Chapter 20

CHAPTER

TWENTY

SANTOS

T he morning after my sister's wedding should be a restful one. I'm mildly hungover, but I'm mostly dehydrated—having epic sex with your long-time crush will do that. As I lay in his bed, I take in his gorgeous face as he slumbers. His black hair is disheveled, and I've never seen a more perfect human. The two of us feel solid, and it would take an army to get me to stay away from this man.

Right now, however, the cacophony of pots and pans is prying us apart. What gives?

I get up, slide on my underwear and trousers, and then fish out my phone. Damn, it's almost ten. While I don't have anything to do today, I'm irked that Natie is getting such a loud awakening.

Natie grumbles and sits up. He yawns, and I try not to check out his naked body sitting on the sheets. Eh, who am I kidding? Natie looks delectable no matter the time of day.

"Get up, you two." The serene moment is shattered by a knock at the door and the unmistakable voice of Johnny.

Natie frowns, and I shrug while grinning. He wipes the sleep from his eyes and pads over to the door. After hiking up his boxers, he opens the door just a crack. I'm behind it—I'd rather not let the brother of the guy I'm dating see my morning-after-sex shirtless body.

"What do you want?" Natie croaks.

"Come on, we're having breakfast," Johnny states like it's a fact.

"Seriously? We…I just woke up."

"You're having breakfast with us, that's final. Both of you."

Natie glances at me, alarm in his eyes. I stifle a laugh; I'm simply satisfied the protective older brother has accepted me already.

"You and Firass made breakfast?"

"We made a lot, coffee included." Natie grunts and scratches his ass, and Johnny continues, "Now both of you, go shower or whatever. The boys will be here soon with empanadas."

"What?" My boyfriend's eyes dart to me behind the door, and my smile drops.

"The boys! Your boys. The Single Gamer's Society. We invited them over for board games and brunch."

Several minutes and one quick shower later, I walk into the kitchen toward the friendly noise. Their cottage is such a contrast to my apartment where I'm always alone and silent. But as I approach, I recognize the distinct voices of Hamadi, Dylan, and Firass, in addition to another male voice.

Natie is chatting with Johnny at the kitchen table, pointing at a newspaper. Next to Johnny, Firass rubs his back and looks over at the paper, then freezes when he sees me. Hamadi, Andres, Dylan, and a dude I haven't met all quiet down when I approach. Other than Natie, they're all dressed in casual clothes, like they're going to a party. I suppose, in a sense, a brunch with friends is a gathering of sorts.

I look down at my pants from last night and the white tank top that Natie let me borrow. So much for good first impressions.

"Hi, Santos!" Dylan exclaims.

"'Sup, man?" Hamadi nods his head.

"Morning," Andres says with a wave.

I scratch my neck and approach apprehensively. The kitchen's mostly quiet and all eyes are on me. Be cool, Santos, this is the second time you're meeting Natie's crew, so impress them, dammit.

I meet and greet Dylan's large Filipino boyfriend, Vil, then sit down next to Natie. Andres proceeds to detail the Uruguayan baked goods he's made while Johnny pours out drinks. Dylan describes the hashbrowns he brought, and Hamadi and Firass get into a debate on what the superior breakfast potato forms are. I nod along, with not much to add to the conversation.

I take in the idiosyncrasies of the tight-knit group: Andres knows a great deal about baked goods and gravitates toward Johnny. Hamadi says things that don't quite make sense. This irks Firass, whom I've always known to enjoy spouting facts and evidence. Dylan is chipper, and I count seven silver rings on his hands. Vil is demure, like me, but won't stop smiling at Dylan.

And the guy next to me attempts to be a peacekeeper for his buddies. The same beautiful man who incessantly plays with my fingers underneath the table.

I eat eggs and breakfast empanadas and listen to this crew of oddball gamers bicker. I smile and nod, chiming in minimally, but I'm never made to feel like an outsider. This brunch resembles an unofficial welcoming party for me—I think I'm the final member of this crew.

Natie strokes my palm and shares a secret smile with me. In that moment, a single, significant thought strikes me—I'm finally at peace. All the drama with my dad does nothing to outweigh all the success I've amassed in six months. I came back to my hometown to start a new business and help my baby sister get married; both of those missions were accomplished. Now that I'm reflecting on my time here, I know I've found something of immeasurable value; I've found a home. I know we've only officially started dating recently, but I can't see myself leaving Natie.

When brunch is over, the eight of us quickly clean up. Clearing the table is easy when people like Hamadi and Vil eat their body weight in carbs. Andres and Hamadi walk out to return some bags to their car while the others disperse. Just as I load the last dish in the dishwasher, I overhear Johnny telling Firass and Natie to get lost.

When I approach them, the brothers Shiba are bickering. "But we can all do something together," Natie says.

"No, you boys have fun." Johnny rubs Firass's shoulders. "Single Gamer's Society or whatever."

"Fun how?" Natie asks. Firass turns back to me in confusion, but I'm no help.

"Dylan, show them," Johnny announces.

Dylan walks down the corridor with a box in his hands. "I did get the new expansion for Spirit Island." He turns to Vil and cringes like it's a bomb that might go off. "But only if you don't mind."

Vil chuckles. "I'm crap at board games, Big D, you know that."

"You are not. You're a winner in every way," Dylan retorts. They lean in and rub their noses together with a giggle. Are Natie and I this off-putting?

"Regardless, you go have fun with your boys, Big D," Vil says.

"Ooh, new Spirit Island." Hamadi returns and stretches his arms out. "Gimme gimme," he sings with an endearing eagerness.

"But what will you guys do?" Dylan asks.

"We're going to go outside and chill at the picnic table. It's a beautiful day, right, Andres?" Johnny taps Andres's shoulder and approaches me.

"Right." Andres nods.

"I'll get some beer. Let's let these boys play their game. You don't mind, right Santos?" He walks up to me, grasps my deltoid, and I gulp. I'm getting those overprotective older brother vibes again.

"Uh…n-n-no. Don't mind."

"Johnny…" Natie says in a warning tone.

"Don't worry, bro." Vil taps Natie on the chest. "I won't let him torture your boy."

Natie brushes the spot that Vil tapped then eyes me warily. Next, he turns to see his friends already setting up the game. If I know Natie, he assuredly wants to partake in the game, but doesn't want to abandon me. I decide to vindicate him from this conundrum.

"You go have fun. We'll b-b-be outside."

We exchange smiles before he turns and darts to the living room. "I call the new characters!" he chirps.

"You can't take them all!" Hamadi retorts.

With that, the remaining four of us walk out of the house into the warm spring air.

Soon enough, I'm seated on a bench next to Johnny. Andres and Vil are on his right, and we all stare out at the marina. The sun gloriously reflects on the ocean, and there's nary a cloud in the sky. I always took living in a Connecticut beach area for granted. I ought to go swimming one day. Maybe Natie will come with me.

We sip our beers in silence. As someone who has found difficulty in making non-superficial friendships, this is an enjoyable affair. There's no pressure to fill the quiet void, and I'm becoming fond of them already. I hope we can have hangouts like these for years to come.

"So, what are you going to do about your dad?" Johnny asks. No one's looking at me, so I turn back out to the marina.

"I don't know, honestly." I sip and think it over. I've prayed for him to stay away, but a minuscule piece of my heart houses a remnant of affection for him. "I suppose we'll v-v-visit him in jail or whatever."

"Jail?" Vil asks. "What happened?"

I dictate the truncated version of the events prior to the wedding. "Johnny played hero," I say in a facetious tone.

"It was actually all Natie's idea." We exchange glances, then Johnny turns away again. "My brother is quite protective of you."

Be still my heart . "Oh. A-a-alright. Still, thanks for that."

"Don't mention it." He takes a sip, and we're silent again. "So, what are your intentions with my brother?"

My face flushes, and Vil breaks out laughing. Andres turns and says, "Dude, you said you were gonna be cool to Santos!"

"I am being cool!" He raises his hands, and the four of us crack up in amusement. "I'm just trying to make innocent small talk."

"Power down, Shiba," Andres chides.

After another minute, we relax and I soak up the springtime sunshine. I can faintly hear the boys inside causing a ruckus over the board game. This is my life now, and I'll treasure every moment.

I glance over at Andres and Vil. "You know, I d-d-don't have many guy friends."

"Really?" Vil asks, looking at me.

"Same," Andres replies.

"You guys should come to my gym. A bunch of us are queer dudes, and we're good people," Vil says.

"Thanks. I'd love to check it out," I reply with a smile.

Johnny sips his beer. "My best friends are my boyfriend and my little brother, which is kind of pathetic."

"It's not pathetic. Natie's the best," I reply softly.

Johnny turns and studies me for a moment. "You're really serious about this relationship, huh?"

I gulp and ponder my words wisely. "I haven't found any part of Natie that I don't like. So yes, I'm going to k-k-keep seeing him."

"Aw, that's sweet," Vil says, smiling at me.

"That is sweet. Natie is deserving of the real deal, "Andres adds. He looks at Johnny and slaps his arm. "Be nice," he warns.

Johnny raises his hands. "I am nice!" He turns back to me and raises his bottle. "I guess…if you two are serious about each other then…welcome to the group, Santos."

I gladly clink my bottle with his and hum in contentment. I just received the older brother's blessing, for real this time. It's thrilling knowing all these guys have my back.

"Hey, Johnny, tell Santos about the time you had to pretend to be boyfriends with a certain someone," Andres teases.

"Wait, what? I don't think I've heard this story!" Vil exclaims. Johnny covers his face and we're all laughing at the impending anecdote.

With the ease of being friends with these fellows, I think I'm going to enjoy being a part of the Boyfriends-of-the-not-so-Single Gamer's Society.