CHASE
I lookedat myself once more in the mirror of my bathroom before heading to the great room and kitchen to make sure things were in order. After months of talking to Brandon and meeting him for coffee or lunch, or meeting him and James for dinner, Brandon was finally ready to meet the rest of the family.
Tonight, I was having my parents and brothers over to meet Brandon and James. When James and I talked about the arrangements, we’d decided it might be best to have the first meeting at my place. I understood James’ reasoning behind it. I was sure he thought it was best not to have so many “strangers” in the home where Brandon felt safest and most comfortable.
I’d told my parents and brothers to arrive about half an hour before Brandon and James were going to get here. I wanted to make sure the atmosphere was calm and that people wouldn’t be arriving after Brandon was here. I’d gotten to know Brandon a lot since our first meeting, and I knew that he felt uncomfortable and stressed around public places with lots of people. He also didn’t like his back to people. The last thing I wanted was for him to be stressed and looking all around him if my brothers arrived late or something.
Mom and Dad arrived first and brought some food trays. While the three of us were setting them up on the kitchen island, Morgan, Hollis, and Patrick arrived.
“Traffic was terrible tonight. Hopefully Brandon and James don’t run into too much,” Mom said as she went into the pantry to get napkins.
While I checked the fridge to make sure I’d put several types of drinks in to cool, I spotted Hollis heading to the bathroom closest to the entryway.
“Hey, hey, whoa,” I called out and flung the fridge door closed. I jogged out of the kitchen toward the guest bathroom. “Where are you going?” I asked him.
“I need to go to the bathroom really quick,” he said. “Is that okay?” He must have seen the look of horror on my face.
“Dude, are you going to pee or poop?” I asked.
“Just pee.”
“I just cleaned the bathroom.”
“I’m going to be careful. I promise.”
“Don’t shake. Or fling,” I warned.
“I think by now, I’ve got it figured out, bub.”
“Okay, but please be careful.”
Hollis gave me a thumbs-up and proceeded to the bathroom. I returned to the kitchen where everyone was gathered.
“He’s a mess in the bathroom. You shouldn’t have let him in there,” Morgan said as he tossed some peanuts in his mouth.
“Yeah. His bathroom is a wreck. Pee spots all over the floor,” Patrick added.
I froze and stared wide eyed at Patrick.
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Honestly, you two,” Mom said as she rolled her eyes at Morgan and Patrick’s comments.
“You two stop trying to give Chase a heart attack,” Dad said.
All eyes turned to look at Hollis as he walked toward the kitchen.
“What?” he asked.
“Do I need to go clean again?”
“I took extra care.”
“That’d be the first,” Patrick said under his breath.
“Mmhmm,” Morgan mumbled.
“I made sure to shake in the direction of the shower doors,” Hollis joked.He’d better be joking.
