A New Day
Chapter 26
AJ threw himself on his bed, not quite sure whether he was more angry or upset about what had just happened. He knew that he had lost much of the guys' trust before he went into rehab, but he had thought that he was beginning to get it back. But now Brian had just shattered that illusion, and he suddenly felt alone again.
He reached over and grabbed a pillow, bringing it to his chest and wrapping himself around it in a tight ball. The pillow still smelled faintly of Howie, and it brought tears to his eyes. He wished Howie was there now.
Brian crept silently up the stairs to AJ's room. He was worried by the lack of sound coming from upstairs. He had expected to hear AJ throwing, and quite possibly breaking things in his anger, but instead there had been silence.
He slipped silently along the hallway to the master bedroom, trying to listen out for any sounds. He frowned as he heard nothing, and stopped beside AJ's doorway. Slowly, hesitantly, Brian peeked through the open doorway.
He wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting to see, but he was pretty sure it wasn't AJ curled up in a tight ball hugging a pillow to his chest as his shoulders shook with his tears. Brian bit his lip, he wanted to go in and comfort AJ, tell him he was sorry and assure him that he trusted him. But he didn't.
He had a feeling that if he went in there, he would make things worse then they already were. He hovered in the doorway, torn over what to do. He desperately wanted to help AJ, but he knew deep down that he was not the one who could do it.
Frustrated by his inability to help, Brian finally turned and left the hallway, slipping silently back down the stairs.