Slow Burn

It was late at night, and right before I was about to go off to sleep, I decided to call my brother. We usually spoke every night, and tonight was my turn to call him. Going back into my call history, I found his number and hit 'send'. After two rings he answered, his voice abnormally calm.

"Jimmy, are you feeling alright?"

"I feel fine, but I have this weird feeling, like something's going to happen to me", he said it so calmly that it immediately put me into a worrying frenzy. Without letting him say another word, my mouth went to autopilot and started spitting out all of these words. Begging him to let me come there, begging him to take it back, because it scared me.

"I'll be fine, Kimbers", he whispered into the phone using the nickname that only he was allowed to call me. From everyone else, it made me feel like a small child, but from him, it reminded me that he loved me, and was the only person on Earth that did.

"Are you sure, Jimmy, I mean-"

"Yeah, but just hear me out alright; I want you to come home, soon. I miss you, a lot. I don't care if you and the guys still have your differences, I want you home. Anyway, you need to patch things up with the rest of them."

"It wasn't me, Jimmy", I snapped angrily trying to push back the tears that were building up in my eyes.

"I know, Kimbers, but this feeling, I just want you to have the guys with you, just in case"

"Shut up, Jimmy, you're killing me", I whispered as the tears ran from the corners of my eyes, and from the heavy sigh on the other end, I knew Jimmy realized what he was doing to me..

"I love you, Kimbers", he chuckled even though his words were filled with complete seriousness.

"Love you too, Jimmy", I whispered and shut my eyes never even thinking that it would be the last time I could say it to him while he was still alive.