I looked up flights home again, but nothing had changed since that morning. I hadn’t been lying when I said the only one wasn’t until midnight, but I didn’t tell them it would cost close to a thousand dollars to change. Or that I was just one click away from confirming when they knocked.
The confirmation button glared at me, daring me to press it. I called my sister, Lena, instead.
“Hey, what’s up?” She sounded busy.
“Is this a bad time? I can call back,” I said.
“No. Fuck you. What’s up?”
“I had it out with Miles.”
“Oh, yeah!?” It sounded like she sat down or turned something off in the background. “What did you say? What did he say? What did the guys say when you said what you said?”
I had to laugh. I should’ve called her instead of shame-sturbating in the shower.
“No, it wasn’t a big deal. But we cursed each other out, and he called me a shitty brother.”
Lena cackled. “Fucking balls on him! Oh my god, I can’t even.”
“Yeah. It didn’t feel great.”
Her voice softened like our mother’s did. “I bet, Ry. That’s super shitty of him. Why don’t you just come home? I don’t know why you went in the first place.”
“I was about to. But Miles sent Finn and Tyler to not-apologize, and Tyler offered to switch rooms with me. So I stayed, and now I’m rooming with Finn.”
“Ohhhhh. Okay. So, I guess the mission is still on? Any progress?”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “It’s not a mission. Just a joke. I didn’t even think you’d remember it, but… I did touch his dick on the jet ski.”
“Woooo!” She screeched through my phone speakers. “Mission revenge fuck the best man is alive and well!”
“Don’t call it that.” I used my serious, big brother voice.
“Sorry, mission fuck the best man ‘cause your brother is an asshole who asked, thenun-askedyou to be his best man, is alive and well.”
“I’m not gonna fuck him, Lena. What I did was already fucked up enough.”
“Wait, why? Finn’s been in love with youforever.Why was it fucked up?”
“Because he’s straight,” I said, and Lena laughed. “Even if he’s not… that wasn’t right of me. I would’ve freaked the fuck out if someone did that to me when I was in the closet.”
That was the understatement of the century. Had some guy, even someone I beat off thinking about, tried to come onto me when I was in the closet, I’d have wrecked his face. Finn didn’t. He indulged, but I still should’ve had a conversation with him about it first. I could’ve been so wrong. Iwasso wrong.
“Oh, get a fucking grip, Ry. Remember that time Mom made a joke about Finn being Miles’s brother-in-law one day? And he got all red in the face and stuttered until Mom said too bad that I had a boyfriend, or whatever she said, and he realized she was talking about me, not you?”
I remembered that vacation. Finn had tagged along. I was almost out of college, so they must have been seniors, and Lena was a junior. The look on Finn’s face was hilarious. And adorable.Fuck, why was he so goddamn cute?
“Either way, just trust me, it wasn’t right, and I need to apologize.”
“Okay, fine. Abort mission.” I could almost hear her eye roll. “But that doesn’t mean what Miles did wasn’t horrible. He’s still a major dick. If it’s not clear, you’re obviously the better brother.”
That hit me harder than it probably should’ve. My throat constricted, and I said, “Thanks, Le. Love you.”
“No problem. Love you too.” She inhaled. “So, are you gonna come home? Need a ride from the airport?”
“No, I need to say sorry to Finn. And I’m gonna make things right with Miles. I kinda did this morning, but reallymean it. It is his bachelor party—” Lena made a wrenching noise. “—and I want him to have a good time. He may be a dick, but he’s still my brother, and I love him.”
“See? That’s why you’re the better brother.”
