Page 113 of For the Boys
He saluted her and walked out the door.
“So the youngest Jean sibling is moving to Detroit,” Mitch said from the seat next to him as the plane flew over Ontario.
“She is,” Brent said. “My parents were, unsurprisingly, not happy she dropped out of college mid-semester, but they also know they can’t stop her.”
“And I’m sure they feel better about the move knowing you’re there,” Cole, who had knelt on the seat a row ahead and turned to face them, said.
“Exactly,” Brent said. “And Berkley is kind of making it her mission to take Mackenzie under her wing so the transition is as smooth as possible for her, which has been a big help.”
“Just keep her away from Lexie,” Mitch said. “She’ll be corrupted in no time otherwise.”
Mitch’s tone of voice had Brent turning to face his friend. “What is going on with you two, anyway?”
Mitch heaved a sigh. “Nothing.”
Cole snorted. “Don’t lie to us, Mitch. Talk to us.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes,” Cole and Brent said simultaneously.
“Plus,” Brent added, “you made me spill all my secrets when I was in my feelings about Berkley. It’s only fair if you reciprocate.”
“Fine, fine,” Mitch said. “We’ve sort of been hooking up.”
“Define ‘sort of,’” Cole said, eyebrow raised.
“I mean, we’ve been sleeping together since October,” Mitch said. “And I want more, but I don’t think she does.”
“What makes you think that?” Brent asked.
“She’s always making sure to remind me that we’re just friends, that it’s just casual sex, that she doesn’t want anything serious. She never stays the night, never gives me the time of day when we’re in public, never acts like she even likes me outside of the sex.” Mitch buried his face in his hands.
“I’m sorry,” Brent said. “Have you talked to her about it?”
He nodded. “She blows me off every time.”
“Holy shit,” Cole said. “Uncle Mitch found a female that isn’t falling all over herself to be with him. How did that happen?”
“Dude, I don’t know!” Mitch said, clapping his hand over his mouth at his outburst. “Probably karma for fucking around for so long.”
“You need to talk to her, bro,” Brent said. “And make her listen.”
“And what do I do if she’s not feeling it?”
“You move on,” Brent said, placing his hand awkwardly onto Mitch’s shoulder.
“It’s going to make things so awkward,” he said. “For so many reasons, least of which is Berkley.”
Brent sighed, knowing where he was headed. Somehow, Mitch and his girlfriend had formed a weird sort of a bond, similar to that of a brother and sister. Brent would bet anything that Berkley didn’t know Mitch and Lexie were sleeping together and that shit would hit the proverbial fan the moment she learned that little secret.
“I think you’re going to be miserable either way,” Cole told him. “But I think the lesser of two evils here is definitely to talk to her. If it doesn’t go how you hope, then you get to move past it and find someone who actually wants to be with you and not just fuck you.”
Brent and Mitch looked at Cole, stunned. Mitch turned to Brent. “Did he just give me…helpful relationship advice?”
Cole smiled and shook his head. “I know, first time for everything.”
The Fasten Seatbelt sign came on, and the pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom, announcing their descent into Toronto.
