He leaves a gentle kiss on my forehead, and without waiting for my response, he steps outside my room and the building. I’m left standing there with my heart pounding a hundred miles a minute and my forehead tingling in the wake of his lips.
You’ll have to prove it to me, Drew, because as much as I don’t want to live without you, I won’t live with only part of you.
CHAPTER 7
DREW
I didn’t bother going back home after seeing Ryan. I needed to think, to brainstorm.
But I didn’t want to do it alone. I mean, I often do internal dialogues.Who doesn’t need some expert advice once in a while, right? But no, this problem-solving requires assistance.
The best choice is my siblings. They have the craziest ideas, but I can always count on them just as much as they can on me.
When Val wanted to surprise her husband on their anniversary, I was there to help her put it together. Kim had problems at work. I was there to help her find the solution. My brother, Pete, has a new issue of his own everyday, but we love him all the same.
Sitting in my car in the parking lot facing Savage Ink, I open up my sibling group chat.
Me:Hey gang, I need some advice.
Val:What did you do?
Kim:You fucked up, didn’t you?
Me:Awwwww, you always think the best of me.
Me:But yes, you are correct. Don’t want to text about it. Do you both have time this evening? I’ll bring the wine.
Val:My place?
Me:Yes, Kim are you in?
Pete:What about me? I can give good advice too.
Kim:Sure you can, little bro.
Me:Yeah, Pete. I think I’ll need all of you tonight.
Pete:Fuck yeah, see you there.
Kim:Oh man, all of us? What is your credit card limit, because we’re going to need a lot of that wine you mentioned.
Me:Just say you want to get drunk at my expense tonight. I’ll bring enough.
It was good that I wasn't needed at the office tomorrow. That way, I could get drunk along with Kim, ugly cry, and sleep on Val's couch. She wouldn't mind. And that's exactly what I need right now.
The ride to my sister’s house takes me about half an hour, and all the way there, I’m inside my head trying to figure out how I missed all the signs, how I didn’t notice he was so miserable. I mean, it’s not that I didn’t care or that I stopped loving him. I was planning to propose, for fuck’s sake.
I need to explain everything tonight to my people and get some outsider perspectives. My siblings won’t hesitate to call out my bullshit where Ryan is concerned. Sometimes, I wonder if they like him better than me.
"Hi, Drewster!" Pete's over-excited greeting came from far too close behind me when I walked up the steps to my sister's front door. He's wearing the tightest jeans I've ever seen and a shirt with neon triangles. Where did he even buy a shirt like that? And aren't his balls suffocating?
"Hey man, is everything all right?" I asked my brother because, on closer inspection, the rips at the knees of his jeans don't look like a design choice, and is that a My Little Pony band-aid on his elbow?
“Thank God this time it’s not about me. I was beginning to worry that I was the only fuck up in this family! And yeah, everything is great. well, I mean, I did wipe out on my hoverboard this morning... like five times, but I’m getting the hang of it. Wanna see? I brought it with me!”
He's practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he turns far too quickly to head back to his car. I assume to get the hoverboard we all told him was a bad idea to buy in the first place. My arm snaps out, and I manage to catch him as he starts to fall over his own two feet like an over excited toddler running from a diaper change.
The door behind us opens, and both of my sisters stand there shaking their heads and rolling their eyes like a pair of Karens.
