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And how he didn’t want to do that ever again.
“You look—” Wren’s hands hovered in the air.
“I’m just tired,” Caleb said, cutting him off. He didn’t want it to become a wholethingwith his brother, which it would if Wren decided Caleb was keeping something from him. “I need to get back to the schedule and then finish these invoices. Can you go ask Luke if he can stay and lock up?”
Wren nodded and pushed to his feet. “Let’s talk everyone into skipping class on Monday, and we can close the shop.”
Caleb frowned. “What? Why?”
“We all need a day out.”
Caleb’s first instinct was to tell his brother they couldn’t afford to close the shop, but that wasn’t true. In fact, they could afford to take a couple of days off without it affecting their margins thanks to…well, shit. Thanks to Cameron and all the camera-happy witnesses.
Caleb should send him a fruit basket.
He glanced at his computer screen, then thought about planning a trip down to the beach with all the people in the world that he cared about—Bodhi included this time—andGod. It sounded amazing.
“Yes.”
Wren looked surprised.True biz??
Rolling his eyes, Caleb spread his hands in a shrug before asking, “Why not?”
“You never say yes. Last time you and Jori stayed here and ran the place by yourselves.”
Jesus, had he really been such a grumpy old man for this long? His face felt hot. “I’m sorry I’ve been an asshole.”
Wren came around the desk and yanked Caleb to his feet before pulling him into a hug. Caleb bristled for a second, then melted into his brother’s arms and felt a tiny pulse of regret that he’d pushed him away for so long. He could have had the world’s greatest ally at his side during his angsty teenage years. Instead, he let his bitterness create isolation.
Taking a breath, Caleb pulled back and gave Wren a soft tap on the side of his neck before making more space between them. “I think we could all use a self-care day.”
Wren hopped on his feet like an excited kid. “Yes! I’m going to text everyone.”
Caleb couldn’t help a small laugh. “Go. I’m going to head out after I get all this stuff done, and I’ll text you when I talk with Ravi.”
“Tell him we’ll do a blanket fort and movie night. And if you want Bodhi out of your hair, he can come too,” Wren added, then he was out of the office before he could see the look of heartache and horror on Caleb’s face.
Because Bodhi might want that.
He sank down into his chair and dropped his face into his hands, forcing himself to take several breaths as he debated whether or not he’d actually tell Bodhi about the offer.
Wren’s idea sounded fun, and Caleb was definitely less fun than his brother. He sure as hell wasn’t going to deny Bodhi the opportunity to go do something relaxing after everything that had happened, but God help him, he wanted to be selfish.
He wanted a re-do of their fucked-up morning. He wanted to wake up wrapped around Bodhi, bringing his lover to consciousness with sweet butterfly kisses before taking things deeper. He wanted to feel Bodhi fall apart under his hands. He wanted to watch ecstasy play out on his face without the burden of stress or fear.
He just…wantedBodhi.
His heart felt like it was sitting somewhere near his calves as he got to work, but he forced himself to finish up before calling it a day. Bodhi still hadn’t texted, even after Peyton had let him know that Ravi was back at his place and settled in, and Caleb wondered if that was the younger man trying to tell him something without actually telling him at all.
* * *
His heart was beating a little too rapidly when he walked in through the front door. The place felt a little too still, but when Caleb got to the living room, he found the twins sitting on the sofa. Besides the shorter hair, and the fact that Ravi was bulkier than Bodhi, they were easier to tell apart than ever with the way Ravi’s face looked—still kind of swollen, and now sporting a butterfly bandage below his bottom lip. His eye was swollen, and the skin was very purple, but he looked more relaxed than he had been earlier that day.
Caleb kicked his shoes off and immediately felt vibrations under his feet, which meant they had the TV on and the volume up. Bodhi quickly picked up the remote and began button-mashing, and it took Caleb a second to realize he was trying to turn the volume down.
The thought nearly made him laugh. “I can’t hear it,” he reminded Bodhi. “Leave it. It’s fine.”
Bodhi looked a little nervous, but he carefully set the remote down and his lips twitched up in the hint of a smile. “How was the shop? Do they need us?”
