Aiden lets out a long, slow exhale and I prepare myself for the lecture I can feel coming. Aiden is older than the rest of the guys in the band by a few years, and he’s been on his own since he was eighteen, so he’s more mature than the rest of us, too. He’s always taken on a more serious, older brother type role with the rest of us, and that’s how I know he’s preparing himself to have a weighty conversation with me. I’ve been on the receiving end of a few of Aiden’s “talks” and he’s normally right on in his assessment of a situation.
“Let me have it,” I say.
“I’m not going to give you shit about this, Johnny. I’m going to ask you to be careful. If she only does one night, it’s for a reason. You are looking for love. The two of you couldn’t be more at odds with what you want from a relationship. The whole fact that you want one and she doesn’t, for example.”
I know he’s right, but I can’t shake the feeling that Becca is more to me than a night, or only a friend. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I’m going to marry this girl. I can’t explain that to Aiden, though, without sounding like a lunatic.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be careful.” I stand up and bring my cup back to the kitchen, putting it in the dishwasher. “I better head out now though, or mom will be sending a search party. The last thing Westborough needs is the pack of wild animals known as my sisters running around town trying to track me down. Who knows what kind of destruction they would leave in their wake.” I chuckle when Aiden visibly shudders.
Aiden’s met my sisters many times, so he knows exactly what I’m talking about. They’re not exactly sweet and innocent bastions of femininity, at least not in the traditional sense. They’re more likely to crush your hand with a firm handshake than to offer you their fingers to kiss. My sisters are tougher than anyone else I know, and that includes Devon, our head of security.
“Get the fuck out of here, then,” he says, his voice taking on a slightly higher pitch. “Last time your sisters were here looking for you, they took my shower lube and spread it all over my toilet seat. Next time I went to use it, I slid right off the seat and got myself wedged between the toilet and the wall.”
I burst out laughing at the memory. Luckily for Aiden, Devon and I had let ourselves in not long after he got himself stuck. We managed to get him loose without needing to call the fire department, a fact which he always forgets when he tells this story. It could have been a lot worse.
“It’s your own fucking fault for having shower lube in the first place,” I splutter through my laughs. “Who needs special lube for the shower, anyway?”
“Hey, I refuse to jerk off with shampoo. That shit’s not made for such delicate skin. Lube is. Why wouldn’t I have shower lube?”
“Have you ever thought of maybe having sex? Then you wouldn’t need to jerk off so much that you need special lube in the shower. Just a suggestion.” I chuckle as I walk to the front door.
“Here’s a suggestion: get the fuck out of my house,” Aiden yells as I open the door. I shake my head. Pretty touchy about the shower lube subject.
“Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow at Connor’s? We’re doing some work on the album, right?”
“Yes, fine. See you then.”
I close the door behind me and hop into the car. My parent’s place is just a few blocks over so I’m there in no time. I notice a few extra cars at the house, Travis’s among them, and I wonder what Mom needs me for if he’s here already. She probably just misses me. I am her favourite, after all.
