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"And while we’re at it, let's eat in the living room and watch TV or something."
He rapidly blinked at me as if he wasn't sure what to say, and I quickly retreated.
"No, it's fine. We don't have to do that. I'll let you know when the pizza is here and you can grab a slice and go to your office or something."
He shook his head. "No, we can watch TV."
When had we become like this? There had been a time when Gabe and I were thick as thieves. He was the one who'd convinced mum and dad to let me go to school in the States, instead of going to Oxford or Cambridge. He’d suggested that the freedom would be good for me, give me a chance to grow up outside of Rogues and provide me with opportunities that didn't involve training nonstop.
It wasn't that our mum and dad had been taskmasters; it was that I saw Rogues as my whole life. Everything I did, I looked at from the lens of the Rogues legacy. It was everything I wanted to be, everything I aspired to be, and Gabe had thought I needed perspective.
He was right. Going to school in the States at my mum's alma mater, having friends, that had felt like real life. Until it hadn't.
Gabe studied me long and hard. "Come on. Let's put this away."
We packed up the leftovers silently in the kitchen, and then he followed me to the living room after grabbing a beer for himself.
"Oh, look at you, living life on the edge."
He smiled at the Stella Artois. “I guess I should have asked if you want one."
I blinked at him. My brother had never in his lifetime offered me a beer. "Um, I actually can't stand the taste of beer. It tastes like piss. Whether it's warm or it's cold, it doesn't really matter."
Gabe's eyes went wide, and he choked a laugh. “You just haven't had the best beer. Because if you tried some of these lagers—"
With a laugh, I shook my head, heading for my favorite spot in the corner of the couch, which was also Gabe's favorite spot from when we were kids. We both took a look at it and immediately dashed for it.
He made it first. Damn him being bigger. He winked at me, and for a moment I just sat there on the opposite side of the couch, blinking at him. This was my brother. He was still in there. To his chagrin though, I held the remote.
“In your haste to take the seat, you forgot to grab the remote first. She who holds the remote controls the room. Rook move."
His brows furrowed as he took a sip of his beer, shaking his head. “You always were smart."
“Yes, I sure am. And we are watching Love is Blind."
His brow furrowed. "What is that?"
I gawked at him. Full-on open mouth, eyes wide, the whole bit. “You don't know what this is? What are you, living under a rock?"
He chuckled. “I like it when you're laughing. It looks good on you."
I cocked my head. “I could say the same for you."
He shifted uncomfortably. "All right, tell me about Love is Blind."
"So there are these pods, right?"
And for the next twenty minutes while we waited for pizza, I regaled him of the stories of how the show worked.
His brow furrowed. "People actually use this as a method to date? Why don't they just go out and meet people?"
"The point is you're not supposed to see them. You're supposed to fall in love with their spirit."
“Yeah, but what if you don't want to fuck them?"
Again, Gabe had never really spoken that directly in front of me, and I snorted in surprise. "Ah, well, I suppose that happens."
“Fine, turn it on. I have got to see this ridiculousness for myself."
