Rue stared wide eyed at his brother, at a total loss at witnessing behavior he’d never have believed of him. “Have you taken some vacation time? Cause I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be at work.”
“Not when I can’t fucking concentrate,” he snarled, placing the glass down on something with a clatter. “He’s everywhere I fucking turn, I can’t escape!” Unfocused eyes skittered about as if searching for whoever Laken was talking about. “Smells like Popi’s cinnamon rolls.”
Clearly, he wasn’t as sober as he should be at ten am on a workday when he sounded like a starving man in desperate need of said cinnamon roll!
Again, Rue acknowledged the gut punch and unnerving feelings seeing hissensible brother, in his view, allowing himself to get drunk enough that he couldn’t get up for work. Or to talk so freely about something so personal when the man never talked about his dating history, making Rue wonder if he did indeed date.
The behavior right then was making it obvious who Laken was referring to. He was clearly home and hiding from Isley to Rue’s mind, but he chose not to make assumptions.
“Escape who?” He didn’t mention the cinnamon roll part.
Laken blinked groggily at the screen and appeared to try to focus his eyes. “My iddy-biddy PA.. Who else?” He groaned and ran a hand over his unshaven jaw. “How can someone be so small and take up so much room in a brain?” he demanded, only Rue suspected he wasn’t asking him the question. “Do you know how small a sugar glider is? They can fly right into the palm of your hand when they’re pissed off and refuse to let go of your fingers!”
Rue struggled to stop himself laughing aloud at how Laken knew that and instead asked in all seriousness, “How long?”
“How long, what?” replied Laken, sounding confused.
“Have you been in love with Isley?”
“I’m not,” he spluttered, sobering before Rue’s eyes. “He’s the bane of my existence.” There was absolutely no truth in that statement when Laken wore a lost expression Rue hadn’t seen in years.
“Do you wanna talk about this?” he asked in a tone that brought Laken’s haunted gaze to the screen.
Laken unenthusiastically shook his head. “Nah… not now.”
“I’m just at the end of the phone when you’re ready,” he said softly, understanding the denial when it came with fear of the unknown. He’d been in that place.
Laken pinched the bridge of his nose. “What did you ring for?”
“I wanted you to be the first to know I’m mated.” He said it like he was ripping off a plaster, fast and without hesitation, practicing for what was coming.
The phone clattered to the floor, and Rue got an upside-down view of Laken as he grappled to pick it back up, wearing a look Rue hadn’t expected to see—jealousy. Rue recognized it from looking in the mirror when he thought about how lucky Taylin, Booker and Silas were. God forbid he ever admitted that aloud though.
“You are!” Laken appeared fully on the screen, croaking, “Who is it?”
“Montyand Kendrick, the guy from the bar.” He had mentioned the hook-up to Laken after he questioned where he’d been after he’d not shown up for work. Laken was good at not prying, so he was the easiest for Rue to talk to.
“You claimed them both.”
He wore a flabbergasted expression causing Rue to snort in amusement. “If you could see your expression.”
“I can, you dork. We’re on video chat.” Back was some of the amusement he was used to sharing with Laken.
“You threw me off with this hobo look you got going this morning.”
“Drop it,” he said sharply, then sighed dejectedly. “Ignore me. I’m happy for you, genuinely.”
“I know you are.” He did. “And that’s why you were my first call.”
The hand he was dragging through his disheveled hair, stopped. “You haven’t rung Dad and Popi?”
“Didn’t I just tell you I wanted you to be the first person I shared the news with?”
“Right. I’m honored, but you know I’m gonna gloat about this, right?”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else. So, if you wanna drop that nugget in the group chat, go for it.”
For the first time since he answered, Laken looked more like himself when he grinned. “Hang on.”
