Page 3 of Fall of Us
“Are you going to?” Andrew motioned to my drink and my face heated, too lost in thought about him. I always was. And my fear of what could be destroyed is what kept me from pursuing him.
“Yeah...” I huffed a small laugh and picked up my shot glass, ignoring the lime and the salt. If this was the good stuff, I wanted to taste it. Even with being on the spendier side, the tequila still burned my throat as it went down. My eyes watered and I coughed. Andrew patted my back, sending warm tingles through my body. The lime wedge found its way into my hand, and I shoved it into my mouth, biting into it to smother some of the harshness of the alcohol.
“Wanted to be a show-off, huh?”
I glared at Andrew, hating when he teased me like that.
My glare faltered when my eyes were drawn to his hands wrapped around his water glass. Maybe the tequila was already warming my blood, but I suddenly felt flushed all over. All I could think about was a time when those hands had danced across my back…
Nope. That thought needed to stop.
Chase was back at the bar, giving me a knowing smile, like he knew where my thoughts had wandered off to. Before I’d started dating this last disaster, I’d been feeling extra vulnerable one day. My intent had been to talk to my friend Nathan about it, but his boyfriend had been the only one awake when I’d stopped by their house. In some ways, it was easier to talk to Chase about my feelings for Andrew because he didn’t know us as well.
“Are you guys going to be at the apartment later?” Chase asked. He and Nathan had finally gotten their own place and were throwing a housewarming party of sorts that evening. They’d been living with Nathan’s parents for a month or so until Nathan could get settled into his new job.
“Yeah. I think we planned on stopping by,” I answered, picking up my water glass and taking a sip. The cool liquid did nothing to calm the fire that was blazing through my body, caused by my lustful thoughts about my best friend.
Andrew chuckled before he stood and pulled me into a hug. I refrained from dwelling on his enticing smell or the sensation of his presence. It was becoming harder and harder not to think about it, but I’d managed it for three years since I’d done the stupidest thing I could’ve done by kissing him. “You’re speaking on my behalf now, are you?”
I pouted. “You’re saying you won’t be there?”
When Andrew released me, he ruffled my hair, a good reminder that we landed firmly in the friendzone. I was more like a brotherthan anything. It knocked my glasses, and I had to scramble to keep them from falling off my nose. “I didn’t say that.”
Watching him leave, something fluttered in my chest. It was like the kiss never happened, which was what I’d wanted. I didn’t want any awkwardness between us, and it had been there in the first few weeks. He’d been more awkward about it than I had. The act of pretending that I didn’t know what it felt like to have my best friend under me, to have his tongue in my mouth, and his hands on my body, was surprisingly easy. Forgetting it was impossible.
Chapter 3
Andrew
“Where’s your shadow?”
I stared at Nathan and Chase, greeting me at the door. They were so happy together; I was glad they’d worked things out between them and found a way to be together. I shoved Nathan’s shoulder at his question and pushed my way into their apartment. The place was small, as were most Seattle apartments, unless you earned a lot. But I think the two of them preferred to be closer to each other, anyway.
“He said he would meet me here.” Not that Brandon was my shadow. That was just how most people saw us. We’d been joined at the hips since we were boys. Our moms had met in a pregnancy class and paired us off as friends from the second we were born. Being in someone’s life for so long, it was difficult not to be close. Maybe we were closer than friends, but not quite boyfriends.
Our friend Joe was already here. With a beer in hand, he sat on the small gray couch, picking at the label. His gaze was fixed on Aiden, Nathan’s brother, across the room. One of these days, the tension between those two was going to snap. Not that Nathan wouldallow it. Joe was a great guy, but he didn’t ‘do’ commitment. Nathan confided that while he didn’t know his brother’s sexuality, he didn’t want to see him become one of Joe’s many conquests.
“There’s beer in the fridge. Feel free to help yourself,” Chase said as I moved deeper into the apartment. I passed Aiden sitting on a stool at the kitchen island. Despite having a bottle in his hand, it didn’t seem like he was drinking from it. He was only eighteen, but it hadn’t stopped him from joining us for some fun in the last couple of months. He was starting classes at The University of Washington—where we’d all graduated this past year.
I grabbed my drink and joined him, sitting on one of the stools. He gave me a small smile before his gaze flipped back to Joe, sitting on the couch. I leaned in close to Aiden, making him jump when I said, “You can always go over there and talk to him.”
Aiden chuckled and relaxed in his seat. “I can. And we talk plenty, but it feels weird when my brother watches us so closely.”
My eyebrows rose at his confession. “Is something going on there?”
He shook his head, finally lifting the bottle and taking a small sip. “No. We’re only friends, but...” His face flushed as he glanced around, ensuring no one eavesdropped. “Please don’t say anything to Nathan.”
“It’s not my job to say anything, but don’t be surprised if your brother has valuable advice.”
Aiden rubbed his neck before taking another sip of his beer. “He might, but he might also tell me to stay away from his friends.”
Someone knocked at the door again, and Chase went to answer it. I shifted my attention in that direction, hoping to see Brandon had made it, but disappointment settled when it was only Daniel. I was worried about Brandon. He’d had the worst luck with dating, and it only seemed to get worse after that one night three years ago—a night he seemed hell-bent on pretending never happened.
Realizing I left Aiden hanging, I turned my attention back to him. “Hecouldtell you that. In the end, you have to do what makes you happy.” I shrugged before I patted him on the shoulder.
Aiden seemed content with that answer. In some weird way, we’d all become older brothers to him.
Ten minutes later, Brandon finally made his appearance. Shawn was at the door with him and instantly that familiar green flare of jealousy swept through me. It was stupid because they could’ve just shown up at the same time, but I didn’t like seeing them together. I never enjoyed seeing Brandon with anyone. It was torture when I wanted him all to myself. I’d had the chance to have him all to myself, dangling in front of my face, and then ripped away just as quickly three years ago. Life could be cruel.
