Chapter 1 #2
“What did I miss, again?” I hear my youngest cousin asking from behind me. I had no idea he was standing right there.
I tell him what we were talking about, and he agrees with Angel that the movie was phenomenal. King pouts for a while, and we all get into an easy conversation after. It’s like I was never away from them.
We finally order our food—I get a specialty cheeseburger and fries with Diet Coke, which always cheers me up—and talk about Angel’s upcoming work trip to Las Vegas. There’s a family joke about how things don’t stay in Vegas since Uncle Joey got married there.
“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 about you yet,” 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.
“Start making better jokes, and I might learn.”
With that, we all laugh, and our dinner continues as if nothing happened. And I’m happy that I have this moment with my family.
After three hours with my uncle and cousins, I call Eli, who lives in the Financial District. I don’t want to go home yet after Tiff’s messages.
“I was wondering if you’ve time to have a beer or five with me tonight? I need a distraction from my life, and we haven’t spent much time together lately.” I say as soon as the call connects, forgoing a greeting because with Eli I don’t need to do that.
“Sure, where are you?”
“I’m near King Tattoo—just met the fam for dinner.”
I hear Eli talking to someone in the background. “Cool. Rose said that Ollie’s coming over to pick up some books, so he’ll be here too.”
“See you soon.”
“Drive safe, Jax. No speeding,” I hear Rose telling me in the background.
I chuckle. “I'll be on my best behavior for you, Rosie.”
“Jax, how many times do I have to say this; stop hitting on my woman,” Eli huffs, and Rose laughs.
“You know she would never leave you, brother. You two are stuck like a genital piercing to braces during a blowjob gone wrong.”
I end the call with that before Eli has a chance to reply, and climb onto my bike, ready to go for a ride.
Driving across The Brooklyn Bridge toward Eli and Rose’s place in Manhattan, I take in my surroundings.
The river glitters in the sunlight, which makes it look like magic.
Even though I’ve lived in New York for over two years, it’s still like a fucking dream that I don’t want to end. I’m definitely not in Nebraska anymore.
Arriving at my destination, I park in a spot for guests and go up to the penthouse floor.
You’d think Eli’s an entitled rich kid if you saw where he lives at twenty-six, but the guy is far from it.
He’s worked hard to get where he is as the CEO of Dalton Enterprises, one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world.
Eli loves his family and friends something fierce as well.
If you’re in his inner circle, you’re in for life.
That’s why I respect him. The same goes for my other best friend, Ollie.
They’re like my brothers, but we share no DNA.
My life has shown me that sometimes water can be thicker than blood.
As the elevator doors open, I hear voices coming from the foyer.
Of course, our Little Poet Boy, aka Mr. Always on Time, is here before me.
The day Ollie arrives late or after me will be the day hell freezes over.
As if he can hear my thoughts, Ollie turns around, and his familiar light blue eyes make me feel calmer for a second before I remember why I’m here.
“What’s up?” Ollie runs a hand through his dark blonde unkempt surfer-like hair, sensing my foul mood in the five seconds he’s seen me.
“You know, life’s so fucking amazing. It’s like unicorns, rainbows, and sunshine follows me everywhere I go if you couldn’t tell.
” I walk towards the kitchen past my friends.
Having them near me helps, but I still need a beer.
I can’t drink much because I need to ride home later, but one beer can’t hurt.
If I feel like having more, I can always call a cab and come back tomorrow for my love.
That’s what Isla, my bike, is for me. My love.
My epic love. No other woman can compete with her.
I twist off the cap and feel my muscles finally loosen up as I take a long gulp of the cold, refreshing drink. I lean against the kitchen island with my eyes closed and breathe deeply, holding the bottle between my fingers.
I open my eyes when I hear a cheery female voice calling out to me and walk in her direction with a smile.
Sliding the door to the rooftop terrace open, I greet Rose, the love of Eli’s life.
Her red curls move with the slight wind, and her dress is like her entire personality—bright, cute, and unique.
I hug her and whisper how happy I am to see her.
“I’m glad you called Eli and came to see us,” she says while hugging me with affection. She even freaking smells like the sunshine. What a woman.
“Me too,” I say, trying my best not to spill my drink on her.
And I’m not lying. I’m beyond glad Eli got his head out of his ass and made himself hers. Last summer was full of drama before they finally got to air out everything. Standing here on the terrace of Eli and Rose’s penthouse home, I realize how the past year has gone so fast.
Before I have more time to think it over, Eli pops his head full of dark curls through the open door. “All good, Jax?”
“I'm just trying to find the meaning of life,” I say casually.
Rose smiles knowingly. “You should know that 42 is the answer.”
It must be another book reference because Eli laughs. “Maybe or maybe not, gorgeous. But let's think about that later and forget that the world around us exists—at least for tonight.”
I raise my bottle in his direction. “I’ll drink to that.”