Chapter Thirteen
Trent
Me: I can’t believe I ran out of orangutan.
I laughed when I saw what my phone autocorrected to.
Me: Oregano* Stupid phone.
I grabbed my wallet and stuffed it in my pocket, then went back to searching for my keys.
Cupcake: lol. When’s the last time you bought some?
I laughed when his name popped up as Cupcake. I’d changed it in my phone the other day just to drive him crazy, and he’d begged me to switch it back. Of course, I hadn’t, so now I got a laugh in every time his name popped up on my screen.
“Where the fuck are my keys?” I muttered to myself as I searched the living room and typed at the same time.
Me: Um… I don’t even know how I had any to begin with. It was probably left in the cabinet by the last tenant.
Cupcake: Gross. How long have you lived there?
Me: 5 rears.
When I reread my message, I almost choked on my own spit.
Me: Years* 5 years.
Cupcake: lol. That’s nasty. You really used someone else’s spices?
Me: Probably.
I picked up the boots I’d worn to work and out of habit, turned one upside down. My keys fell to the floor with a loud bang. I really should start checking my shoes first. That wasn’t the first time they’d wound up there. What the hell I’d been thinking when I threw them in my shoe, I’d never know. I grabbed my phone and sent another text.
Me: I gotta run to the store. I’m also out of olive oil.
Cupcake: Please tell me you remember buying that yourself?
Me: I don’t tell lies.
Cupcake: Seriously. Gross.
I chuckled on the way down to my car and my phone beeped again.
Cupcake: I gotta head to the store too. I’m leaving work now and stopping on my way home.
Me: Maybe I’ll see ya there?
Cupcake: Maybe ;)
I stared at the winky-face Declan sent me for way longer than I’d like to admit, trying to decide what it meant. I mean, did friends wink at each other? I sighed. Yeah, probably. It wasn’t like he’d winked at me in real life.
I jumped into my car with a sigh, then started it and made my way to the grocery store. I assumed that Declan was going to the same one we’d both gone to before, so I automatically headed that way.
After grabbing a cart, I went to the veggie area because it had a good view of one set of the doors. And I could probably stand to get a few fresh veggies, anyway. I slowly walked down each aisle, subtly checking the front doors every few seconds. When I came to the squash, I picked up a few to examine them and tried to decide whether I wanted to try cooking them or not.
Suddenly, I felt something hit my arm. I looked down and frowned at a grape on the floor. I looked up to find Declan standing there, smiling at me. After a small pause, he threw another grape at me.
“Dude. Not cool,” I said.
He chuckled. “Chill out. No one cares.”
“Pretty sure the store manager standing behind you does.”
His eyes widened and he turned around, looking for the manager that wasn’t there, and I started cracking up laughing. He turned back to look at me. “Very funny.”
“I thought so,” I said with a smile. I glanced at his cart and didn’t see anything in it. “You just get here?”
“Yeah, I got stuck in traffic.”
“Really? This late?”
“There was an accident blocking two lanes on 695, so everything was backed up.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah.” He grabbed and bagged two squash, placed them in my cart, then bagged two more and put them in his. “I’ll send you an easy recipe for these, if that’s why you’ve been standing there, staring at them for ten minutes.”
“I was not staring at them for ten minutes.”
“I saw you through the window when I got out of my car.”
“So you’re spying on me now?”
He smirked. “Yep.”
I sighed. “Well, if I had to have a secret agent following me around, at least you’re good-looking. And helpful.” I waved at my cart as he placed an onion in it.
He laughed. “Uh huh. So what are you planning on cooking tonight?”
“I dunno. I might just do some ramen or something since it’s so late and my stomach is practically eating itself already.”
“You really eat that stuff?”
“It’s delicious.”
He wrinkled his nose. “If you say so.”
“I do.” I pushed my cart behind him as he walked down the next aisle. “What about you?”
“Maybe some pasta. I have some sauce leftover from the other night, and I don’t want to be up all-night cooking, so that’ll be the easiest thing.”
“That sauce you made from scratch?”
“Yep.” He glanced at me for a moment, then asked, “Do you want to come over and try some? Kade’s staying at his girlfriend’s tonight, so I’ll just be eating by myself. Plus, it’ll save you from the terrible task of cooking ramen.”
“No dissing the ramen, dude.” Without even thinking about it, I said, “And, sure. If you’re sure you want me to.”
He shot me a smile that reached his eyes. “Yeah, I want you to. Do you have a lot you need to get?”
It took me a moment to understand the random subject change, but I ended up saying, “Nah. I just need to grab the oregano and olive oil.”
“Cool. Let’s grab that and head out.”
I nodded and pushed my cart, following behind him. When he’d said he was coming here too, I hadn’t expected to actually get to hang out with him tonight. I thought we’d maybe chat for a minute, then head our separate ways to shop. And now, here I was, following behind him as he threw shit I didn’t need into my cart the whole way to the spice aisle.
When he grabbed two bottles of thousand island dressing and set them in my cart, I raised a brow in question to him. He shrugged and said, “You told me the other day you ran out, and you put that shit on everything.” Just on some stuff.
“True. Grab another bottle.”
He chuckled and threw in a third. “Ready, Little Jalapeno?”
I blinked at him for a moment, surprised he was still using that ridiculous nickname for me, before snorting out a laugh. “Sure thing, Cupcake.”
He groaned, but couldn’t hide the amusement in his eyes.
After checking out, following him back to his apartment and throwing my cold stuff in his fridge, I found myself sitting on his couch, eating the most delicious pasta ever and watching TV. Or I was supposed to be watching it. In truth, I kept getting distracted by the man on the other side of the couch. Every time he laughed or said something about the show, I found myself watching him instead of the TV. He seemed so different when it was just the two of us. It was like he only let the outside world see a small piece of him; the small, controlled, aloof side, the guy that only cared about himself. He put that front on for everyone else. That was the side I’d seen for years. He distanced himself from everyone around him. But now, when he was with me, he seemed more open, freer. He laughed and smiled more easily. He seemed to relax and almost forget to put up that wall. He was himself around me. And it was absolutely gorgeous. I felt honored to even see that side of him.
Before I left his place, he asked, “You’re still coming over on Saturday, right?”
I smiled at that. “Of course.”
“Great.” His smile lit up his face, and I couldn’t help but pull him into a quick hug. Before he pulled away completely, I kissed his cheek. I smiled and waved as I walked out the door.
When I got home, I was surprised to find Evan sitting on the steps in front of my apartment building. When I walked up to him, I couldn’t help but notice how rumpled his appearance was.
“Hey, ER, wanna come up?”
“Yeah.” He stood and tucked his hands in his pockets, but couldn’t keep himself from fidgeting and bouncing his knees.
I walked us through the building to my apartment and as soon as we went in, I asked, “Did you eat dinner?”
He cringed a little, and I already knew the answer.
“I’ll put in a frozen pizza. Gimme a minute.” I went into my kitchen and set up the pizza before walking into my living room where Evan was sitting on my couch. I took him in, now that we were in the light, and he looked even worse than I’d initially thought. Not only were his clothes rumpled, they were dirty, and his hair was greasy. And the fact that he wasn’t really talking much was a sign that something was really off with him. I blew out a breath. “Hey, ER, where have you been staying?”
He cringed again and looked at the floor as he mumbled, “My car.”
“Well, not anymore, you’re not.” He looked up at me with raised brows, but I just smiled and said, “I have a sofa bed.” I pointed to the couch he was sitting on. “So you can sleep here. I also have a shower and some extra clothes and stuff, if you need any.”
He stared at me for a long time. “I didn’t come here for a handout.”
“I know you didn’t. But you’re my brother, and I have the extra space, so why not take advantage of it? Plus, I’d love to be able to catch up with you some more. You’ve been away for too long.”
He looked at the floor, pondering for so long that the timer buzzed for the pizza, so I got up to get that set. When I brought out a few slices on a plate and set it in front of him, he looked at me and asked, “Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely,” I said without hesitation.
He blew out a deep breath. “Thank you, Trent.”
I leaned over and pushed his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, little bro.” I pointed at the plate. “Eat up. There’s more in the kitchen. Once you finish, I can set up the couch while you shower, but help yourself to whatever you want.”
He stared at me for a few long, tense seconds before getting up and pulling me into a hug. I squeezed him back, even though I could tell he needed to shower. When he let me go, I said, “I wish you would’ve said something sooner, Ev. You should’ve told me.”
“I was embarrassed.”
“We’re family, ER, there’s nothin’ to be embarrassed about.”
He sent me a small smile, then picked up his pizza and engulfed it.