No such luck.
Michael’s turned his head toward the bush, and his gaze locks with mine.
Shit.
I stand up. Best to just get this awkwardness over with. Like ripping off a bandage.
“So.” I approach the porch and raise my hand in an awkward-as-fuck wave. “I have a good explanation.”
The other guy turns around to face me.
And I do a double-take. “You two must be related.”
“He’s the baby brother.” Michael smirks.
“I’m Ayden.” The blue-eyed, dark-haired guy who, except for the difference in eye color, could be Michael’s twin, extends his hand to me.
We shake hands, and Ayden looks between Michael and me.
“You two just met last night for the first time?”
Michael gives him a hard look.
Ayden shrugs. “Your vibe goes deeper than that.”
“What do you mean?” I ask curiously.
Ayden does some hand-flip gesture in the air that’s meant to explain it, I guess. Almost like he’s holding an imaginary ball.
“You seem like you’ve already got this invisible circle around you,” he explains. “Like you know all about each other.”
“We don’t,” I interject.
Ayden starts walking backward toward the slider. “Maybe you do.”
Michael’s hard stare is now murderous as he glares at his brother.
I get the sense Ayden ignores Michael’s grumpy side a lot because he just smiles and gestures to the couches. “Have a seat. I’ve got to go check on my son anyway. My wife’s out on a girls’ day, so I’m babysitting.”
He flips the latch on the slider, pulls it open, and disappears inside, leaving his brother and me to stand awkwardly across from one another.
“Ayden’s nice,” I say to fill in the gap.
Michael barks out a laugh. “He’s a pain in the ass.”
“Isn’t that what brothers are supposed to be to each other?” I say teasingly.
His eyes flash with a hint of humor before they go flat again.
“Look,” I begin, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. “I’m not sure why you pushed me away this morning, but…”
“We should talk.” Michael’s already taken a seat on the couches.
He gestures for me to join him.
I choose the couch he’s not on, the one opposite him.
Somehow, space from him—physical distance—feels essential right now.
