Page 10 of False Start

"Hey," Mike answers. "Your brother is here. Is it too late to send him up?"

"Which one?" I ask, though I can guess. Henry, the oldest, would never drop by without calling, plus he lives out in Scarsdale. Adam's on his honeymoon in France, knee deep in wine and butter. That leaves either Damon, my middle brother, who's home from playing basketball overseas, or Noah, Henry's twin and a successful talent agent.

"It's your favorite brother, Noah!" Noah shouts into the receiver. He must've grabbed it from Mike. I chuckle and tell Mike to send him up. Two minutes later, he's on my doorstep.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" I ask as I answer the door. Noah rolls his eyes and pushes past me, following the scent of melted cheese.

"Ooh, is that pizza I smell?" he asks, already reaching for the microwave door. He draws back after opening it. "Yuck! Hawaiian? Why would you allow this abomination in your home?"

I push him aside and take a big bite of one of the slices, smiling as I chew.

"I happen to think it's delicious."

"Since when?" he asks doubtfully. "You always order Italian sausage and peppers."

I don't avert my eyes quickly enough and Noah notices.

"Oh ho! So it was alady friend?" Noah waggles his eyebrows and looks around the apartment. "Is she still here? Am I interrupting something?"

I sigh at my brother's antics. How this goofball is older than me, I'll never know.

"If I had company, do you think I'd buzz you up?"

"True," he admits. He settles for one of my cold-pressed juices and flops down onto a barstool at the counter.

"Speaking of which…What are you doing here at," I look at my watch, "12:52am?"

Noah chugs the juice before answering.

"I had a meeting in the area, and the client insisted on doing shots to celebrate landing a role in the new Michael Bay film."

"Ooh! Michael Bay? Your client must be a big deal. Do I know them?"

Noah winks as he throws his empty bottle into the recycling bin.

"You will."

A loud guffaw bursts from my chest before I can stop it.

"You didnotjust say that," I laugh, though I tone down my smile when Noah's face falls.Shit.Why is it so hard to turn off the douchebag when I'm not at work?

"Whatever, man. You'll be begging to tag along for drinks once the movie's out. Anyway, I was hoping I could crash here instead of dealing with the subway this late?"

I nod and gesture towards the hall closet.

"You know where everything is."

Part of me wants to apologize—I clearly burst Noah's celebratory bubble with my ill-timed laugh—but being the jerk everyone thinks I am is so much easier. It's certainly easier than admitting my job, which I killed myself to get and pays an ungodly amount, is starting to suck away my soul. Some days, I barely recognize myself. That's hardly polite dinner conversation.

I put my plate in the dishwasher and head back to get started on the laundry while Noah gets settled on the couch. His place isn't that far from here—he's near West 4th by The Blue Note—but the trains are a pain at this hour.

I chuck my jeans, tie, and dress shirt into the hamper and enter my walk-in closet in just boxers and my Allbirds. I place them on the shelf with the rest of my sneaker collection, right next to my retro Air Jordans and my limited edition Converse All Stars.Ha!I wonder how much Robert's forehead vein would throb if I wore either of those pairs to the office.

I yank the goose down comforter off my bed, followed by the Egyptian cotton flat and fitted sheets. The luxury bedding cost me a pretty penny, but it was a small price to pay for the best sleep of my life. I bought them when I made my first $100,000, along with a Rolex and, at my Korean father's insistence, a Rolens.

Because I have a king-size bed, my hamper is already almost full, but luckily, only pillowcases remain. When I pull one off, something falls onto the now bare mattress: a gold chain with a dainty butterfly pendant. I found Denise's necklace!

Without thinking, I run back to the kitchen, giving Noah an eye full.

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