Page 80 of Ten Rules for Faking It
“I missed you,” Noah said, popping the tab on the drink and tipping it back.
“Missed you, too. What happened to phoning when you were coming?”
Noah shrugged. “Thought I’d surprise you, see if I could catch you up to no good.”
Chris laughed, and it felt good. He’d made friends in California, but it wasn’t the same. Noah was his best friend. He was closer to him than to Wes, though all three of them got along and had a hell of a time when they were together. He sat down on his sofa while Noah kicked back in the chair behind Chris’s desk.
“So, this is where the magic happens, huh?”
“I don’t know if it’s magic, but the contest has brought in a shit ton of revenue, and Dad’s happy. I’m in the middle of putting together some recommendations for moving forward.”
Noah tipped his head to one side. “You going to promote from within to take your job?”
He hadn’t thought of that yet. The idea of leaving had started coming with a painful stitch in his side that he couldn’t explain. The intention was always to leave. “Why are we talking business? What the hell are you doing here, dude?”
Noah laughed, opened the top drawer of Chris’s desk, and rooted through. He found Chris’s stash of Starburst and unwrapped one. “Same old, same old. I’m here to see my brother.” He popped a strawberry square into his mouth, crumpling the wrapper, shooting it toward the garbage can and missing.
Chris got up and grabbed the wrapper from the floor, shooting his brother a sideways glance. “Uh-huh. Sure. What else?” Noah had a restless streak. It’d gotten him into trouble more than once.
“Thought I’d check out some properties. See that one mansion for myself even though they took it off the market. Sucks, but I figure there’s got to be more. Ever feel like you were looking for something to settle everything down inside of you?” He leaned forward, unwrapped another strawberry.
Yup. Found it, too. She’s about five foot six, with brown hair and a kick-in-the-solar-plexus smile.Chris grabbed a Starburst from the stack that spilled once he’d ripped the wrapper. Noah would eat every last pink one if Chris didn’t grab one now. He unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth, evading the answer.
Noah didn’t notice. “I just needed a change of scenery.”
“So, you’re staying with me indefinitely?” Chris didn’t mind, but he wouldn’t purposely miss out on a chance to razz his brother.
“If that’s okay. First, I worried about cramping your style, but I remembered you have none and probably haven’t been laid since you got here. If anything, having me around can only improve your life.” Noah stood up and walked over to Chris.
Chris punched him in the shoulder, and Noah twisted, grabbed Chris, and tried to pull him into a headlock. It didn’t matter that they were thirty-one and thirty-two, they went at it the same way they had since they could crawl.
Noah had Chris bent at the waist and was reaching for his boxers when he taunted, “Say, ‘I missed my big brother,’ or you get a wedgie.”
“What the hell, dude? No wedgies. Not cool.” Chris grabbed one of Noah’s legs. “Don’t make me.”
“None of that sounds like what I told you to say,” Noah said, adjusting his grip.
That one slip gave Chris the wiggle room he needed. He grabbed a handful of Noah’s thigh and pinched.
Noah shoved him back, hopping on one foot. “Motherfu—”
“You left yourself open for that one,” Benny, the night janitor, said from the doorway as he lifted the garbage can and dumped it into the bigger one on his cart.
Chris’s face went hot as he straightened his clothes and glared at his brother and held back his laughter.
“Sorry, Benny. This is my brother Noah. He decided to come for a visit. He doesn’t get out much, so he forgets how to act around humans.”
Benny and Noah both laughed. Benny replaced the garbage bag and looked at Noah. “You coming to work here, too? You need to tone down your polish, boy.”
The staff estimated Benny was somewhere between ninety and one hundred and twenty. No one knew for sure. He’d been there long before any of them, including the radio station. The running joke was he’d come with the building.
Noah looked down at himself. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He pointed at Chris. “He’s wearing suit pants. Isn’t he too polished?”
Benny looked over at Chris, one side of his mouth tipping up in a crooked, toothy grin. “Nope. Not with his underwear sticking out like that.”
Noah gave another bark of laughter and shook Benny’s hand as Chris righted the waistband of his boxersandhis pants. Jesus. Five minutes with his brother and they were teenagers again.It feels great.
Still smiling after Benny moved down the hall, Noah rubbed his stomach. “That guy is awesome. All your staff like that?”
