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Wyatt
Lukas:I’m sorry
Lukas:What can I do to make things right?
Lukas:We’re brothers
Lukas:Please talk to me
Iwished I hadn’t read my brother’s messages Monday morning because they’d put a damper on what had otherwise been one of the best days of my life. Needing to get out of my own head, I rang Cole.
Although it was a little after seven, the guy would already be awake, most likely halfway through his daily workout.
“Hey, man. What’s up? Nervous about tonight’s book signing?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “No. I’m calling about Lukas. And Everly.”
There was a rustling on the other end of the line, and I could picture Cole hopping off the treadmill. “What happened? Did you talk to her?”
“Ev and I went on a tarantula hike yesterday, and—”
“You did what?” Cole laughed. “The connection must be bad down here because I could have sworn you just said a tarantula hike, and I know for a fact you faint at the sight of spiders. Even itsy bitsy ones that climb up the water spout.”
Hilarious.
I told Cole about my date with Everly: about Mountain Man Graham, holding a tarantula, and our talk on the hill. And then I told him about the kiss, the one that shook me to my core and rocked me from the inside out.
“Wow.” A bell dinged in the background, suggesting that Cole had just caught the elevator. He’d left our building’s basement gym and was moments away from our apartment, where he’d make himself one of those disgusting green concoctions he drank every morning.
“And now Lukas keeps insisting that I talk to him.”
“What are you going to do? The guy’s a jerk, but he is your brother.”
And therein lay the problem. What Lukas did was hurtful, selfish, and all kinds of messed up. But he was also the only family I had left.
A bell dinged again, and I imagined Cole walking to our door. “Whatever you end up doing, make sure you protect what you have with Everly.”
I grinned. “For someone who doesn’t do relationships, your dating advice is surprisingly spot on.”
“I know. That’s why you called me. I recognize something special when I see it. Seize the moment, Wyatt, and see where it takes you. Do everything in your power to make the relationship work.”
My shoulders slouched and I leaned back in my chair. “It’ll be tough after FanCon.”
“Why?”
His question caught me off guard.
“What do you mean, why? The answer’s obvious. I’ll be back in Oakland. Long-distance relationships are hard.”
“Why come back then?”
Now I was annoyed. “For you, for starters. We’re roommates.”
Cole laughed again. “No offense, but that’s a load of crock, and we both know it. I can find another roommate, easy. We live right next to a college; there’s a bunch of students here desperate for affordable housing.”
Wow. Impressive loyalty.
“Look, you’re a great guy, Wyatt. My best friend, in fact. But I’m a big boy, so I don’t need you here. And you don’t need to be here to write a novel or draw a webcomic.”
