Andre breaks the tense silence, nodding at Austen’s wrist. “Nice watch. That new?”
I steal a look at the sleek black watch, noting it’s Movado.
My brother isn’t exactly a label queen like me or Savannah, and he’s also not much into shopping like me orHudson. He isn’t the type of person to buy himself shit, either. Especially nice shit. Savannah isn’t the gift-giving type, which means that watch could have only come from one person.
“Yeah,” he says. His voice cracks just the slightest as he runs his fingers over the face, and I know whatever happened between them is eating at him.
I should do something. Say something. That’s what a good brother would do.
He’s obviously upset, and maybe even a little lost. But Austen and I aren’t tight like most brothers.
Despite growing up together, we were never really together or anything. He played football, I played hockey. We ran in different groups of people. While he was playing Golden Boy and Prom King, I was getting shitfaced and fucked in the bathroom at parties. We are not the same.
I want to be that guy, though. The guy who knows what to do and what to say. The guy who can hug his brother and tell him everything will be okay—and be confident enough that it will be.
But that’s not who I am. My stomach twists as I watch Mack silently give my brother the support I should be giving him, and as much as I hate it, I am thankful for it.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m fucking starving,” Andre says, cutting the tension.
“Finally,” I say, causing everyone to look at me, which makes me feel on the spot. Though it’s not their looks that I give a shit about.
I step ahead of Austen and Mack. I need food and I need alcohol, stat. I don’t bother to ask anyone where they want to go; I stop at the first place I see. They’re all mopey and tired, and it’s clear they all had a hell of a night.
The waitress brings us a pitcher of water as we peruse our Cheesecake Factory menus.
“So what’s on the agenda today, Alex?” Hudson asks, breaking the silence.
I peer over my menu at him.
“Well, seeing as you idiots look like you could use a respite, and it is our last day…” I put my menu down as another waiter brings us bread and butter. “I was thinking maybe we could do some retail therapy this afternoon, then wrap up our night over at VooDoo. They’ve got a bar on the rooftop, and I heard it’s to die for.”
“A bar on a rooftop sounds dangerous,” Hudson says.
Trey laughs.
“Isn’t that the club the stripper dudes hang out at?” Andre asks.
Everyone turns their attention to him.
“What? My sister’s obsessed with that Magic Mike shit. It’s like… common knowledge.”
“I’m not going to a bar with male strippers,” Mack says gruffly.
I shouldn’t take the bait, but fuck it, I’m weak.
“Awww, what’s the matter, Mackenzie? Do the big, sexy strippers scare you?” I pout and the glare he shoots me could melt the polar ice caps.
“No,” he seethes.
Austen sighs. “I don’t care what we do,” he says, but I doubt he’s heard anything we’ve said. He’s in his own world.
Shit, it’s worse than I thought.
“Austen,” I say, but he waves me off.
“It’s our last night, right? I’m fine with whatever everyone else wants to do.”
Mack breathes out a heavy sigh.
