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“That’s just it. I’m worried about you if and when it does fall apart. I’ve never known you to throw all of yourself into something with a guy, especially this fast. I’m worried about what’s going to be left of you when this falls apart.”
“If,” Stephen sharply corrected.
“And then you’re being followed with him and jumping on a plane. This Sahin asshole has to know about you by now. They’re probably watching your place too. These kinds of people aren’t above using you as leverage to get Ehren to do exactly what they want.”
Stephen slowly crossed the room and sat in the chair opposite his brother, resting his elbows on his knees. “How many times have you jumped in to help someone who needed it and your last thought was for your own skin?”
Charlie lifted his eyes and glared at him. “I’m trained for this shit. You’re not.”
“And that’s why I called in the professionals,” Stephen replied with a smirk. “The police weren’t accomplishing anything. They don’t have your knowledge and resources. Do you think Ehren knows anyone like you and the team? Do you really think he had anyone he could call to handle this?”
“I get it. But couldn’t you have let us get this all cleared up before you fell in love with him?”
A nervous laugh escaped Stephen and he sat back in his chair, trying to ignore the sudden racing of his heart. “I haven’t fallen in love with Ehren yet.”
“No, but I bet you can see it at the rate you’re falling.” Charlie snorted. “You’ve hit terminal velocity, and you’re below two thousand feet. It’s way too late to throw the reserve chute. You’re gonna hit hard.”
“Thanks for that lovely image,” Stephen muttered, but his mind was too busy turning over Charlie’s other comment. Was he falling in love with Ehren? Oh yeah, that process had already started. He’d rearranged his schedule and jumped on a plane with the guy. He eagerly anticipated their every meeting. It wasn’t about getting through the first three dates. He was planning months in advance.
Oh, damn. He had it bad.
Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, because Charlie made a derisive sound. “Finally figured out how deep you’re in.”
“Maybe,” Stephen mumbled. He glanced up at his brother and smiled. “But I don’t regret it. I wish I’d discussed calling Kairo with him before I did it, but I’m glad I met him, glad I took that chance. He’s a great guy. He’s fucking brilliant. He speaks more than a dozen languages, edits books, and loves art. He’ll even watch The Princess Bride with me.”
Charlie’s worried expression thawed, and a smile had begun to tug at one corner of his mouth. “He does seem like a nice guy. Kairo says he checks out completely.” Stephen rolled his eyes. Kairo’s background checks should not be necessary for pre-approval of possible boyfriends, but in Charlie’s world, they apparently were. “Luckily, I think he’s lost his mind over you as much as you have over him.”
“I hope so,” Stephen said. The butterflies were twirling happily through his stomach in celebration.
“I want you happy and safe, Stephen. You’re my only brother and probably my sanest relative. It would be nice if one of us could have a semi-normal life.”
“Normal is nonsense and you know it.” He paused and watched Charlie. He was sitting up straighter, looking more like his resilient self now that he’d unpacked his fears over his brother’s safety. “I want you happy too.”
Charlie barked out a loud laugh and threw out his hands. “I am happy. What makes you think I’m not?”
Stephen shrugged. “I guess I struggle to understand how you’re happy jumping from bed to bed. Making no real connections with people.”
“I’m making very intimate connections with people.”
“No, you’re not. I doubt you remember any of their names.” Stephen sighed. “You can’t keep running from the memory of Will.”
Charlie instantly jumped to his feet and paced across the room to the mini fridge where he dug around, likely searching for alcohol of some sort. “Who the fuck says I’m running from him? I’m not running. All that shit is in the past. I’m focused on building something with my guys.”
Maybe, but Stephen wasn’t entirely convinced. Stephen had never gotten the chance to meet Will, but from what he’d heard from Kairo and Edison, he was the only person Charlie had ever let himself love. He wasn’t entirely sure what had gone wrong. Charlie never discussed Will, wouldn’t listen when his name was brought up.
And there was no point in pushing now. His brother was an expert at evasion. Pressing the matter would only piss Charlie off, and Stephen didn’t want to get into another argument.
“Why don’t you head to bed?” Charlie suggested. “You look exhausted, and I’m sure Kairo isn’t going to come up with anything useful today. We can dig into things tomorrow when you’ve had some sleep.”
