I looked him over. He looked exhausted. He wore a black leather jacket with a white wifebeater and some blue skinny's. You tell that his eye was healing from a black eye, and his lip was healing from a cut. He had bruises all over his cheeks. His hands were in his pockets but I already knew that they were busted and scarred.

"You look like hell." I said

A small laugh escaped his lips. "Yeah. Feel like it too." He said. His eyes scanned every ounce of the room. But they never landed on me.

"How've you been?" He said. His eyes finally landing on me. God those beautiful eyes.

"Fine. And you?" I asked. His eyes shifted down he seemed to be considering the question.

"I...." He paused and looked at me again, "....don't know. I haven't been in the greatest of moods lately." He murmured that last part.

I didn't say anything, waiting for him to elaborate.

He looked at the edge of my bed where my feet were. There was space. "Can I?" He said pointing at it. And I nodded. I shifted my feet up toward me so I was sitting crisss cross applesauce. I didnt know wether or not my feet stink and I didn't want him smelling them if they did. He sat at the edge of the bed and then turn toward me.

"The last time I saw you.."he began, he seemed hesitant but he continued, "......Becks told me about how you felt about the nobody comment." His gaze was in the hands in his lap. "I wanted you to know I never meant in that way."

"It took you a month to say that?" I said harshly.

His expression seemed to darken. "I have never been good at apologies. I mean none of us Mancini's are, but I want to make this better. I really didn't mean to hurt you like that. When I said that you were nobody I just....I didn't...my dad." He seemed to struggle to find the right words, but I stayed quite to allow him the time to elaborate.

"The painting that you saw.....in the painting room. The ones of our mothers. They are dead, all except one. But we don't get to see her often. She's Tim's mom. My mom died while having me and Mike's mom killed herself." He said so matter of factly.

All resolve I had melted away. This was heavy. I didn't think this was something we were gonna talk about today, or ever. I stayed quite.

"My dad was married to Tim's mom. But Tim's mom, Jada, couldn't have kids for the longest time. I guess dad was just annoyed with the situation and cheated on her with Mikes mom, Marie. She got pregnant, so dad bought her back with him to the house. Surprisingly the woman bonded. My dad felt like the odd man out. So instead of trying to fix the two relationships he had at home. He got a whole other mistress. My mom Pran. And they were together for awhile. He would always say to us that she was the only one of our mother that he actually loved. Which always made us feel like shit. Anyways, Marie had Mike, but she had really bad postpartum and she was also bipolar. It was just all too much for her to handle. When she died, Jada was heartbroken. They were like sisters. So she did the best she could to help raise Mike. Then one night she got drunk and was vulnerable, and my dad took advantage of that and they had sex. Then a week or two later, Jada found out she was pregnant. And she couldn't be happier. Everything was going well for awhile. Jada had Mike and Tim and they were her world. Then one day my sick pregnant mother showed up at there door while my father was on a business trip. Dad finally came back. And was by my mother side the entirety of the pregnancy completely ignoring Mike and Tim. Jada did her best to be there for the boy and my mother, she was just one person. Then one weekend my dad went out of town, and while he was gone my mom went into labor. And there was a decision to make. Her or the baby. And my mom chose me. Jada lost another friend and had another child to raise. My dad was devastated and for awhile he blamed me. He blamed us all. But no matter what Jada stayed by us."

I was in the verge of tears. I was happy I took the meds and inhaler when I did cause I don't think I would've been able to handle this without them. "Why didn't Jada ever divorce him?" I asked.

"My dad had a specific type. Women who had no one. So even if she wanted to, she couldn't. She had nothing or anyone else. Same with the rest." He said bluntly.

"Once we were around the age of eight, Jada began having a really bad battle with cancer or tumor in her brain. So we were left at home with dad more often and we hated it. Jada did what she could but she was in the hospital majority of the time. Then it got to the point where she couldn't leave. So it was just us and our father. Once we were around 10 that's when we started the training, and we hated it just as much as we hated him. Me and Mike have always felt indebted to Jada. That's why me and him are taking over the business while Tim follows his dreams. It's the least we can do for the women who sacrificed everything in order to raise kids that werent hers. Besides, me and Mike were never good at anything else besides fighting. So it just fit. But don't ever tell him. He'd probably feel like shit."

"So you guys relationship with him is still.....?" I didn't want to say the wrong word.

"Shit? Yeah. We prefer to keep our personal lives as far away from him as possible." He said while looking at me. "Me and my brothers have a tendency to push away good things, and then wanting them back when it too late. Mike did that with Robby and Rebecca (because they are two different people). And I-" he stopped.

"And I'm doing it with you." He said his eyes moving back down to the hands in his lap. My heart leaped.

"When my dad came in that day, it was honestly just a reflex to keep him away from you. I didn't want him to know anything about you. He has a tendency to ruin the women on our lives and I didn't want you to be one of them. So when I said you were nobody. I meant you were nobody to him. Nobody he needed to know. But your not nobody to me." He said with a deep breath.

"I tried texting and calling you but I never got a-" I cut him off immediately.

"What?" I said in a whisper.

"Yeah. But I thought you were so mad to the point that you just didn't want to talk to me, and then Tim told me what happened and I tried to come and see you but your dad-" I stopped him again.

"My dad?" My dad? So that's why he got me a new phone. I still had the same number but I realized that some of my contact were missing. He said it might've been lost when we transferred the data, but now I'm highly doubting it. Did he block Tates number from my phone or something?

"Meloni?" He called to me and my eyes shot up to him. "You okay? Want me to go get Tim or Becks?"

"You really came to see me?" I said. I could feel my eyes beginning to water but I tried my best to push them down. I didn't want to freak him out.

He nodded. "I never told Tim or Becks though. I didn't want to put them in an awkward spot. But today, it must've just been fate."

He smiled and I smiled back. He began to pull himself on the bed and faced himself in front of me. He sat crisscross applesauce and he reached and grabbed my hands.

"I am the definition of a red flag. I flirt. I have a bit of a temper. I have never been in a relationship. Only ever had hook ups, friends with benefits, and one night stands. And the only love I know is the ones I have for my brothers. But there is something with you. From our bickering, to our talks, from our kisses. There is something there and Im terrified of it. Especially, since your sick. All the women that were sick in my life, wether it was mentally or physically have died or they are better off dead. And one of the other reasons I pushed you away is because I don't think I could've handled that." He was being brutally honest. And I couldn't fault him for a single word. I was a gamble. Cause at any moment I could just have the heart attack that'll end it all.

"But the more I got to know you, the more i didn't care. I want to understand this. I want a healthy relationship. Wether it's a friendship or something more. I don't want to be my father. And I'm just hoping I'm not too late." He said squeezing my hand.

I was at a loss of words. My visits on began to blurry and I realized I was crying. One of his hands went to my cheek and he stroked away the tears. I leaned into his touch.

Damn it.....he got me.....

Picture above Patricia Good as Pran (Tates Mom)

Rakul Preet Singh as Marie (Mikes Mom)