"Would you blame him if he was?" TJ asked with a chuckle as he made room, still playing. "I think he's in our room. He was on the computer when I came out here to take advantage of the empty house. How was the party?" Not that he couldn't guess. Parties, club nights, dinners, they were all pretty much the same with these people.
Reaching the end of the song, TJ started over on the same piece. It was one of his favorites, a prayer for his own salvation maybe. Now it was turning into a prayer for his brother. He knew from his own experience it took time to build dreams, to let go. Doug had given him his time and TJ, like an idiot, had taken advantage of it and hurt his brother in the process. He still didn't really know how to fix that. But, he was still here trying.
"I'm not going to force you to talk," he said after a moment. He went on to explain before Doug could say anything. "I can feel the tension in the way you're sitting. You really don't have to sit here. I just thought it'd be nice to spend some time together. I miss you. But, I'm not going to have a meltdown if you'd rather be somewhere else. Okay?"