1. Dax

Chapter one

Dax

"You are the best thing to ever walk into my life and I'll be damned if I ever let you leave it."

10 years later

"Wake up, fucker. We're opening the store earlier today, remember," a deep voice shouts from the landing, followed by continuous banging against the bedroom door.

This isn't the way I imagined waking up on a Saturday morning.

It's moments like these that I ask myself why I thought going into business with my brother – who's an idiot I may add – seemed like such a good idea? But if I was to list the reasons why, I'd be here for at least a week.

Since we opened the record store, Tyler has proven he's exceptionally good at two things – number one, driving me insane. And number two, sleeping about with anyone and everyone he can and not attempting to be quiet about it. He has never been quiet in regard to his lifestyle, and he has never been ashamed of what he enjoys. Girls are lucky to get a call back from him the day after, and I'm lucky if I get a decent night's sleep. Part of me assumed, since it was the weekend, he'd be off on his latest conquest, followed by every excuse possible as to why he was at the shop late, but instead, he's the one up early and organised.

How times have changed.

Quickly tumbling out of bed, I reach over to turn off the alarm, which is no longer needed after my rude awakening. Feeling exhausted and still half asleep, I eventually manage to grab the closest T-shirt, in hopes it still smells clean enough to last another day. I proceed to get dressed in the same clothes I wore yesterday, because let's face it, who has time to wash and dry their clothes anyway?

After walking downstairs rocking the ‘rolled out of bed and put on whatever items of clothing I could find' look, I leisurely make my way towards the front door.

Owning a shop with my brother has been an interesting experience, one I never had any intention of doing when we were younger. Life had always seemed like some form of competition with him, and any chance he got to throw that he was older in my face, he took.

It wasn't until we lost Mum that we really started to understand each other, realising we were more alike than we would have thought, and he quickly became my best friend, not just my brother.

People often find it hard to process the fact that we are brothers. Ty has always had a wild personality with a loud sense of humour, whereas I am quieter and prefer to be on my own. He has always enjoyed making jokes, while I on the other hand, have always been the complete opposite.

"Finally, sleeping beauty. Are you ready to go?" Tyler questions, staring me down.

Without making an effort to respond, I instead decide to do what annoys him the most, stare back at him.

He has always had a boisterous personality, it's what draws people in. I've gotten used to it, but to others, he's too much and they quickly realise it's a lot to handle and so, they leave.

I guess people can't handle the Whitmore brothers.

And for those who don't feel that way about Tyler, they only hope he'll charm them into his bed, or theirs.

Work together, live together. That's the way we've been since I got back from university.

Sometimes I regret my decision to start this business venture with him, but then I remember that we're all each other has, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Ty managed to fix me when I never realised I needed fixing, so as much as he may drive me crazy at times, I owe him everything.

Sliding my feet into my trainers, I lace them up before grabbing my beanie from the side unit kept by the door. I'm ready in minutes and already making my way outside before him.

The drive to work is, as always, insufferable. But with clouds darkening the skies this morning, I felt it was best for me to get a ride in the car instead of taking the bike. Ty had already guessed this would be my decision, because as soon as he climbed in the driver seat, he was leaning over to open the passenger door for me to follow. Not wanting to upset His Highness, I quickly run around to meet him, coming to a halt before climbing inside to take off my beanie and fix my hair in the rearview mirror.

"Sometimes I wish we had moved somewhere warmer than here. Do you think it's too late to sell everything and move abroad? One day soon, the sun needs to come out and make an appearance."

"It's too early to be listening to you complaining, Ty."

"But you're the only one who will. It's not my fault I hate the miserable weather. Makes me feel miserable too."

Many people hate that about living here. The weather can change from one extreme to the other with no warning. But me? I find myself being able to relate to the quick change. How in no time, the weather will go from continuous rain to instant sunshine.

It allows me to feel grounded.

The beginning of Linkin Park's "In the End" starts to fill the car, I lay my seat back and get lost to the lyrics, zoning out from my surroundings, and focusing on the greenery outside the window I've become accustomed to seeing on my daily route to work.

After a gloomy morning, the weather took a turn and the sun made an appearance. We're both grateful when the sun decides to show, days tend to go quicker in the shop when they are full of life and bodies coming from the high street. Those living in the village started leaving their houses, and before we knew it, lunch time was on the clock, which meant one thing, coffee . From the moment Tyler and I viewed this store, I knew it was going to be ours. Mostly because I took one look at the coffee store next door and knew it was the one. No second thoughts.

After moving back from university, both of us decided it would be a good time for change. The place our mum grew up and loved as much as us seemed like the best place to be. We had nothing holding us back at home, both feeling it was time for a new adventure – moving back here was the obvious choice. Not only were we familiar with the surroundings, but I had more memories here than I could count, and none of them were bad. I thought this would be the best place for me to be, the thought of this town made me smile more than most things did nowadays.

When I first suggested the idea to Ty, he didn't even have to think about it, he agreed straight away. University was never in the cards for him, he always argued he was too pretty to be the brains of the family, which left him staying at home while I went to study – one of us needed some knowledge if we wanted to run a successful business.

So instead, while he spent his time partying and chasing anyone who caught his attention, I spent my time focusing on my degree, which would in turn give us the stability we needed. I enjoyed university for the most part but was thankful when it was over. As much as I enjoyed the knowledge I was taking in, the lifestyle and everything that came with it wasn't for me. I often found myself feeling overwhelmed and ended up making every excuse possible not to attend socials like my other course mates and housemates did. However, one thing that completely caught me off guard while studying for a business degree – getting my heart broken. But I guess that's karma's way of telling me I shouldn't have let someone in after spending so much time alone. No matter how much I tried to ignore Jae, the green of his eyes captured me from the first moment I looked into them. I had never had so much interest in anyone or anything as I had with him.

I could argue that he had compelled me or hypnotised me in some way, but those green eyes, so similar to emeralds, offered me more security than I had ever been given before. Without a thought or moment of hesitation, I knew they were the ones I wanted to look into every day.

And I still would if I could.

Walking into Cee's next door, the aroma of coffee invades my senses, and I am instantly indebted for the welcome it offers me. Cee's quickly became a home away from home when we moved into town.

We quickly learnt Cee knew our mum in her younger years, and the news of her passing hit him as hard as it hit us. He explained he tried to contact us to see if he could be of any help, but after multiple attempts, he couldn't find us, and was thrilled when we finally managed to cross paths. Apparently, Mum worked in the coffee shop before Ty was born, and Cee told us many stories which had us laughing as though we'd witnessed them ourselves. We grew up without a Grandad, but to us, blood didn't matter, and Cee quickly became family.

"Coffee is in the pot! Help yourself, son."

His booming voice breaks through the noisy chattering of customers, and I turn in its direction. Cee is waiting on a couple at a table as he faces me with a smile. Despite how busy he always is, it never fades, and his laughter is always heard throughout the café. It isn't unusual to be this busy on a weekend, but whether there are ten customers or two, his grin never fades and his laughter is never absent. "Hey, old man, sit down. I've got it," I say, helping him with the multiple plates he's got in hand.

Sometimes when the café is bustling with people, me or Ty will help out. As a way of showing his gratitude, he always sends us out the door with a warm drink in one hand and a pastry in the other, swearing that he's fine and doesn't need the help. That old man is as stubborn as they get.

After most of the customers clear out and there isn't much to do, I leisurely stroll around the back of the counter, glancing around for anything else that needs to be done. When I don't notice anything else, I start the coffee machine and make two coffees to take back to the shop with me.

My coffee order has remained the same ever since I started drinking it.

Black, two sugars.

The smell of coffee beans brings me some comfort while I wait for it to brew, bringing back memories of the one person who managed to break through my walls.

Maybe that explains why I'm so obsessed with it.