AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His brother was freshly showered and in gingerbread man pajama pants with a hoodie. He looked suddenly young, like the fresh-faced boy he’d been in middle school when Renzo had been taking care of him more than their parents had been able to.
It had been such a strange time—Renzo trying to picture what life was going to be like for Matty. His path would never be the same as Renzo’s, but that hadn’t mattered. He just wanted his siblings to be happy. Camille found her joy in traveling whenever she could get away, and Matty found his in his friends and in knowing that the people in his life gave him the respect and independence he’d demanded.
And that was maybe what scared Renzo the most. Emil had been kind—more than kind—when he was playing Santa. He hadn’t patronized or dismissed Matty for his Christmas wish. But that was a single moment, and Renzo had watched John woo everyone in his family before everything changed.
“Why are you frowning?”
Renzo blinked, then rubbed at his left eyebrow. “Was I?”
“Are you sad?” Matty pulled his orange juice close and started to gulp it down until Renzo cleared his throat. He offered a sheepish smile. “It’s my favorite.”
“Mhm. And you’re going to be sad if you finish it all before you’re done eating. I put Tajin on your burger. You’ll get thirsty.”
Matty lit up, and he grabbed his burger off his plate, stuffing half of it into his mouth, laughing when Renzo kicked him. “Whaa?—”
“I’m so bad at the Heimlich, dude. Take small bites.”
Matty looked a little sheepish as he chewed, then swallowed, then took a delicate bite next. “I painted mugs with your friend today.”
Renzo blinked. “My friend? You know I’m a total loser with no friends.”
Matty shook his head as he took another sip of his juice. “The pretty one. Santa.”
For a second, Renzo thought he was going to swallow his tongue, and he had to force himself to take breaths. “Emil?”
“That’s a weird name. I think I spelled it right on the internet, and it said it was Norway.”
“Norwegian,” Renzo absently corrected. “I think he was born there. How, uh…how did you see him? Why did you paint mugs together?”
“He was with a pretty girl. But she wasn’t his date. He said she wasn’t his date.”
Renzo’s cheeks heated with confusion and something like jealousy. It was absurd, of course. He had no right at all since he was the one who put restrictions on Emil, but God, for some reason, it hurt. “Was she nice?”
Matty shrugged. “She had to take a business phone call. She’s a businesswoman.”
Renzo had a thousand questions he knew his brother didn’t have answers to, so he picked at his burger as he tried to refocus. “Was he nice to you?”
Matty rolled his eyes. “If he was mean, I would pour paint on his head, even if I might get fired.”
Renzo fixed him with a stare. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
Matty laughed again. “No. I didn’t pour paint on him, which means that he was really nice to me. He sat with me and reminded me that he’s not Santa because that’s what I called him. But duhhh. I knew that.”
“Mhm,” Renzo answered. The burger bite went down thick and dry like he was eating sawdust. He chased it down with water, then cleared his throat. “So. What did you talk about?”
Matty grinned wider. “It’s a secret.”
“Matty, oh my God. Tell me, or I’m going to wait ’til you’re streaming and then come sit on your lap and embarrass you in front of all your followers,” Renzo threatened.
Matty laughed harder. “I told him you have a big, big crush on him. That you like his butt.”
Renzo felt panic race through him, which was absurd considering Emil already knew that. Considering the things he’d done to Emil’s ass, anyway. But for some reason, he felt like some middle school kid being outed to the hot guy everyone had a crush on.
“Tell me you’re joking.”
Matty stared for a long time, but his brother had never really had much of a poker face, and he broke into a fit of giggles. “Fine. I didn’t tell him that. We just talked. I think he likes you. He got all funny when I was talking about you, like how you are right now.”
Renzo slapped a hand over his face. “Thanks, cupid.”
