Darn Stupid Brother You Are

(Cylan's POV)

I sighed in relief, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Thanks, Ellen. I just feel like I need help in the dating game, especially... in here."

Ellen chuckled. "You don't need it, Cylan. You're rich, after all. You're Cylan Cooper."

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "That's not going to help me with dating, Ellen."

Damn right I was Cylan Cooper, and that came with its own set of privileges. But when it came to love, I was just as clueless as the next person.

I sighed.

"Besides, I'm not even sure I still have claim to the Cooper name," I said, a hint of bitterness creeping into my voice.

Ellen's eyes brow shot up as she looked at me. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice soft but probing.

"My parents," I said finally, "are threatening to disown me if I don't denounce being gay. I'm not sure I even have an inheritance anymore."

Ellen's face darkened, her eyes flashing with anger. "What? That's ridiculous," she exclaimed. "They can't do that to you, Cylan. You're their daughter, no matter what."

I shrugged, resigned. "They can, and they will. They're stubborn, Ellen. And they're willing to do whatever it takes to get me to conform to their expectations."

Ellen's face was red with anger. "That's not right, Cylan. You deserve so much better than that."

I smiled wryly. "Thanks, Ellen. But I'll be fine. I've been dealing with this for a while now."

Ellen sighed. "You'll be fine, really. You're their only daughter, after all," she said. "They'll come around eventually."

I smiled, even though I didn't believe a word of that. My father had let me know that I was indispensable right from when I was young. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did disown me. She had always been there for me, no matter what. "They want me to marry some guy," I said, my voice laced with disgust. "The first son of the Lloyd family. An arranged marriage, Ellen. Can you believe it?"

Ellen's eyes widened in shock. "What? That's... that's crazy. Why would they do that?"

I shook my head. "They want to secure their business interests, I guess. The Lloyd family has a lot of influence and power, and my parents think that marrying me off to their son will help them get ahead."

Ellen's face scrunched up in distaste. "That's so archaic. And what about your feelings? Don't they care about what you want?"

I laughed bitterly. "Of course not. I'm just a pawn in their game of power and prestige."

Ellen's eyes narrowed. "Wait, the Lloyd family... aren't they into construction or something? I think I've heard of them. They're like Julius Berger, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, something like that. They're a big deal in the industry, and my parents think that marrying me off to their son will give them a leg up."

"I'm so sorry you have to go through this Cylan. I really hope things go well with Emily."

"Thank you."

Ellen glanced at her watch and stood up. "I have to be somewhere, Cylan. But I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

I nodded, standing up to hug her goodbye. "Thanks, Ellen. Take care."

It was good to have someone like her in my corner, someone who accepted me for who I was. I sat back down, my mind racing with thoughts of Emily and my parents and everything in between. But for now, I just focused on the feeling of peace that had settled over me, thanks to Ellen's visit.

....

(Unknown POV)

As Ellen left the visiting room, she felt uneasy in her stomach. She got into her car and sat there for a moment, trying to process her emotions. She had always been protective of Cylan, and the thought of her being with someone else was hard to swallow.

Ellen sighed heavily and leaned her forehead on the steering wheel. She thought about all the times she and Cylan had spent together, all the laughter and tears they had shared. She realized that she had been holding onto their past relationship for too long, and it was time to let go.

After a few minutes, Ellen retrieved her phone and began typing out a message to Cylan. She wanted to be honest with her, to let her know how she was feeling. "Hey, I've been thinking... the fact that you felt like you needed to ask me before seeing someone else shows that I'm still really involved in your life. Alex had said it but I didn't realize we were really in too deep." she wrote. "I realize now that I've been holding onto our past relationship for too long. I want you to know that I'm happy for you, and I support you in whatever you do."

Ellen paused, collecting her thoughts before continuing. "I also want to apologize if I've been giving you mixed signals, that I was still interested in you. I mean, I will always love you but not like that. I know I've been around a lot lately, and I don't want you to feel like you can't move on with your life. I want you to have the chance to live your life and fall in love again."

She hesitated before hitting send, wondering if she was doing the right thing.

Cylan responded quickly. She sent a rolling eyes emoji, followed by a message. "Are you texting and driving? Cus it's been barely ten minutes."

Ellen smiled and typed out a no.

"Girl, you're being ridiculous. I never felt like you were giving me mixed signals." She responded, "I never felt like you weren't giving me space. We're best friends, aren't we? That's why I told you about Emily. I want to be able to tell you stuff without feeling like I'm burdening you. I value our friendship above everything, Ellen. I told you because I wanted to share my happiness with you, not because I felt like I needed your permission."

Ellen smiled, feeling relieved. She was glad that Cylan didn't feel suffocated by her presence in her life. She typed out a response, "I know, I know. I just feel like I need to give you space, you know? I don't want to be that friend who's always hovering."

Cylan responded with a laughing emoji. "You're not that friend, Ellen. Stop worrying."

Ellen's fingers flew across the screen as she responded to Cylan's message. "Okay, if you say so," she typed, adding a smiling emoji at the end.

She was still chuckling to herself when Cylan sent another message, this one a picture of a screenshot with Cylan's handwriting on it.

The note said "Would you like to hang out later tonight or pass..." Ellen's eyes widened as she realized what Cylan was planning.

"You want to give this to Emily?" Ellen asked, her voice barely above a whisper, even though she was alone in her car.

"Yeah, I didn't get her number yet, so I'm planning to slip her this note, and hope for a positive feedback." Cylan replied, adding a fingers crossed emoji. "What do you think? Does it need some tweaking?"

Ellen studied the message, her mind racing with possibilities. She could suggest something sweet and romantic, or something more casual and friendly.

"Oh yes, it certainly does," Ellen typed, trying to contain her grin.

"Oh! What?" Cylan asked, her response immediate.

"You should add a question mark at the end," Ellen said, her fingers hovering over the screen as she waited for Cylan's response.

"That's it?" Cylan responds.

Ellen sends a shrugging emoji.

But instead of a thank you, Cylan sent an angry face emoji.

Ellen sent the laugh-cry emoji.

"What were you expecting?" Ellen sent back.

"That's why it's not always great to have an English major student as a friend," Cylan replied.

Ellen chuckled, because that was always the way conversations went with Cylan. "Hey, someone's got to keep you literate," she sent her, smiling at herself. Then Cylan sent her a sticker that said, "Dont text and drive."

Ellen then replied with, "Uhm... there should have been an apostrophe in 'don't'."

Cylan then replied her with, "I am so done with you! Dont ever contact me again!" Clearly ignoring Ellen's correction.

Ellen laughed as she drove away.