“What? Aiden?”
“Unless you have a brother I don’t know about, yes, Aiden.”
“What did he want?” My tone grows harsh as my deep-seeded resentment toward my older brother rises to the surface.
“He said he hopes to visit for Thanksgiving!” Her voice is so full of excitement and hope, that it guts me. Not because I don’t want her to be happy - I just know Aiden’s most likely going to crush her in the end. After he went off to military school when I was ten, he never really came back. Abandoned me and Mom… just like Dad did.
“That’d be a first,” I grumble.
“Now, don’t be like that,” she lightly scolds me. “He says he’s getting a new position, and he should have more control over his schedule and will be able to visit more often.”
Right… like we haven’t heard that before. He’s an air traffic control specialist, not a fucking spy! It’s not like he’s forced to disappear for months at a time. That’s all him.
“Well, I hope he shows up,” I murmur at length. “For your sake.”
“Rylee… ”
“I should go, Mom. Big day at work. We’ll talk later, okay? Love you.”
She sighs, but replies, “I love you too, sweetie.”
Hanging up the call, I press my back against the door and release a breath. The possibility of Aiden breaking my Mom’s heart - again - has put a bit of a damper on my good mood. It’s early enough that I could sneak in a little retail therapy before I need to be at the rink. Maybe not the healthiest coping mechanism, but an effective one nonetheless.
I get ready for the day, going through my skincare routine and getting dressed.
Halfway through my routine, I get a text from Blaire with a picture of a huge rose bouquet.
Blaire: Look what I got! My guy is so good to me!
Oh, wow! Seems things are going well with her new boyfriend. I smile, happy for her, but I can’t help the pang of longing I feel at the kind gesture. That’s the kind of thing I wish a guy would do for me.
Rylee: Gorgeous!
Blaire: It’s hard to find a man who spoils you like mine does
Yeah… wouldn’t that be nice?
Sighing, I put my phone away and continue getting ready. When I’m done, I look around for Gizmo, but realize he’s gone. He must have slipped out of the room before I came back in. Groaning, I make my way back out to the living room to search for him so I can put him in the bedroom while I’m gone.
“Gizmo!” I call out. “Gizmo, where are you?”
When I spot Gizmo snuggling up to Zander on the couch, I freeze. That little traitor! He doesn’t like anyone! Suddenly he likes this butthead?
Zander has a string - looks like a shoelace or a tie from a hoodie - and is dangling it in front of Gizmo, who’s watching it with wide eyes. Gizmo dives for the string, batting at it with his paws before tumbling over Zander’s knee and landing on his back in Zander’s lap. He wiggles around for a moment before he manages to right himself, then prepares to attack the string again.
“Gizmo, huh?” Zander grins up at me. “Funny name.”
I scowl at him. “It’s… it’s from theGremlinsmovie.”
He takes a moment to think and then his brows shoot up realization.
Nodding, he replies, “Oh! I get it! The little guy does look like a fuzzy Gremlin, doesn’t he?”
“Gizmo, come here,” I grumble, moving to grab him, but Zander looks up at me with a half-grin and I’m frozen in place all over again. Shit, Rylee. Resist the good looking asshole playboy and let’s pretend you didn’t just get wet from that look.
“It’s all right,” he tells me, scratching Gizmo behind the ears. “I’ll lock him up before I go. He can chill here with me for a bit.”
Fuck… now he’s being adorable with my cat? Asshole!
