He busied himself with typical DPM tasks for the rest of the morning, and before he knew it, Alex collected him for the farewell luncheon.
“Come on, Ry, it’s raining. I’ll give you a lift,” Alex said.
Ryan glanced out the window, the first time all morning. It was, in fact, raining. A gentle rain that sometimes hit in the winter. It wouldn’t last long, and if it did, Alex could drop him at home and he’d talk Iz into helping him retrieve his bike tomorrow.
“Why are you being nice?”
“I’m allowed to be nice to my little brother.”
“Sure, yeah, but this is twice in, like, a month. Who are you trying to impress?”
Alex chuckled, but there was an edge to it. “No one. So… do you want a ride or are you gonna be an asshole?”
“Both, duh.”
This time, Alex’s laugh was genuine. “There’s the asshat I know and love. Grab your shit and let’s go. Don’t wanna be late.”
They drove to Val’s party at her favorite bar and grill, letting Alex’s classic rock playlist fill the silence. He didn’t miss the usual awkwardness.
Burgers, beers, and cake filled their bellies, toasts were proposed, and speeches—short, thank fuck—were given. The rain did not let up, so Alex dropped him at his complex. Ryan watched the taillights of the Buick fade before heading to the second-floor apartment he’d shared with Iz since they both graduated college.
The neighborhood might be a little sketchy—just a little, though, since in five years, only two packages had been stolen—but the rent was reasonable and the square footage was twenty-five percent larger than most comparable places. He knew the landlord through his father, and she was a decent person. Even if there was a family discount at a DeMarco property, he preferred to keep as much distance between himself and the family business, until now.
He unlocked the door and tossed his helmet on the table next to the door and his jacket over a nearby chair.
“Iz?”
No answer. He had the place to himself.
After working in a busy office all week, it felt remarkably quiet. He grabbed a beer from the fridge, flipped on the TV, found a Transformers movie, and fell asleep before the first smash-em-up fight.
The door slammed, jolting him out of his doze. Beer sloshed out of the can.
“Dammit, you made me spill my beer,” he mumbled.
“Dude, were you asleep? At six on a Friday?” Iz laughed, tossing their keys on the table next to Ryan’s helmet.
“Did you suddenly age fifty years?” Mateo placed take-out containers on the kitchen counter. Dinner.
Ryan hadn’t thought further than getting home and resting. Planning anything for dinner seemed like a lot. Hell, thinking more than thirty seconds into the future seemed like a lot.
“Yep. Corporate America—sucks the life right out of you.”
“Come here, Ry. Have some food and tell us about your day so we can laugh at you.”
“Best idea I’ve heard all day.” Except for Elissa’s upcoming visit on Monday.
Iz pulled out plates while Mateo opened the containers from their favorite Thai place. The savory sweet smell of spicy coconut and lemongrass filled the living area, and despite having eaten well a few hours before, his stomach grumbled loudly. Ryan snatched beers from the fridge and before long, all three were stuffing their faces.
“So, you gonna work on your script this weekend?” Iz asked after wolfing down three spring rolls.
“I want to, I really do, but this job is taking everything I have.” As expected, dammit. “I don’t think I have it in me this weekend.”
“My cousin is writing a novel.” Teo snagged the dumpling Ryan was a second too slow to grab. He grinned widely as he popped the delicious nugget into his mouth. Bastard. “She says it’s hard working a nine-to-five and finding time for being creative.”
Ryan hadn’t worried about it much before. He’d loved working at Nopalitos, loved working for Iz’s family. Sure, some days had been hard, but mostly he’d left work as energized as when he researched or tried to draft a script. But now, his energy was gone at the end of a day. All he wanted was to sleep away the weekend. Starting ASAP.
“How does she do it?”
