. "Good behavior and I guess my lawyer has been hounding them to spring me early. He might not be good for much, but at least he's trying to do something finally."

"Seriously? That's awesome!"

"I know. The sooner I get out, the sooner I can out for sure what really happened that night. I definitely didn't crash that car, Henley."

"Brandon..."

"I'm almost positive! Even drunk I wouldn't be that dumb," he argued. "I wouldn't do anything to leave you alone. You know that."

I sighed lightly. "I know. We'll talk when you get out. Trust me, I don't want anyone thinking I have an ex-convict for a brother."

"Is that all you care about?"

I grinned a bit. "Mm, maybe."

"You still living in that one bedroom in Poughkeepsie?" he asked. " Are those homeless people still hanging around?"

I paused. I really didn't want him to worry about the fact that I'd been robbed and I also didn't want him to know I was currently staying with a guy who just so happened to be the heir to Calloway Hotels. He was still my big—maybe a bit too overprotective—brother. I couldn't imagine what he would do to Bennett if he knew. "I'm actually starting to look at two bedrooms," I finally said.

"Good idea. I just hope I can find a job when I get out."

"We'll be okay for a while, I have money," I assured him. Especially with the money Bennett would be giving me over the next few months.

"Don't overwork yourself," he chided me. "You're doing great, Henley. I'm sorry for being a shitty big bro."

"Gross, don't get sappy."

"I hate you."

I stretched out my legs, pressing my toes to the other side of the tub. "I know."

"As much as I love listening to your sarcastic responses, I've got to go. I have another call to make."

"You do?" I said doubtfully. "Who?"

"First off, don't act like I don't have friends. And second, I've finally gotten in contact with a different lawyer who's willing to check out my case again. There has to be something we're missing." Brandon's voice got lower and he let out a frustrated noise. "There's something weird. I know it. Why would I steal a car? I have my own. It doesn't make sense."

I frowned, hating to think about the memory. "But you were drunk—"

"I know, but still. You have some hope in me, right?"

"Of course I do," I responded, feeling a little guilty. He was my family, how could I doubt him? "I just don't know how you'll prove it. Let me know if you find anything new out if you get this new lawyer. I have some money if he or she wants any upfront."

"Okay. Love you, sis."

"Love you too, good luck," I responded, pulling my phone away and ending the call. After placing it back on the safety of the counter, I slipped deeper into the water and put the jets back on and closed my eyes.

I wasn't sure how possible it would be to clear Brandon's name. He seemed dead set on it, but a long time had passed already since the accident had happened. Would a new lawyer really help this situation? His current one bore a competent name, but still had landed him in jail and turned out to be a waste of money. But honestly, there really wasn't much evidence to support it wasn't Brandon who had stolen the car and crashed it. Any lawyer would have a tough time trying to prove his innocence. Just saying I believed in him because he was my brother wouldn't do anything in a court case.

"Dad would know what to do," I mumbled, pulling my legs against my chest. He always had the answer to everything. No matter how much trouble Brandon or I got into, he would always bail us out and only scold us a little. Now, without him, life was more difficult.

Being an adult was way harder than it had seemed when I was younger. I was barely even an adult. If it was this demanding at twenty-one, I could only imagine what was in store for the rest of my life. Helping my brother, graduating college, finding a "real" job. Being an adult. I could feel the nightmares coming.

"One step at a time, Henley," I advised myself. And step one was finding a new apartment.

When my skin was all pruned and gross, I hoisted myself out of the bathtub and stepped into the stall shower next to it to quickly wash my hair and rinse myself. I thought about getting back into my dirty clothes but then remembered Bennett's room was right next door and if he let me borrow pajamas, would it matter if I borrowed a shirt, too?

Wrapped in only a towel, I tiptoed out of the bathroom, being cautious even though I knew no one was home. I made a move to open Bennett's bedroom door when I remembered the spare room that he'd warned me not to go into. My feet started moving to the other door before my mind could process it.

He said not to go in there! I chided myself. But he also wasn't here. Would one look really hurt anything? Even though he said it was his brother's room, for all I knew it could be a torture chamber. Wouldn't it be safer to make sure it wasn't?

Deciding that was a reasonable thought, I turned the knob and pushed it open a little. The scent of mothballs engulfed me once again and I wrinkled my nose. I took a step into the room, my hand searching the wall for the light switch. Eventually, I hit it and light filled the stale room.

It was clearly a bedroom and not some medieval torture chamber. It was a little smaller than Bennett's room, but not by much. In a word, the room looked lonely. There was a complete lack of personal items. There was only a bed with sheets that looked like they hadn't been cleaned in ages. A bookcase that was half full. A desk with a computer that was coated in dust and a chair with broken wheel. Dust filled the air, making my throat dry.

I swallowed, glued to the spot. I couldn't look away. The room looked so desolate. Just what had happened to Bennett's brother? Was he dead? Was that why Bennett didn't want anyone coming to his house? So they wouldn't see this room? Is this what he meant by it was all he had left? The lingering sense of sadness in the room was enough to explain everything to me. To lose someone you care about... I knew it all too well.

"Hey!"

The sudden sound of a voice behind me made me gasp and I screamed as a hand grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to turn around. The feeling of being caught sent a hard jolt of self-reproach into my gut. Why had I given in so easily to myself and snuck in?

When I finally registered the person before me, my eyes widened in surprise. "S-Sebastian!" I cried at the same time he said, "Henley!"

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, once again speaking simultaneously as he said, "Why are you here?"

We both stared at each other suspiciously. "You first," we chorused.

I moved to close the door to the spare bedroom and felt my towel slip off my body. I seized it mid-fall, feeling my cheeks flame. In two days, two guys had seen me basically naked. What had my life come to?

"Sorry," Sebastian apologized, adverting his gaze.

"Hold on, let me get dressed," I squeaked, making sure my towel was around me securely and hobbling off to Bennett's room. I went over to his dresser and basically tore it apart looking for something to wear. Fortunately for me, the closet was loaded, so I grabbed a random shirt and threw on my jeans.

By the time I was dressed, Sebastian had moved down to the living room. I slowly went down the stairs, my cheeks still warm. I cleared my throat as I approached him. "Sorry about that."

"I'm sorry too. We startled each other pretty good," he responded, his gaze anywhere but my face. What a decent guy. "I thought you might have been a robber."

"In a towel?" I said skeptically.

His cheeks tinted pink. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be here."

"Does Bennett know you're here?"

"No, I sometimes come here to escape my family," he told me sheepishly. "Strange, I know."

"Was the door locked?"

"I know where the spare key is. I do this a couple times a week. And this isn't meant to be rude, but why are you here? Why were you in Lee's room?"

Now it was my turn to be self-conscious. I pushed my hair behind my ears and grimaced a bit. "I needed a place to stay last night. And that was, um, I was just being nosy. Please don't say anything to Bennett."

Sebastian frowned at me. "Bennett doesn't let anyone in there."

"I know. I feel bad now, really."

"Since you got caught?"

Ooh, a stab right to my ego. I sagged my shoulders. "Yes. Sorry. Does it help to say I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a torture chamber? He told me it was his brother's room, but you never know, right?"

Sebastian seemed to debate this for a moment and then he slowly nodded. "I guess that excuse is reasonable. Bennett is kind of strange. Honestly though, I occasionally go in there just to see if Bennett's cleaned it up yet."

"Cleaned it up?" I echoed.

"Yeah. It's really depressing to see how he keeps it exactly the way it was when Lee lived here. I'm sure if he cleaned it up and moved on it wouldn't be so painful to him still."

"Is he dead?"

Sebastian suddenly looked apprehensive and he shifted his body weight, like he was suddenly uncomfortable. "You don't know what happened to Lee?"

I shook my head.

"It's really personal for Bennett, so I won't talk behind his back about it," Sebastian said shortly and I wondered if I'd asked something I shouldn't have. Just what exactly had happened to Bennett's brother?

"I wouldn't suggest going in there again and don't talk about Lee in front of Bennett either, Henley," Sebastian added, narrowing his eyes at me. "I'm warning you in advance."

I couldn't help but smile a bit at his defensiveness. He caught this and gave me a doubtful look. "I was just thinking that you're a good friend," I explained before he could comment.

He smiled a bit and shrugged. "It's for your own good too. It really messes with Bennett still."

"Oh," I said, unsure of how to react to that. The death of a family member would take its toll on anyone. Some people could just cope better. Some people took longer to come to terms. Some never did. But which one was Bennett?

"I'm really curious though."

"About what?" I asked.

"You being here. I never thought I'd see the day Bennett brought a girl home, let alone letting her stay while he was gone. What's going on between you two? Are you really dating?"

The quick intake of breath I took to deny the fact caused me to choke and I turned away from Sebastian, covering my mouth. What gave him that idea? Was it really that weird for people to be at Bennett's house? "We're not in a relationship, I promise," I finally muttered.

Sebastian didn't seem satisfied with my answer. "Is that so? You should be careful then, Henley."

"Careful?"

"Bennett doesn't realize it, but I think he is scared to get close to people," he told me, his eyes soft. "If he let you stay here, it means he trusts you. I'm worried that when your together time is up he might not want to let you go and you'll want to leave. I don't want him to lose someone he cares about again."