He’s not even trying to pretend at this point. My boy’s got it bad.
Julio: You’d tell me if she was, right?
Julio: I mean, I’m not saying I care, but ... don’t you think it’s weird she said yes to going out with some random guy? Doesn’t she realize how dangerous that is?
Julio: You should tell her how dangerous it is. She can’t just agree to meet up with complete strangers.
Julio: Hey! Cabrón. Answer me.
He needs to take a serious chill pill. I’m betting he’s pacing the house right now, probably trying to decide whether or not to crash our date. Fucking hell.
Me: Chill the fuck out. It’s not dangerous. I’m here. Now go do something because I’m turning my phone off.
I drop the phone face down on the table, out of sight, out of mind.
“All good?” Cecilia’s eyes are soft, concerned, but I wave it off.
“Yeah, just Julio being ... Julio.” I shrug. “He’ll get over it.”
Cecilia’s fingers tighten on my leg, her smile reassuring. I lean in and capture her lips in a quick kiss. “I like this,” I tell her.
“Double dates?” she teases.
I shrug. “Just … being with you.”
She opens her mouth to reply but before she does, I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. A guy stands at the edge of our table, his presence casting a shadow over our group.
“Gabriel?”
Hearing my name drags my attention from Cecilia, and when I glance up, the easy vibe of the night shatters. I recognize who he is right away. Adam. As in, my brand-new stepbrother, Adam.
“Hey man,” Kenji greets the newcomer with a smile. “What are you doing here?”
Adam hesitates, his eyes flicking back over to me. “Uhh?—”
“You two know each other?” I ask.
“Of course,” Kenji says. “Mouse is our goalie. He plays for PacNorth, too.”
“Mouse?”
Kenji’s smile widens, and Adam’s face turns beet red.
“Yeah, it’s his name on the ice. Adam here is quiet like a mouse. You never know where he’s at until he’s all but on top of you.” Kenji chuckles, clearly not sensing the new tension in the room. “How do you two know each other?”
I give Adam a pointed look, and when it’s obvious he’s not going to answer his teammate, I do it for him. “We don’t,” I tell him.
Adam shifts his weight, glancing at Cecilia before meeting my eyes again. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening. We haven’t really talked since … well, the wedding.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I was sort of hoping we could clear the air.”
Right. The wedding. The shitshow where I realized my Mom found replacements for the entire lot of us.
This guy wants to clear the air? Tough. There’s nothing to say.
I feel Cecilia shift beside me, her hand tensing on my knee. She’s waiting to see how I’ll react, so for her sake, I grit my teeth and force myself to lean back in my seat. “Nothing to clear,” I tell him.
Adam’s mouth tightens, his voice a little softer now, like he’s walking on glass. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. About all of it. I didn’t mean to cause any problems for you.”
I grind my teeth together. I can’t deal with this. He’s standing there looking like a kicked puppy, and all I can think about is how my mom’s got this shiny new family. I don’t need another brother. I had one. He’s dead. And Adam? He’s just a reminder of everything I don’t have. A reminder I definitely do not need.
