“Imagine if someone got married.” Big O chuckles.
King nods and smirks. “I can see Angel waking up with a ring.”
“Shut the f—” Angel’s comment gets cut short by the waiter bringing our food.
“So, how’s everything, Jax? I know we talked about movies and music, but I haven’t had a chance to ask aboutyouyet,” my uncle asks, looking at me while cutting his medium-rare steak.
I wince. “That’s a loaded question if there ever was one.”
“That bad, huh?” Big O wonders.
Angel chimes in with his two cents. “Your life can’t be that terrible. You’ve got that beautiful bike, a job, a roof over your head, and Tiffany. What can be wrong?”
Tiffany,the bane of my existence. My cousins laugh until they realize that I’m not laughing with them. The silence around the table makes me uncomfortable.
“Stop being dicks and let me eat my food.”
I take a bite of my burger, and it tastes like ash. My cousins and uncle continue talking about something else, ignoring me and my mood. I’m in my own world, looking down at my almost full plate of food until I hear more about Vegas and marriage.Ugh, no, thank you. Marriage isn’t in the cards for me. It never was and never will be. I don’t get why someone would want that.
Hearing my name stops my wandering thoughts. “Jax, are you even listening to us?”
Moving my hand through my hair, I shake my head. “No, I’ve no fucking clue what you were saying just now?—”
“Dude, you need to stop overthinking,” Angel tells me.
“I wish it was that fucking simple, but I just can’t.”
My cousins and uncle Joey look at me like I’m a mystery they can’t solve. Finally, King speaks. “Why not? It can’t be that hard with your lifestyle.”
“But it is—the idea of doing anything other than getting drunk, tattooing, and riding Isla feels like a waste of time right now.”
“You and that damn bike. She’s more your girlfriend than Tiff is,” Angel jokes.
“At least I always know what I get with my bike.”
King knowingly glances my way at the tone of my voice. “Trouble in paradise?”
“I’m considering breaking up with Tiff.” I take a deep breath and release it shakily. “Our relationship has changed lately, and not for the better. She’s under the assumption that I’m cheating on her, but that ain’t me. I don’t cheat. Never have, never will. It’s all in her head.”
“Man, that sucks,” Big O comments, taking another bite of his dinner.
“It does, as I have a hard time remembering what we used to have. Like why did I fall for her?”
Angel chuckles. “We all know why, and it wasn’t her personality.”
“Shut up. I’m tired and wanted to have a worry-free time tonight, so let’s talk about something else.”
Uncle Joey nods across the table. “Sure, but we were only trying to understand why you seem off today. No harm in it.”
“I get it, but I don’t have the energy to talk about it. Okay?”
“Well, let’s finish this supper, then.” Uncle Joey nods and looks around the table. “So, no more talk about women—real or fictional. How about that?”
Big O and King chuckle while Angel rolls his eyes. “Sounds like a plan, but Jax needs to learn to take a joke first.”
My cousins, especially Angel, have always had that jokester side. I used to love following them around, repeating their one-liners. But right now, it’s too much for my liking.
“If he hasn’t learned that by now, it’s too late for him,” King remarks. His brothers nod their heads.
