Chapter 50
Tilian
The door swung open and I sat up abruptly. Brooks stood there, looking a little awkward. His eyes were red and his lovely smile was absent, but he wasn’t actively crying, which I wanted to think meant things were okay. He was also really good at hiding his emotions most of the time, so I could be completely wrong.
“Beer,” he said before he turned around.
Me and the guys shared a look.
“I don’t want to,” Sen murmured. “If his dad is like his mom…”
Kai caught a tear with his thumb just as it released. “He’s not. We heard his parents talking, remember? And if he makes you cry, I’ll smash a bottle over his head.”
Leaving them to continue talking, I crossed my arms over my chest and wandered into the kitchen. I felt more awkward than I had in a long time. Not only was I meeting Brooks’ dad for the first time; I’d also straight up called his mom a bad parent not too long ago.
There was no way this guy was gonna like me.
I looked at Brooks, who was leaning his elbows on the island and spinning his beer bottle. Beside him, there was man who was slightly broader than him but about the same height. His hair was a shade lighter and cut short, not a curl to be found. He wore a dark gray button up and slacks, which sounded horribly uncomfortable on a plane. I wondered if he owned casual clothes.
My lips pursed when I saw a watch on his wrist.
“Is he mute?” he asked.
Brooks dropped his head to the counter and started to laugh. Did I say I felt awkward before? This was a million times worse.
“Sorry,” I said with a grimace.
“Don’t apologize.” He slid a beer across the island and I immediately took a long drink.
Brooks came around to stand by me. When he passed me a dab pen, I looked at his dad. He just made a dismissive gesture.
“Relax,” Brooks said close to my ear.
“Oh, that’s funny. The last parent I met made me want to drown myself in my mimosa glass.”
“I’m sorry,” his dad said. “Whatever my wife said to you, I’m sorry for it. There’s no excuse.”
“It’s okay. Um, I’m Tilian.”
“Noah.”
He held his hand out and I started to lift mine, but Brooks took it. “You already have him on the verge of passing out, Dad.”
“Alright, alright. Your house, your rules.”
I liked him more than Ava already.
“Hello, sir, I’m Kai.” He marched right up to Noah and shook his hand like a man on a mission. “I’m not one to speak for my boyfriend, but he’s a little shaken up from breakfast. This is Sen.”
Noah looked from Kai to Sen, who was a little pale, but overall, he seemed better.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Noah said, offering them a kind smile before he handed them two beers. “Brooks says you’re his favorite friends, so I’m sure you’re equal parts decent people and chaotic.”
Kai laughed. “That’s a good way to put it. Oh, before we do anything else, I should tell you that I was a complete dick to your wife and I’m not even a little bit sorry about it. I can see why Brooks is so fucked up.”
“Dude,” Brooks scolded. “What the fuck?”
“I’m just saying.”
“Oh my god. We should’ve just gone on our vacation.”
“Vacation?” Noah repeated.
“We were supposed to go to Portland,” I replied.
“For the day?”
“For the week.”
He frowned. “Really, Brooks?”
“If I say that Tilian is a compulsive liar, will you believe me?’
I shoved his shoulder, which made him laugh. It was so nice to see him smile again. It had only been a few hours since he was happy, before his mom showed up, but it was agonizing and felt like there was a little less sun in my world.
Brooks sat in a barstool and pulled me closer. I leaned against the inside of his thigh, enjoying the way his fingers stroked the exposed skin above my pelvic bone.
“You should go to Portland,” Noah said.
We both froze and Brooks’ brow furrowed. “What?”
“I don’t like that you were trying to run away because we would be here, but you should take your vacation. It’s spring break and you should spend it how you want.”
“But you’re here for the week.”
“Yeah. I don’t think we’re going to do all those things we had planned. You need this, especially after today.”
“You could come with us,” I suggested. I looked at Brooks, worried he’d be upset, but he nodded.
“You’re here and I want to spend time with you. Have you ever been?”
Noah shook his head. “Never had a reason to.”
“Now you do.”
“Hm. Okay, if you want me to, I’ll drive down on Monday. That gives me the weekend to deal with other things here.”
“We can still stay here?” Kai asked with a sly smile.
“I guess. Don’t go in my room.”
Sen chuckled. “Is that where your infamous coke stash is?”
Noah looked at Brooks in the way you never wanted to see from your dad. He held up a hand and clutched me tighter.
“It was a fucking joke. Sen, stop stirring up trouble, god damnit.”
The front door banged open, making us jump. I was prepared for a horrible sense of déjà vu, but it wasn’t Brooks’ mom this time.
“What big event are we missing?” West asked loudly. “Brooks, why is everyone treating you like a princess in the group chat? You can’t have a mental breakdown every day. It’s Sen’s turn, god damnit, and I claim tomorrow.”
Linc came in after him and grimaced. “Sorry. He’s… I don’t have to explain it to you guys.”
“Your other friends,” Noah noted. He looked sort of amused and terrified about the situation.
Brooks groaned. “How the hell do you all keep getting into the building without a key card?”
West lifted his shirt to reveal stupidly nice abs. “Have you seen us? I have those office people swooning. They’d probably let me into any apartment I wanted.”
“That’s not true,” Linc said. “I think they almost kicked us out when you told them you’d sign the body part of their choosing so they’d be able to say they knew you before you were famous.”
“Well, kumquat, they could have.”
“Kumquat?” I mouthed to Brooks.
He just rolled his eyes. “So, Dad, this is Linc. He’s a dignified piano player and was also the quarterback for the last four years. And somehow, he’s with West, the current quarterback and incorrigible problem child with a face blessed by Apollo himself.”
“Damn,” West shouted. “Linc, I’m leaving you for Brooks. You called me Lucifer.”
“You are,” Kai muttered.
“Portland,” Brooks said, jumping to his feet. “We’re going to Portland. You all… have fun. I’m tired of your faces.”
He picked me up bridal style and I wanted to protest, but I was a strong supporter of setting gender stereotypes on fire, so I didn’t have a good reason to.
“It was nice to meet you,” Noah called after us. “Be safe.”
“See you in a couple days!” I shouted before Brooks closed the front door.
“Everything’s in the car already. Let’s dip.”
“Okay but put me down.”
“Hm. No.”
“Brooks.”
“I made you cry today and I’m going to worship the ground you walk on until I make it up to you.”
“Only until then?”
“Afterward, we’ll take turns. I’m never giving you a reason to doubt me again. Never.”
*****
The sound of the waterfall was extremely loud, but I didn’t mind it. Brooks didn’t seem to either. He went back and forth on the bridge, mesmerized by the view.
“I know you grew up in the city,” I said, “but have you never been anywhere like this?”
He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing me up against the railing. As his tongue traced the fresh mark that he’d made on my neck this morning, I let out a breath.
“I’ve been to beaches,” he replied. “Central Park- overrated and it doesn’t feel natural like it does here. Rome, London, fucking Louisiana. Nothing like this. My family isn’t really into nature. Bugs and dirt and all that.”
“That’s unacceptable. We’re going on hikes, a new spot every week. I don’t even know where any hiking trails are, but I’m gonna Google them and make a list.”
“Am I gonna come home with bug bites?”
“For sure. If you’re really dumb, you might wipe your ass with poison ivy.”
“Ugh. Don’t tell me someone’s done that before.”
I laughed and dropped my head back to rest on his shoulder. “Someone’s done everything. That’s why they have stupid as fuck warning labels that should be common sense.”
“We don’t do that here.”
“No smooth brains allowed.”
The sound of a camera made me turn. Brooks’ dad was standing at the end of the bridge, aiming his phone at us. It clicked a few more times, then I ducked my head.
“He keeps his sound on,” I said with a laugh.
“He’s old.”
Noah came up beside us and started typing on his phone. Every tap made a sound and it went against one of my core tenants: keep my phone on vibrate at all times. His probably rang at full volume. The horror.
“You’ve been around for three days,” Brooks noted. “Can you not start building a whole album?”
“I’m sorry,” Noah said sarcastically. “You’ve never had a real relationship before and I’m happy for you. I want to put a picture on my desk.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“You can get one of those digital frames,” I suggested. “Then, you can have it switch between a bunch of pictures.”
“Sounds like I need more.”
Brooks huffed. “Tilian, if you keep saying the unfiltered things that come into your head, I’m gonna have to duct tape your mouth closed.”
“I meant to say that one.”
He positioned his lips at my ear and dropped his voice low. “A ball gag, then.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Brooks.”
“Baby, I’m this close to carrying you out of here.”
Ducking under his arm, I started walking backward. “There’s a whole trail up to Larch Mountain. Think you can survive it?”
“Yeah, I’m a fitness connoisseur.”
“It’s thirteen miles round trip.”
His brows raised, then he started to head back down toward the parking lot. I laughed as I watched him.
“He’s going to come back,” Noah said.
“I don’t know. He’s competitive, but he’s not dumb.”
He nudged my shoulder when Brooks stopped walking. He bounced on his toes a few times, then turned around.
“If I survive this,” he said, grabbing my hand, “you’re rubbing my feet for the rest of the night.”
“No, I don’t do feet.”
“I’m not asking you to do my feet.”
“Well, I’m not touching them.”
He grunted when I moved behind him and jumped onto his back. “I can’t do this with the weight of a full-grown man on me.”
“I’m lighter than you,” I said.
“This is goddamn abuse. Dad, do I have a will? I don’t want Tilian to get any of my stuff after he kills me.”
“Shut up,” I laughed. “We’re only going a couple miles up.”
“Oh. Then, hold on.”
I gripped his neck tightly when he started running. He didn’t make it very far before he started laughing and had to stop. I let him go and dropped to my feet. Noah was a little ways back and I was going to tell Brooks that we should wait for him, but he latched onto my throat and pushed me up against a tree.
“You’re so fucking lovely,” he murmured against my lips.
“No, you.”
“Whatever happens, it’s me and you, right? You still want that?”
“Of course. You’re everything.”
The look in his eyes was heavy, weighed down by those insecurities that shouldn’t exist, but sometimes, he let me see them now.
“I’m not gonna leave,” I said firmly. “You’re safe. Give me your pain. Always.”
He kissed me with all the possessiveness in the world. I held on to him, wanting this moment to stretch into forever.