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Sixty-Five
BJ
Henry and I are sitting at The Guinea Grill over on Burton Place.
Our favourite pub, but we don’t get here much because Parks says she can’t be seen in anything close to a public house. The last time I took her to one she just sat there disinfecting her hands and all nearby surfaces with a little bottle of Carex.
“How’s it going with you and Taurs?” I nod at him with my chin.
He flops back in his chair a bit. Exhausted.
“I’m over it, man.” He shakes his head. “It’s too much.”
“What happened to that Georgia girl?”
“Yeah.” He shrugs. “She’s cool. Super smart. Obviously crazy hot. She reads people, she’s like a little wizard with people’s faces — which is fucking sick except that she knew the night I brought her to yours that I was in love with Taura.”
“Ah.” I nod. Sniff a laugh.
“Said she didn’t mind and kept hanging out for a bit, but I don’t know. It’s not fun to feel see-through.”
“Are you and Jo okay?”
Henry tilts his head, unsure.
“Yeah? I don’t know.” He shrugs. “It gets weirder and harder by the day.”
“Have you talked about it at least?”
My brother shrugs. “A bit. Mostly that we just don’t want to be you and Christian 2.0.”
I sniff a laugh. “These girls, man.”
He shakes his head and gives me a look. “We’ve gotta get out of London.”
Henry runs both his hands through his hair, stressed. Shakes his head like he can shake it off.
“You and Parks, what’s the go there? Anything new?”
I give him a rueful look. “Still haven’t told her.”
Henry smiles but it’s annoyed.
“I love you, man,” Henry tells me. “You’re my best friend — don’t tell Christian.”
I sniff a laugh.
“So when I say this, I’m saying it because I love you—”
Here we go. I roll my eyes.
“But what the fuck are you doing?”
It’s a fair question at this point, actually.
Been waiting on it a while. Wondered when my little brother would go big brother on my arse. Try to straighten me out.
“I tried to tell her at Al’s.” I drum my Young’s London Original. Fruity on the top, bitter at the end.
