Chapter 3

~Justin

I asked Gabe what Royce told him about me without thinking. I"m an idiot. That"s not something I want to know.

"Nothing much, mostly that he would send you over," Gabe says but I can tell I made him suspicious by asking that, made it seem like I have something to hide and Royce knows about it.

"I don"t have much job experience," I say stupidly to try and cover up what I was really worried about.

"I"m sure you"ll do fine. Most of your job is shopping and ordering in," Gabe says.

He"s not fretting about it because this job is just charity to him. I"m the one who"s tying myself into knots over it. All last night I was thinking how I just wouldn"t show up this morning.

I never sleep much anyway, but I actually slept for five minutes just before dawn. When that happens I usually get hit by nightmares, but this time it was a weird dream about Gabe stroking my hair. It"s even weirder how nice it felt.

Then I woke up gasping, looking around for him, reaching out for him like he was really there. What the hell is wrong with me that I"m dreaming about a dude stroking my hair, and liking it? And not just any dude, my stepbrother. Today that"s making me even more uncomfortable and jittery around Gabe.

I don"t know if Gabe is gay, but I"m not. It"s just what every other guy wants me to be whether I agree or don"t. I have no interest in anyone. I"m just dead inside.

After that weird dream this morning, I"ve been so mixed up and disoriented. I forgot to bring my switchblade with me though I"ve always carried it since... But maybe I shouldn"t have it at work anyway.

Just having a job is strange to me, but being at Gabe"s is even more like I"m in some weird dream. The penthouse with the huge view showing me the whole city, it"s unreal.

I"m trying to make sense of why I"m here working for a guy who can hire someone way better than me. I can"t wrap my head around it.

Why did my stepbrother give me this job? I know why I accepted. Because of Royce and straight up desperation, just grabbing hold of the only lifeline that was thrown my way, a lifeline I didn"t even know I wanted. But Gabe is a mystery to me.

On top of that he"s my stepbrother. I can"t get over that. It"s too weird. It would be weird for Gabe too if he knew what I thought we would be doing when we met. I need to stop thinking about that. It was just a misunderstanding, and I bet that"s why I had that weird dream.

As far as the job goes, Gabe was pretty clear that he was leaving it up to me to just fumble through. Except I don"t know how to take care of myself. How the hell am I supposed to know what a rich guy needs or wants? It"s like he expects me to read his mind.

That"s why I"m just winging it. If he doesn"t like it, it will be his own fault. I look through the kitchen, make a list, go shopping. Of course, I could have had everything delivered but then I would be stuck at Gabe"s, finding myself stuff to do.

I come back with more dishes than he probably needs and pots and pans since he didn"t have any. With only old takeout containers in his fridge, I don"t know if he needs pots and pans, but a kitchen is supposed to have that stuff so I got it.

Putting away what I bought, I still don"t believe this is a real job. It feels like I"m just going through the motions until Gabe figures out I can"t cut it and fires me. Wanting to do a solid for a stepbrother he never met only goes so far. He won"t put up with me for long.

The phone Gabe gave me is all set up with store apps all of them signed into Gabe"s account plus payments. I"m probably taking over for someone who had this job before. Whoever it was, I bet they knew what they were doing, unlike me.

I spent Gabe"s money pretty recklessly getting all high end stuff. It"s not like I"m going to max out the accounts of a guy who owns a place like this.

Sometimes I hear him talking on the phone about millions and millions of dollars like it"s nothing. It makes me wonder what I"m doing here even more.

Staring at the amazing view out the glass doors, I end up going out on the balcony. It feels like I"m sneaking out here, but it"s more like a rooftop garden. Small trees in pots and whole rows of plants.

It kind of feels like I could escape out here, but I"m supposed to be working not staring at the view. When I order lunch, I decide to set it up outside on a table. I do it without asking then I go to the doorway of Gabe"s office.

"I have lunch out on the balcony," I tell him.

"Terrace," he corrects me. When he sees his lunch, he frowns. He said he didn"t care what I ordered so I got some spring rolls from a Thai place. "Where"s yours? I did tell you to order things for you too."

"I wasn"t hungry," I tell him and he glares at me.

"I guess we"re sharing. Please sit," he says and splits his lunch with me.

"I thought it would be nice to eat out here, and it is," I say.

"Yes. I wish I could enjoy it," Gabe says with a bitter smile. "Feel free to use the terrace as much as you like."

I nod but say, "I"m supposed to be working."

"You don"t have to be doing something every second," Gabe informs me. "When I need something, I"ll let you know. Until then relax."

Like I can relax, but I do see some leaves that fell from the trees and bushes. I can keep things clean out here and keep myself busy.

We have both gone quiet and it makes me antsy. I glance over at Gabe. He"s sitting very still, looking far into the distance. He"s not seeing the view. His eyes are way too sad for that.

I almost ask him who is it that he lost, but the last thing I would want is someone asking me that question, so I leave him alone, stay quiet and just keep him company.