Brothers

My brother and I have always been compared.
As if two people born of the same blood had to necessarily look alike.

Keythan attracted attention without even trying.
The kind of boy you notice as soon as he walks into a room. Beautiful smile, easygoing voice, cheeky confidence. The girls laughed at every one of his jokes, the boys wanted to be like him, and he… he loved it.

I was the shadow next to the light.

It never really bothered me.
I loved the quiet. The boxing gyms that smelled of sweat and worn leather. The dull thud of blows against the bag. The solitude after training when the world finally fell silent.
I wasn't antisocial. Just tired of other people's noise.

And then there was you.

I remember exactly the first time I saw you laughing with him.
Your face lit up in a strange way, almost painful to watch.
That day I realized I was finished.

Because, of course, he's the one you chose.

How could I have competed?
Keythan knew how to talk to people. He knew what to say, what to promise, what to show. He made you believe you were the only girl he looked at, while he'd already forgotten your name as soon as another one entered his field of vision.

And me…
I stayed behind.

Watching you.

I saw everything you refused to see.
His hands on another woman's hips during parties. The messages he quickly deleted when you were close. The mocking looks he gave his friends when you talked about your future as if it actually existed.

The worst part is... that you genuinely loved her.

So I kept quiet.

Every time you came to see me after an argument with him, your face drenched in tears, I wanted to destroy everything.
When you asked me:
— “Why is he doing that?”
I had to grit my teeth to avoid answering:
Because he doesn't deserve you.

But a brother protects his brother.
Right?

What a joke.

Keythan wasn't protecting me.
He knew.