I don’t want to see Marshall right now. I don’t want to look at his face and remember how it contorted when he came in my mouth, how his hands gripped my hair, how he called me baby. But what am I supposed to tell Audrey? Sorry, can’t do that, I just sucked your brother’s dick and now things are awkward?
“Uh, sure. Hang on.”
I stand up, my legs still a little shaky, and head for the door. I could go through the connecting bathroom, which would be faster, but that’d be too intimate right now and a little weird. Instead, I step into the hallway and walk the few feet to his door.
I rap my knuckles against the wood, three sharp taps.
It swings open almost immediately, and Marshall’s eyes widen when he sees me.
“Gabriel,” he starts. “I—”
“Audrey wants to talk to you,” I shove my phone toward his face before he can say anything else. “She’s on FaceTime.”
Marshall blinks, then his entire demeanor changes. His face softens, a smile spreading across it as he takes the phone from my hand. “Hey, Brat,” he says, his voice warming. “How’s my favorite sister?”
I stand awkwardly in the doorway as Marshall turns and walks back into his room. He sits down on the edge of his bed,completely focused on the screen, laughing at something Audrey is saying.
Then he looks up, sees me still standing in the doorway, and gestures for me to come in, patting the space beside him on the bed. “Audrey wants to see both of us,” he explains.
My stomach tightens. Of course, she does. Why make this easy?
I sit down next to him, careful to leave a few inches between us. It’s not enough. I can feel the heat of him, smell the clean scent of his soap. My shoulder blades itch with the awareness of his body next to mine.
“There you are!” Audrey’s voice chirps from the phone. Marshall holds it out so we’re both in frame, our faces uncomfortably close together on the small screen. “Now I can see both my favorite brothers.”
“We’re your only brothers,” I point out, forcing a smile.
“Exactly,” she says with a grin. “So you’re automatically my favorites.”
We take turns responding to her chatter about the trip, about all the things she wants the three of us to do once she’s finally here. Marshall is better at it than I am, his responses natural and engaged while I struggle to form complete sentences.
Suddenly, Audrey’s face changes. Her head tilts, eyes narrowing as she studies us through the screen. “Why do you guys look so tense?”
My cheeks heat up instantly. I glance at Marshall out of the corner of my eye and see a flush spreading across his face too.
“We’re not tense,” I say, too quickly.
“We’re just tired,” Marshall adds. “It’s been a long day.”
Audrey doesn’t look convinced. “You guys are getting along, aren’t you? You haven’t spent much time together in years, and I was hoping…”
Her voice trails off, worry creeping into her expression, and something in my chest cracks. She’s just a kid. She wants her brothers to get along. She has no idea what’s really going on.
“We’re getting along great,” Marshall says firmly, his shoulder pressing against mine in what’s probably meant to be a reassuring gesture. It feels like a brand through my shirt. “Right, Gabriel?”
“Right,” I echo, my voice hollow. “Everything’s fine.”
Audrey studies us for another moment, then her face relaxes. “Good. Because I’m really looking forward to seeing you both. It’s going to be the best vacation ever.”
We chat for a few more minutes, the conversation mercifully shifting to safer topics. When we finally say goodbye, Audrey blows kisses at the screen and makes us promise to save all the good stuff for when she’s here.
“We will,” Marshall assures her. “Love you, brat.”
“Love you too,” she says, and then the call ends.
I throw my phone onto Marshall’s bed and bury my face in my hands, letting out an exasperated breath. “That was so uncomfortable.”
“Yeah,” Marshall agrees. “It was.”
