Clasping Nash’s hand firmly, I grinned at the accomplishment that ripped through my chest. The pure exhilaration of this moment couldn’t be overstated, and he smirked back before I took my eyes off him. Still shaking hands, I looked around the building I’d spent months renovating and specializing, and it was finally ready.

“Take in that smell of paint that’s never been scuffed and carpet that’s never been stained by coffee, Nick.” Nash’s sturdy timbre tickled my ears, and I took a deep, hard breath. The walls were coated in a dusty colored paint, and pristine, cream carpet coated the floors. True to his word, there wasn’t a single scuff or inlaid smell anywhere, and I held the heavy air in my lungs for a long moment. “I’m glad you invited me to this little celebration. There’s nothing more stressful than dealing with a girlfriend that was wrong about the sex of your kid. You have no idea how big a fit Natalie threw.”

Chuckling at the contrast, I shook my head before releasing Nash’s hand to down my whiskey. I hadn’t even met Natalie yet, but I could imagine she was a handful. He told me little things when we spoke on the phone, and I heaved a burning sigh.

“I bet I don’t. I’m glad you’re here, though. James and Ethan couldn’t be bothered, so it’s nice to have someone to celebrate with. I’m more than happy to take you out of Natalie’s path of destruction.” Thinking of my brothers dulled my smile, and I reached to scratch the back of my head absently. “When Ethan told me he wanted in on this venture, I thought he’d be more involved. Then again, he’s always been a lazy, little shit… so-“

“You’re damned right he’s a lazy shit, Nick. Don’t tell me you expected him to do anything more than milk this success. You’re not that naïve. He’s 22 years old, for Christ’s sake.” A grimace twisted my face, and I grunted quietly into the otherwise quiet room. Nash had a point; Ethan was young, and he didn’t feel the need to find the success James and I had. I’d always lend him money if he could make a good case for himself, which he usually did.

At least he was a sensible kid, if nothing else.

“Speaking of lazy, did you finish those financial diagnostics I asked for? I want to open this office before the summer rush.” Steering the conversation to business, I swiped the bottle Nash had brought to refill my glass. Beyond the bright, yellow lights that shone down from above the world was dark, and I moved towards the window to stare at the city. Snow was piled up on the edges of streets, but according to Nash it hadn’t actually snowed in weeks. Under my jacket my skin twitched, and I brought my glass to my lips as he came up next to me.

“Of course I did. I know how busy you get with the good weather. I’m also not taking any projects for now- Natalie’s only a month and a half from giving birth. You’ll have me all to yourself, Nicky.” Scoffing at the tease, I necked my whiskey with a lightness in my chest and a warmth settling in my gut. “But- seriously, I did. I was going to e-mail you, but Natalie couldn’t find her favorite shirt and started crying and all of that.”

“I’ve always been jealous of you.” Gazing down intently on the cityscape, I furrowed my brows at my own confession. Nash eyes rested heavily on me, and I resisted the urge to frown when I opened my mouth again. “You’ve always been good with people. Even in high school. I’m not nearly as proficient as people think I am. They look at me and all they see is a handsome guy that got lucky but didn’t do any work.”

The sudden seriousness of the conversation weighed down the air, and next to me Nash sighed heavily. Wisps of thoughts floated through my mind, and I flexed my hand into a fist. In my faint reflection my face was drawn; not even the alcohol in my system could dissuade my expression. Staring through my own eyes, I shook my head before running my hand through my hair in exasperation.

“I guess being underestimated is better than being overestimated, Nick. Since we’re sharing, I’ve always wished I could relax. Just let everything else go for a while and not worry about anything. You were really good at that in high school.” Groaning softly at the memory, I pursed my lips together as I remembered high school. Nash and I had attended the same, all boys preparatory school, but he’d been much better at it. I was already running my businesses; I didn’t have time for classes that taught what I already knew.

What Nash described as relaxation, of letting go, was just simple boredom and a need to fill that time.

“You’re going to have a daughter soon. Think of all this as practice- you’ll never be able to relax with an infant. As shitty as that sounds… I’m sure you’ll be a great father, Nash.” Speaking slowly, I lifted my glass to my lips only to pause when I saw it was still empty. Frowning deeply, I turned away from the window and my reflection to saunter to the small folding table that sat nearby. There weren’t any other furnishings in this office, and I knew that as soon as we were finished here, the table would be gone, too.

My mind worked as I refilled my glass; Nash was the only person I had ever been envious of. Everything came easy to him, which was why I went out of my way to put him on big projects. He worked fast, errorless, and when that green monster reared up inside me to prevent me from seeking his help- everything just went wrong fast.

“Tell me about it… So, where are your brothers right now, anyway? If they’re not here…?” Just like I’d never met Natalie, Nash didn’t have much experience with my brothers. Rolling my eyes at the memory of this afternoon, I downed my whiskey before setting my glass down. Three was just enough for me, I knew; I still needed to drive back to my apartment.

“They’re both at a strip club. Ethan’s a playboy, and I think James went just because he didn’t want to be here drinking and alone. Plus, the company probably looks better than our ugly asses.” We shared a laugh at that, and Nash stuck the cap back on his bottle. “These next few weeks are going to be busy… I’ve got resident managers coming in from San Francisco that were good to relocate, but I’ve still got to finish setting up the infrastructure and everything. I won’t be able to hire anyone until I do, and that’s a long list and growing. Mostly college kids… I don’t want to forsake quality, but I was thinking of hitting up your university. What do you know of it?”

“I’ve never been there, but Will has a few times for seminars and guest speeches. You should try asking him. I’m sure he’ll have no problem going with you, either- if you can get him away from Risha.” Arching an eyebrow at that, I silently waited for an explanation as Nash tapped his fingers against the tabletop thoughtfully. “I sent you the video of her-“

“Oh yeah- yeah, I remember. Aren’t they still in Utah?” The video of William and Risha flashed in my mind’s eye, and I pursed my lips together. I’d never been to a seminar, but that video had squashed any curiosity I had. Sex in public was disgraceful, degrading, and while I was glad they seemed so attracted to each other- it definitely wasn’t something I needed to watch.

“Yeah, but they come back on Thursday. William wanted to do it before Risha couldn’t handle the heat, which I understand, I guess. I wouldn’t put Nat’s ass on a plane even if a doctor signed off on it, though.”

“You mean you wouldn’t put your ass on a plane, you wimpy bitch.” Snickering at the grimace Nash sent me, I grabbed my coat from the floor with steady hands. “I’m going to call it a night. Drive safe.”

“Yeah, you too.” Heading for the elevator, I patted my pockets absently before fishing out my car keys. The cold that waited for me was sharp, so different from the other side of the country where it didn’t fall below 70 degrees. Heading down to the first floor, I rubbed my palms together in anticipation for what lay beyond the front doors.

Taking a deep, hard breath of air that cut into my lungs, I glanced around the dark streets with a twitch of my lips. The roads were getting busy now that offices were letting out, but the headlights did little to illuminate the sidewalks. Glancing down at my watch, I stared at the hands displaying 6:53p.m. before slowly making my way to the parking garage.

Give it a while and RedRocks will be the new New York, New York. The thought sent a huff of pale fog out into the atmosphere. I hated New York; the City that Never Slept was too busy for me. Time lost meaning in places like that, and now that I was 33 I wanted all the time I could get.

I was far from done with my ambitions.

My studio apartment was empty when I shuffled through the door, and my buzz beat against the backs of my eyes. Shirking my jacket, I tossed the clothing carelessly on the floor before tackling the buttons on my shirt. Silence only made the blood rushing in my ears louder, and I unbuckled my belt before sitting on my bed.

Without the sun, it felt later than it really was, and for a while I stared into space to contemplate that giant star around which civilization has obsessed. Drinking was the only time I thought about such weighty subjects, and I fell back onto my bed with a groan.

“I’ve got that early meeting tomorrow…” Mumbling into the quiet, dark room, I slowly kicked off my pants as my mind moved away from the universe. “I have to call Will… set up lodgings for my transplants…”

Crawling up to the top of my bed, I crossed my legs to fiddle absently with my phone. My days were so busy that I didn’t know what to do with myself in times like this. Glancing through my text messages, a grimace painted my face at Ethan’s name right at the top.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to come? This stripper is great…’

‘James is hogging her.’

‘This is getting boring. Come pick me up.’

Scowling down at my phone, I turned off the bright screen before setting the device on the night stand. Ethan was bored at a strip club- that was a first. Flopping onto the mattress, I stared up at the ceiling for a moment before sighing heavily.

“This is going to be a shit show…” I knew I should’ve told Ethan ‘no’, not dragged him with me across the country. Now I was paying the price. Closing my eyes, I rolled over only to hear my phone ping from a new message. Groaning loudly, I rolled over to grab my phone. The backlight was blinding, and I squinted to read my little brother’s newest message.

‘Please.’

“Fuck.” Pushing myself out of bed, I shook my head wildly before heading for the bathroom. “… Such a baby.”

Splashing water on my face, I swiped my hair back to glare at my reflection. Displeasure curled back my lip, and seconds ticked by as I watched water dribble down my cheeks through narrowed eyes. Snatching a towel, my grip was firm, and I flexed my fingers absently. I loved both my brothers, but they were a pain in my ass.

My phone rang shrilly against my ear as I put my shirt back on, and I grabbed my wallet before Ethan picked up. The music he was listening to pulsed against my skull, but it slowly dimmed before my brother spoke up.

“Next time I’m going with you. Anything is better than this. No wonder there’s only four strip clubs in town- the strippers suck.” Annoyance tinged Ethan’s voice, and I grunted quietly on the way out of my apartment. “I’m serious, Nick! This is my worst nightmare, man.”

“You need to find better nightmares, Ethan.” Stalking towards the stairs, I worked my jacket down my arm before switching my phone to my opposite ear. “Don’t think I’ll be rescuing you next time. You have to live with your bad decisions.”

“I’ll take you to lunch tomorrow. I’ll be waiting outside.” Hanging up just like that, Ethan left me more frustrated than I had been before. The air was colder than it had been, and I popped my collar as the wind sliced across my cheeks.

“Yeah- you wait on me, Ethan. And I’ll take my sweet ass time getting to you.” Finding my car in the lot, my grumbles were lost as I glanced out onto the street. The traffic was thick, barely moving, and a small, petty grin picked up the corner of my mouth.