Chapter 6

Brandon

S omething... felt different.

I couldn’t place my finger on it, but the entire atmosphere in the apartment had changed when I got home last night. Seeing Andrew looking so at home in my bed had done something to change my perspective on things. It was no secret I wanted him there, felt he belonged, but couldn’t give in. I’d die if everything fell apart. Our friendship was too valuable to put it on the line.

After we’d finished our movie, Andrew stayed the night again, but in the morning, he finally went home. A part of me wished he never had to leave. It wouldn’t take much to convince him, but he had nothing here that belonged to him. And that was my fault. We’d discussed him having stuff there before, but after one boyfriend threw a fit when he found one of Andrew’s hoodies, it became a no-go. It felt like I wasn’t allowed to have other guy friends. Which was stupid. I somehow always picked guys who had trust issues.

Since my head was such a mess about it all, I made my way to Margaret’s, the restaurant where Chase, Daniel, and Shawn worked. The place was relatively empty between the lunch and dinner rushes, and I sat at a table to talk with Chase.

“What are you thinking about?”

Looking up at Chase, I sighed and offered a tight smile. “What else am I always thinking about?”

He was on a break, and maybe I should have stopped bothering him at work. But it was the only place where Nathan wouldn’t interfere. Was it wrong to ask him to hide this from his boyfriend? Maybe.

Chase leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. “I get it, but it’s only been two days since the last asshole exited the picture. My advice? Don’t jump into anything right away again. Give it some time. And I’ve already told you to give Andrew a chance.”

And he had said that... a few times. Chase was team Andrew all the way. All my friends were.

I drummed my fingers against the tablecloth and stared at my friend. “I want to. God... I’m scared. I feel like it’s stupid at this point.”

Chase straightened and checked his watch before patting me on the shoulder. “I need to get back to work, but there’s a reason behind why you’re so scared. Again, take some time. Get your head on straight. Talk to him.”

I nodded. I could do that... If only my heart didn’t feel like it was trying to escape my chest every time I did .

Once Chase was gone, I pulled out my phone and flipped through the contacts. Andrew worked at the pharmacy today, so I couldn’t really bother him. My parents didn’t impose strict working hours on me, which was a blessing, although having a job at all was lucky.

My thumb hovered over Joe’s contact before pulling up a text thread.

Me: I need a distraction. What are you doing today?

Joe: Where’s your man?

I huffed a laugh and rolled my eyes. Joe could be pushy.

Me: I don’t have one. You know that.

Joe: Do I?

Maybe talking to Joe was a mistake. He was a good friend and the life of the party, but he was the worst with the teasing.

Me: Forget I asked.

Joe: No. Don’t do that. I was going to piss off Nathan and bother Aiden, but I could bother you instead. I’m getting ready to head over to Seattle Center .

I mulled that over. Like Joe recognized this thing between Andrew and me, I saw his growing interest in Nathan’s little brother, Aiden.

Me: I don’t want to interrupt anything.

Joe: What are you interrupting? Aiden wanted to check something out at the International Fountain. You’re welcome to come.

I loved the fountain. It was a huge opening in the ground with a giant ball in the middle that shot out water to the beat of the music. At night, it even had lights. Kids loved going to this popular spot in the summer to cool down by running through the water. Despite the cold, the place was still worth visiting.

With the decision made to join Joe and Aiden, I grabbed my jacket and headed to the closest bus stop. Since Chase had gone back to work, things had picked up in the restaurant and I didn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye.

While expensive, the nice thing about living in the city’s heart was that it was fairly easy to get anywhere quickly. Plus, it would be good to get out while the weather held up. Once the rain started, it could hang around until late spring.

It took about twenty minutes to get to Seattle Center from my apartment and another ten minutes to find my friends. Joe sat on the rounded edge of the fountain while Aiden walked around closer to the spray with a camera in his hands, snapping pictures. He seemed so focused on what he was doing, giving Joe an unfettered view of him. Joe was so distracted that he hadn’t noticed me sitting next to him.

Joe startled and looked at me wide-eyed when I nudged his shoulder.

“When did you get here?” he asked before turning his attention back to Aiden.

I had to fight back the laugh that wanted to escape. The two of them were so obvious. Maybe Andrew and I were just as bad. It was all the more reason it was so hard to give in. The teasing would be nonstop.

“I just got here. What’s he taking pictures for?”

Joe shrugged. “I don’t know. Said he finds it relaxing.”

It was sort of cute that Joe was showing such an interest in Aiden’s hobby. Joe rarely showed interest in a lot of things outside of sex and partying. We all got along with him fairly well and he blended in with our friend group, but we knew little about his interests.

The camera suddenly turned in our direction, and it snapped a few times. I held up my hand because I wasn’t prepared to have my picture taken. Aiden frowned as he lowered the camera and then climbed the slope to where we were sitting.

“It’s no fun when you know I’m taking the pictures. Candid shots are the best.”

I smiled. “True, but don’t you need permission as well? ”

Aiden rolled his eyes and lowered his camera to his chest. “I’m not really using the photos for anything. It’s mostly for fun. I might still edit them and put them on my website.”

That seemed to get Joe’s interest. “You have a website? How come you haven’t told me about this before?”

Aiden’s cheeks turned pink and that feeling of being the third wheel washed over me like I knew it would. I tuned the two of them out as Joe got up and stood at Aiden’s side as he pulled out his phone and showed him something on it. It was probably the website.

The day was nice, sunny with a light breeze. The leaves had started changing colors, and the wind scattered them across the ground. People milled about like the temperatures hadn’t dropped drastically. Although, with the sun beating down, it wasn’t too bad.

“You aren’t afraid of heights, are you?”

Joe’s question snapped me from my thoughts. Both he and Aiden were watching me expectantly. My neck warmed realizing that they had been carrying on an entire conversation, thinking that I was paying attention.

“Why does it matter?”

Aiden laughed and pointed to the giant building behind me. “Because I was just telling Joe that I’ve never been to the top.”

Ah, the Space Needle. A lot of locals had lived in the area their entire lives and never gotten a ride on the infamous elevator. My parents had taken me there a few times when I was a little. On extra special occasions, the restaurant at the very top was their favorite place to dine.

When I was around eight, Andrew came along. I was irrationally afraid that my glasses would fall off and land on someone below, so I never got too close to the edge. It was such a weird fear, but it had stopped me from enjoying the trip. Andrew and I had gone again when we were fifteen, which had been a different experience entirely. I hadn’t been as afraid. Instead, I had been fascinated by the couple making out along the railing, and my only desire was to do the same with the boy who had come with me.

“I’ve been up there a few times. The elevator isn’t free, though.”

Joe shrugged. “My treat. Come on, let’s show Aiden.”

I stared at Joe. If anyone had it rough after school, it was him. He’d gotten his degree in business like I had, but didn’t have a game plan. His parents had said that he needed to figure out his shit because he couldn’t just move back home. His sister had taken pity on him, and he was currently living out of her basement. But Teresa was a single mom. Joe didn’t have a job. How the hell was he paying ninety dollars for all three of us to get to the top? But I didn’t question it.

Aiden grinned at Joe when Joe wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Part of me wanted to bow out and let the two of them have their space, but I needed the distraction for some reason. Something was itching at me, and I didn’t feel like scratching it right now. We made our way to the ticket booth, and I tried not to dwell on my friends and their money issues.

“ D id you know he was into photography?”

Andrew shrugged as he took another bite of nachos. He licked his fingers clean and, like an idiot, I sat and stared as each digit passed between his full pink lips.

“I mean, it’s not like we know Aiden all that well. He’s only just started hanging out with us.”

He had a point, and I tried to turn my focus back to my food. It still bothered me that Joe had spent so much money at the Seattle Center today. After the Space Needle, we’d gone over to the Pacific Science Center. I tried to pay for myself on both occasions, but he refused. He said nothing about his ability to suddenly afford expensive things. It was a little concerning.

“I’m worried about Joe.”

Andrew paused with a chip hovering over his mouth. “He knows what he’s doing with Aiden. I think he does, anyway. It’s not really any of our business. ”

I gnawed my lip for a moment and then nodded. “That’s not what I mean, though.” How did I explain it? Whenever we went anywhere, we took care of Joe. If we went to a bar, for example, we’d pay for the drinks. It’s caused problems on several occasions. “Did he get a job recently?”

Andrew raised an eyebrow and shoved the chip into his mouth. He picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, and I lamented the loss of the opportunity to watch him lick his fingers again.

“Not that I’m aware of. He hasn’t mentioned anything. Not that Joe talks about anything personal very often.”

I nodded in understanding. He wasn’t wrong.

I went back to my food, picking up a taco and taking a bite. His eyes were still on me the entire time, burning a hole in the top of my head. It wasn’t my place to bring it up, but I didn’t keep things from Andrew, either.

“He just did some unusual spending today, was all.”

Andrew’s shoulders relaxed. “Is that all?”

Is that all? That was all he had to say about the matter?

Maybe I worried about people a little more than I should sometimes, but it had been more than a little off.

“Like I said, it’s probably not important.”

I got another suspicious look before we went back to eating our dinner. It was funny how I’d gone out today to get my mind off Andrew, but then we still ended up spending the evening together. How could I get him out of my head if he was always around?