8
BRAD
Friday, January 16th
When Chuckand Minni first invited me to Charlie’s welcome-home dinner, I was nervous about how it would go. But over the last two weeks, I’ve gotten to know this adult version of Charlie.
That’s not really the problem though. It’s how much I still want to know.
What would it be like to kiss Charlie? How does he sound when he comes?
Those things would get me banned from every family dinner going forward.
And it makes this dinner awkward as hell. But I couldn’t say no. They’d wonder why. And they invited Harper.
I still should have said no. Brad and Minni trust me. And I’m perving on their son.
Awkwardness is not something I usually feel in my best friend’s home. At least with Harper here, I don’t feel as exposed. I mostly listen as Charlie and his parents talk about his move back home. But everything feels different now. Off-balance.
Charlie reassures his mom he’s not moving anytime soon, and some of my tension eases. I didn’t even realize it was a worry. That Charlie would leave again.
It never bothered me before. Kids move away. But now? My chest hurts even thinking about it. “If you need help unpacking, Charlie, just let me know,” I offer.
“That’s perfect.” Minni turns to Chuck. “Isn’t it a great idea, honey?”
He nods in agreement. “Brad is great at stuff like that. He’s your guy, kiddo.”
Charlie grits his teeth. Is he upset that I offered to help? Or the term kiddo? Probably both. His eyes dart to mine, promising payback. I try not to squirm like a freshman on the first day of class. Jesus. What is happening to me?
“Brad’s very helpful,” Charlie agrees. When he says it like that, I’m not sure he means it. “We’re so lucky to have him on the Homes for Hope project.” He seems angry, but I have no idea why.
But it puts my best friend’s focus on me, and I try to act normally. Not that I know what that is anymore. “You’re helping with that? You didn’t tell us.”
“I did, Chuck.” I poke at the food on my plate. “You just don’t listen to me.”
“You said you were volunteering. You didn’t mention it was Charlie’s project.”
“At the time, I didn’t know.” I scoot back from the table, ready to make my escape.
“Anyway,” Charlie says with a forced laugh. “I’m learning, but there’s still a lot I don’t know about construction.”
“Brad can— Ow!” Chuck glares at Minni.
I bite back a grin. This, at least, is normal. “I’d love to help however I can, Charlie.”
But Charlie is not smiling. “So you’d help me out? Explain what all those big construction words mean? Just so I don’t look so clueless, right?”
Is this a trap? “Sure. Anytime.”
“Great.” He stands and throws his napkin down. “How about now?”
“Now?”
“Let the man eat his dinner, sweetheart,” Minni says. “This can wait.”
“He’s not eating his food, Mom. He’s poking at it.” Charlie crosses his arms and stares at me. And it feels like a challenge.
One that I’m more than up for. Except that’s the problem. Charlie taking charge and ordering me around makes for a very awkward situation. Jesus. I’m not a fucking teenager.
