Page 86 of Chasing After You
My phone rings with a call from JJ and I answer, putting him on speakerphone. “Hey, JJ,” I say, while typing up notes on a separate document for Stacey to look over.
“Are you watching this shit?” he asks, clearly not bothering with niceties today.
I look up at the television mounted on the wall, my jaw falling at the abysmal score. Now I understand his frustration. “When the fuck did that happen?” I ask, as the camera pans to my uncle, who is covering his mouth with a playbook as he says something into his headset.
“Refs blew a call that allowed the Blizzards to score, and then Henry couldn’t find anyone open. Our defense fucking fell apart on their next chance, and Hill ran a forty-three-yard touchdown. We’re better than this,” JJ complains, and I groan.
“We’re a lot better than this bullshit. I have it on, but I’m not paying attention. Stacey asked me to look at engagement on Henry’s social media so that’s where my focus was,” I say, waiting to see if the camera will show Henry.
“Probably a good idea. Henry’s ego is taking quite the hit tonight, I’m sure. He’ll probably need you to kiss it better once he’s back.”
“Only if I’m lucky,” I say, my heart skipping a beat at the sight of Henry commanding the field. I look down at the matching jersey I’m wearing with his name and number on it, and I have no doubt he’ll be jealous I wore it when he wasn’t here to see it. Maybe I’ll send him a picture of me wearing it to make him jealous. He might think he’s being sly, but Henry has dropped enough damn hints about wanting me to wear his jersey, he could haveobvioustattooed on his forehead.Now that’d be pretty damn ironic.“Goddamn, he’s hot.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve only heard you say that a million times,” JJ teases, before swearing at the refs for holding one of our receivers, resulting in Henry’s pass being intercepted, and run in for another fucking touchdown.
“That’s fucking bullshit,” I yell at the screen, but Uncle Owen thankfully challenges the call before Henry can get himself into trouble yelling at the referees as they show Wilson and Tyler trying to be the voices of reason with Henry and Crosby. “Get your eyes checked.”
“Mira, I hate to break it to you, but those are some very weak insults. Mom would be disappointed if she heard those,” JJ says, and if this were a FaceTime call, I’d flip him off.
“I’m sorry? You’re the one who called me,” I say, scrolling on my computer again to pull up the statistics for a different post.
“Of course I called you. Everyone here is a fucking Cougars fan, so all of them went out to the bars for specials tonight.”
“I’m sure the game is on at the bars. We have the prime-time slot tonight,” I remind him, and JJ groans.
“It’s raining?”
“That’s a weak excuse,” I say, and the replay shows there was offensive holding on the play, so not only do we get an automatic first down, we also get an extra ten yards from the Blizzards’ penalty.
“I’m homesick, okay? I didn’t feel like going out tonight because I’d rather watch our family’s team play while talking to you,” JJ admits, and I feel a little guilty for pushing his buttons.
“Aren’t Mom and Dad coming to visit this weekend? At least that’s what Hunter told me when I talked to him last night,” I say, and JJ sighs. I feel bad I’m not going, but we’re celebrating Henry’s birthday this weekend, and Andrew is flying in tomorrow around the same time as Henry. I do know Dad already purchased tickets for the bowl game Beaumont qualified for, so we’re all going to that.
“It’s just Dad and Hunt coming now, unless they decide to leave Bailey with Chris and Penelope or with Uncle Owen and Aunt Blake. I told them they could bring him along, but they don’t want it to feel like a reward for his recent behavior.”
I rub my temples at the thought of my out-of-control brother. “Dude, maybe a weekend with Chris is what Bailey needs. It’s not going well at the house.”
“I know,” he says, exhaling quietly. “Are you having any luck with him?”
“Nope. I stopped at the house for a little bit last weekend after we drove Kaitlyn back, but he wouldn’t open the bedroom door for me. I didn’t feel right barging in either. I don’t know how we’ll get through to him, but I know invading his space is not the answer.” Before Mom and Dad knew he had quit soccer, at least he was still kind of talking to everyone, even if he was a dick most of the time. They’re making him go to therapy, and since they told him, he has started giving everyone the silent treatment.
“No, I agree. I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but you’re right about that.”
“What do you think we missed that made him start acting like this?” It’s the question I’ve been asking myself the last few months. I can’t piece it together. Bailey says he doesn’t need me and he wants me to leave him alone, but then he’s mad and saying I haven’t been there, which contradicts everything. He says I did something wrong, but he won’t tell me what it is.
“Honestly? I have no clue. He was moody when I left for college, but he wasn’t like this. Do you remember the last normal conversation you had?” JJ asks, and it’s sad I have to think about what it could have been. It takes me longer than I’d like to admit.
“B called me after the fire. He was upset and asked if I was okay. That’s the last time he was our little brother to me,” I say. It breaks my damn heart to think about it.
“At least you can remember, I can’t. Didn’t think I’d have to remember the last time my brother was nice to me,” he says, and I walk to the kitchen to pour myself a healthy glass of Chardonnay. I think this calls for wine.
The conversation finds a natural pause a few minutes later as we watch Henry run in his own damn touchdown, and I jump up and down with excitement.
“God, I love your boyfriend sometimes, and right now is definitely one of those times,” JJ says, sounding a lot happier than he did ten minutes ago.
“Fake boyfriend,” I correct, but honestly, that line is so blurred right now I don’t believe my own words.
“Bullshit. You guys are dating for real, but neither of you actually realize it. When are you going to grow a pair, and tell Henry that you have feelings for him?” JJ asks, changing the topic, but I’m distracted by a flash coming from the backyard. I grab my phone and glass of wine, walking to the window to look outside.
