Two

                                    

                                          


                          
            
                          
It only took 12 minutes for me to find Conri. 12 long and exhausting minutes only to have him hauled up in my room, on my book nook, which was through a secret passageway. My room was always his safe space and his hidey hole. Only Conri and I knew about this little passageway in my room, we found it when we were 6 and we always hid in there whenever we were upset or just wanted to hide.
                          
I proceeded with caution walking into my room and making my way to the secret passageway. I wasn't sure what Conri I would find or see in my passageway. Whether it was super sad, ugly crying, super shy or extremely mad and angry Conri. He always had different selves, but he was only ever every self around me. He even hid things from his parents and his other friends. He could always open up to me.
                          
And I could always open up to him, except about the one thing that would ruin our friendship because we could never be more than just friends.
                          
"Conri?" I said softly, once I could see the light that was shining through the sunlight in the small hidden room. I crawled out from the passageway and saw the one Conri that I wasn't expecting. He was laughing. It was a semi happy, semi laughing and somewhat a semi-snotty Conri. "Conri?"
                          
He lifted his head and wiped his nose on one of the blankets that were through around the small hidden room. "Didn't take you long."
                          
"Well I had to defuse the situation you left me in first." I pointed out, crawling towards him. I leaned up against the wall, offer my shoulder for Conri to come over and lean on. He obliged and laid his head on my shoulder, as my fingers worked their magic and played with his hair. I was soothing him, like the countless time I had done before.
                          
We sat there in silence. I let my fingers sooth him and I let him cry. I let him be snotty and I let him be himself around me. He seemed to only ever be his true self around me. And I was happy about that because I knew whatever happens with us that the moment we come back to each other, we'd be alright and we'd go back to be normal with each other.
                          
"I like Cora." I whisper. "She seems to make him happy."
                          
"I'm happy for Elijah." Conri rasped out. "I mean, I am, but I'm not."
                          
"I get that." I look down at him, as he looks up at me. He smiles, knowing what I know is going around in his head. He is happy but he is jealous that he doesn't have that kind of relationship, like his younger brother. "Just wait until Clara gets her mate, you'd be the big protective brother, rather than jealous. Or just wait until I get a boyfriend."  I chuckle, thinking that will never happen.
                          
"What's this about you getting a boyfriend now?" Conri bolts up, staring at me. 
                          
"Nothing. No boyfriend here, what so ever." I shake my head, rolling my eyes at his protectiveness. "I like how you seem to care more about my future relationships rather than your own sister. How brotherly." I roll my eyes, giggling.
                          
"I know my sister will be able to protect herself, you and I both know my dad will be extremely protective of daddy's little girl. Or worse, my mum."
                          
"I admire her, but I do get that vibe from the male population that she could be intimidating to most." I lean back up against the wall, cuddling into my legs. "Still, I don't get why you'd be concerned over me getting my first boyfriend. I mean, it won't be happening anytime soon."
                          
Conri looks at me with a confused look on his face. "What makes you think that?"
                          
"Because I'm me, Con. You know me. I'm a tomboy, nerdy and have my own clumsiness. I'm also a know-it-all, that knows too much for my own good and between all my different skills, I can only manage to make any man I talk to run away. I mean the only good thing I can do is bake or maybe take care of horses. What does that say about me?"