Page 4 of Sixty Days Of Summer

We stand in silence, mesmerized by the sight of Alex confidently making his way towards one of the many ramps Xander has assembled. Alex pedals hard, soaring over the first three ramps with effortless ease.

“He’s really getting the hang of that,” I say, as Alex nails each jump.

“Yeah,” Xander replies, his voice filled with pride and his grin stretching from ear to ear. “He’s already asking me to build higher ramps, but Poppy’s not exactly thrilled about it,” he adds with a chuckle.

As I look at my brother, a rush of admiration and nostalgia washes over me. He’s come a long way, transforming into a devoted family man, always ready to go above and beyond to ensure Poppy and Alex’s happiness.

“What’s with that look, asshole?” Xander says, his smile faltering as he catches me staring.

“Nothing,” I reply, wishing I felt as content with my life as he does. I turn my focus back to Alex, who’s already cleared the rest of the jumps and is now heading back toward us. “I’m going to talk to Nate about Scarlet.”

Xander’s head whips around towards me, his previous relaxed expression now replaced with a serious one.

“For fuck sake, Ace, don’t go there. You know how Nate loses it over Scarlet.”

“Yeah, I know,” I admit, my words laced with a hint of defeat. “But I’ve got to. This guilt is eating me alive. I can’t even look at the guy without feeling like shit.”

“It was one fucking night, Ace. It didn’t mean shit, so why bring it up now?" Xander says, his voice laced with concern, sounding strained.

I take a deep breath, knowing this is going to hit hard. “It wasn’t just a one-time thing. We hooked up again the next night, on the same night as your wedding,” I admit, feeling the heaviness of my confession.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Xander’s voice erupts with disbelief, his tone now void of any previous cheerfulness. “After you promised me that morning you’d stay the fuck away from her, and you even admitted it was a mistake...” He trails off abruptly as Alex rolls up to us, interrupting the conversation.

“Hey, Uncle Ace,” Alex says, his innocent voice slicing through the tension.

With a nod towards the ramps, I comment, “You’re really improving,” purposely avoiding eye contact with Xander’s piercing stare.

“Yeah, I want the jumps to be higher, but Mom’s worried I’ll break my arm again,” Alex replies.

“Well, just keep at it," I comment, taking a few steps toward Nate and Theo’s place. “Moms always freak out abouteverything.” Honestly, I don’t know if all moms are like that since mine never gave a shit about me.

Xander’s voice booms behind me, calling out my name, “Ace.” I can practically feel the heat of his stare. If it weren’t for Alex, Xander would be in my face, warning me about the shitstorm coming my way if I proceed with this. But I’m determined to come clean anyway. If Nate beats the shit out of me for this screw-up, then so be it. I crossed a line, and I’ll own up to it.

When I get to Nate and Theo’s place, I skip the knock and just push the door open.

As soon as I step inside, the blaring noise from the TV overwhelms my senses. Alex has been kicking all our asses at Mario Kart for months now, and the familiar sounds emanating from the TV confirms Theo is once again determined to dethrone him. He’s always bitching about how it’s total bullshit that a six-year-old consistently beats us.

As I step into the next room, the sight of Theo sprawled on the couch catches my eye. His bare chest proudly displays the intricate tattooed angel wings. His dark, shoulder-length hair is wet, as if he’s just stepped out of the shower, and he’s dressed in nothing but gray sweatpants.

As I approach, I can see the sheer focus on his face, his eyes fixated on the screen.

“Where’s Nate?” I ask, dropping onto the couch next to him, my eyes glued to the TV.

“Shower, I think,” Theo mutters, not even glancing away from the screen.

Both of us fall silent, completely absorbed in his character’s electrifying performance on the track. It’s not until he finally crosses the finish line that his gaze turns to me.

“You good, bro?” he asks with a furrowed brow.

“Yeah,” I lie, as I brace myself to face Nate and come clean.

Theo locks eyes with me, his gaze lingering for an extra beat, his keen perception sensing the tension in the air. Despite his talent for teasing and getting under my skin, Theo is aware of when to give me space. I’ve witnessed him do it with both Nate and Xander. Instead of prying, he casually grabs the spare controller and tosses it onto the couch next to me, making a soft thud.

Without saying a word, Theo exits the game and returns to the home screen, switching the game to multiplayer.

“Fuck, I need to get laid,” Theo blurts out. “It’s like the goddamn fucking Sahara Desert down there. I was so desperate, I almost asked Nate for a hand job this morning, but I knew he’d fucking deck me.”

A smile tugs at my lips, a sense of relief washing over me as the conversation shifts, and I reach for the remote.

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