Page 17 of Break the Rule
“I’m not bitchy,” Charlie interrupts.
“You put the B in bitch this week,” Andrew calmly replies.
Charlie opens his mouth intent to argue then promptly closes it thinking about the last week. He’s snapped at Andrew at least half a dozen times. “Ah shit, I’ve been an asshole.”
“Have beenwould imply it’s a past state.”
“Fucker,” Charlie grumbles, sitting upright so he can glare at Andrew who is smiling.
“Don’t bother apologizing,” Andrew says. “I’m used to you.”
The fight goes out of Charlie in one heavy exhale of breath. “You shouldn’t be used to people treating you shitty because they’re cranky. I’m sorry. I just get so out of sorts when this happens and I feel?—”
“Wrong.”
“Yeah.” Charlie exhales, some of his nervous energy fizzling away. “Wrong.”
“I have gossip.”
“Gossip?” Charlie perks up, criss-crossing his legs and leaning on his elbows. “About who?”
“Jason.”
“Please don’t tell me he’s got a new girlfriend. I’ll walk into oncoming traffic if I have to pretend to like one more of the type of woman he brings home. He has the worst fucking taste in women. He—what is that look on your face? What aren’t you telling me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Andrew tries. He stretches out his legs, brushing a bit of grass off his pants. “Whyis there so much nature in here? Wasn’t the point of building a studio to protect you from the elements?”
“I like nature,” Charlie replies, shoving his bare feet in Andrew’s lap just to be annoying. He might be in his thirties but the shot of dopamine he gets any time he can annoy Andrew never fails to make him smile.
“You’d fit right in living in some kind of hippie nudist colony,” Andrew says, shoving Charlie’s feet away.
“I would, but then you wouldn’t come visit me, so fuck that,” Charlie says, leaning backwards on his hands and plopping his feet in Andrew’s lap a second time. Andrew grimaces, flicking his foot before knocking it to the ground.
“If you put your ugly ass feet in my lap one more time, I’m not going to dry clean whatever shirt you ruined this week.”
“Who says I ruined a shirt?”
“Did you?” Andrew asks. “I meant to ask you before but I forgot because every time I called or came over someone was a cranky asshole.”
“Yeah, yeah, I was an asshole and yes, my silk shirt is covered in cat hair and needs the dry cleaner and yes, I can’t live without your help. Happy?”
“Very,” Andrew says, actually looking happy. Not all of Andrew’s smiles have reached his eyes lately, and it does Charlie good to see him looking genuinely pleased, even at his expense. “I’ll be happier if you come with me to Denise’s.”
“I thought you were going to meet Jason,” Charlie says, unsure why his younger brother would need to see Denise, who is not only Andrew’s personal tailor but his friend and also a woman who only tolerates Charlie because of Andrew. He and Denise have a love-hate relationship where Denise hates him and Charlie loves the attention. He also loves how much Denise adores his twin, which naturally means he wants to be around as much as possible.
“We are going to meet Jason. At Denise’s. I pulled in a favor.”
“What kind of favor? Why does Jason need to see Denise? Did his massive thighs split his suit?”
“Just a favor,” Andrew answers dismissively. “And Jason doesn’t need to see Denise, his new friend does.”
“New friend?” Charlie sits up straighter. “Jason doesn’t make new friends. Unless you count the sample people at Costco.”
“Well, he made a new friend, and this friend needs a suit to chaperone the homecoming dance with Jason next weekend.”
Charlie whistles. “That must be some big favor you called in.”
“I’ve got it handled,” Andrew says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “The point is Jason and Emerson?—”
