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Levi was waiting for me when I came out of the locker room and we made a quick Facetime call to our mom so she could see us together. It was kind of a relief she wasn’t there, because I needed to just chill with my brother. I hadn’t yet decided how much I was going to tell him, but I knew I needed to mention my lingering thoughts of Mel. Maybe he could help me make sense of why they’re still there when I have no desire to do anything about it.
Levi had been the opposite of me our entire lives. He saw what our dad had done and never wanted to be with one woman forever. He was scared he would repeat our father’s mistakes while I was eager to end the cycle.
What he didn’t realize though, was that in my eyes, he ended the cycle a long time ago. Not because he found someone to love, but because he was my hero growing up.
After our dad left, Levi took over clapping on the sidelines of my soccer games. He would walk back and forth and yell at me to stay onside or use my left foot. When mom couldn’t take me, Levi would skip his own practices so that he could drive me to mine.
Even if he never met his girl, he was already the opposite of our father. Meeting her was just icing on the cake.
“How’s Charleigh?” I asked him after we sat down and ordered a beer.
“She is working in Detroit this weekend, or she would be here.”
“Well I’m sorry I missed her, but kinda glad we get a chance to be alone.”
“I know being around us isn’t easy since Melanie left.”
“Nah,” I waved him off. He was right, it wasn’t easy seeing him accomplishmygoals. But he deserved it more than anyone I knew. I wanted him to be happy and being in love suited him. “I’m getting over her.”
“Are you though?” He teased, nudging me as the waitress dropped off our beers.
I shrugged, trying to decide where to start. As much as I wanted to get his opinion about Mel, I wasn’t ready to share Ash with him. I respected his opinion more than anything, and I was afraid if he told me what a mistake I had made, it would dim the high I was still on from spending time with her.
Ash was starting to take up more space in my thoughts, and as I sat there mulling over what to tell my brother, I realized my issues weren’t because of Mel. She wasn’t the first thing I thought about anymore; it was Ash.
Every left foot kick I made during the game, I thought of her. In fact, I was intentionally kicking lefty all night just so I had an excuse to think of her. It was a wonder Atlanta FC didn’t figure that out.
“What’s going on with you?” He asked seriously after I got caught up in my thoughts for too long.
“I don’t know. I mean, I almost called Mel, just to get some closure.”
“Almost?”
“I didn’t hit the button.”
“Good,” he huffed and took a big swig of his drink. “She doesn’t deserve your call.”
“It wasn’t for her, it was for me.”
“Well you don’t deserve to have to listen to her lies. She said she wanted to get married, have kids, and led you on. Made you think she was the one. Which wasn’t her worst offense. It was that text she sent you? Fuck that bitch.”
I smiled as he ranted, taking a drink of my own beer. My brother was always a fighter. He was always ready to put his gloves on, and go a ‘round’ with whomever he needed to, especially for the people he loved. A few months ago, he loved Melanie for how happy she made me. The second she sent me that text, she was dead to him.
“I’m not worried about her,” I told him, hoping it calmed him down. “I’d love to know why she disappeared so quickly, but I’m over wanting to spend a lifetime with her.”
He eyed me a little, like he didn’t believe me. He could tell there was more, but I kept my lips sealed when it came to Ash. He respected me enough to change the subject. “What have you been up to then?”
“Well, Colin is trying to distract me. He’s had me helping one of his girls. I was pissed at him for asking at first, but it's been good to work out and coach someone. I get why you like it.”
“Yeah, it was on the news that you were at their game.”
“What?” I almost yelled, shocked. “What news?”
“Just online, I saw your name and clicked. A picture of you and Cruz watching the game was with a short write up about you two taking in some college action.”
“Geez,” I laughed. There weren’t any secrets in my world. As long as they didn’t catch me shoving my dick in Ash, I guess I was okay. And since the only place we were intimate was my place, that was doubtful. “Everyone wants a story.”
“No one knows that better than I do.” He was referring to Charleigh, and how hard it was keeping their relationship out of the public eye.
