Chapter Five
ASH
“When are you leaving?” Luca asked.
I lifted my head from my laptop, dragging my attention back to him. “I’m not. I’m here for the rest of the month.”
“I leave next Monday.” His thumbs were already flying over his phone. “Back on the twenty-third. Would you like to do XO on Friday?”
My lips parted to answer, but an email notification appeared in the corner of my screen. I glanced at it automatically, jaw tightening, before forcing my focus back to him. “Yes,” I said. “Friday works.”
Someone knocked at the door.
“Yes?”
It flew open, and Henry stepped in with a stack of takeout boxes. “Brotherly delivery. No excuses; we’re doing a sushi lunch break—” He spotted Luca and stopped. “Oh. Sorry. Didn’t know you were already busy.”
“Like that’s ever stopped you before,” I said, pushing the laptop aside but not closing it. “We’re just finishing up. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Henry crossed the room and dropped the boxes on my desk before shaking Luca’s hand. “Sorry for crashing your date.”
“Don’t worry—not a date. It is nice to see you again.” Luca’s gaze drifted to the spread. “And this is very sweet.”
“Yeah, Ash is shit at feeding himself,” Henry said. “As you must know by now. So I’m just putting in the work.”
Luca turned back to me, a faint crease forming between his brows. “Are you missing lunch right now?”
“It’s fine,” I said, waving him off, eyes flicking briefly to the screen as it dimmed beside me. I tapped the trackpad to wake it. “I would’ve just asked Vanessa to get me something down the street in a little while.”
Henry hesitated, then dropped into the chair and pretended to scroll through his phone, though his gaze lifted every few seconds.
“Oh. Okay, then. So… XO?” Luca asked.
I tipped my chin toward Henry, already reaching to silence another notification. “This’ll just be a minute.”
“That’s fine.” Henry blinked, face scrunching in confusion. “There’s plenty in there for all of us.”
Luca smiled politely. “I have to leave—I had plans already. Maybe next time.”
“Sure…”
“I can do dinner on Friday.” The words came out distracted, my attention snagging on the subject line that had just appeared in my inbox. “We’ll figure out the rest after you get back.”
Luca nodded, still tapping away on his phone.
Henry narrowed his eyes.
“Stop by Casa Aurelio before you leave,” I said. “I got you the appointment. I’ll text you the number—you’re all set.”
Luca’s face brightened. “Thank you, Ash.” He reached out to shake Henry’s hand. “Bye, Henry.”
Henry nodded back, still looking puzzled.
Luca stepped toward me, pressing a soft kiss to my mouth before heading for the door. Right before leaving, he paused and turned. “We’re going out for drinks tonight with Carla. If you would like to come… both of you?”
My jaw tightened for a second. “Can’t make it, Luc. I have a meeting with Elena tonight. Sorry, it’s just this whole mess…”
“Right,” he said. “No problem. Next time.”
“Next time,” I echoed, already reaching for my mouse.
Luca gave a small nod and slipped out of the office. The sound of his footsteps faded down the hall as we sat in silence. My inbox counter ticked upward on the screen.
“So…” Henry said. “Was this the first time you two met, or…?”
I blew out a breath, knowing this was coming. “What?”
“This just felt a little like walking into a business meeting, not my brother and his boyfriend.”
I drummed my fingers on the desk. “Your point being?”
Henry leaned his elbows on the table, tilting his head. “Do you like him?”
“We’re dating, Henny. What do you think?”
“That that was the most clinical exchange I’ve ever seen between two people who are, quote, unquote, dating.”
“Just because we weren’t all over each other?”
He wobble-nodded. “Not everyone has to be. But you can be. When you and Ethan—” He cut himself off abruptly. “Never mind. Not getting in the middle.”
I grabbed one of the boxes and opened it. “Good choice.”
“But I mean,” Henry continued, “I’ve seen you be warmer than that with fuckbuddies. It’s weird, that’s all.”
My phone buzzed on the desk, and I flipped it over. A text from Ethan. I’d messaged him this morning, and we’d been talking on and off throughout the day.
Pet
just left quant methods
professor said numbers never lie but the numbers in my spreadsheet have absolutely lied to me
twice
I huffed a small laugh. The tension in my shoulders loosened a fraction.
Me
that’s not the spreadsheet lying
it’s begging for help
want me to take a look at it?
Pet
are you implying my spreadsheet is dramatic???
and no thank you
I can tame them myself
Me
uh-huh
I’ll be here when those “tamed” numbers start plotting a coup
I set my phone down as Henry finished unpacking all the makis. My stomach rumbled. Not that I wanted to admit he was right, but I had skipped breakfast for an early meeting—and the inevitable string that followed.
“So have you met his friends?” Henry asked.
I raised an eyebrow.
“Been to his place? Know his last name?”
I sighed. “Henny, we’ve been going out for two months.”
“Right, right,” he said, popping a roll into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “How long did your fling with E last? Summer, right? Couple of months?”
We stared at each other.
“You’re being very annoying today,” I said.
Henry let out his bark of a laugh. “You make it so easy.”
My phone buzzed again, and I grabbed it while taking a bite of a salmon yuzu roll.
Pet
please
I’d like to see them try
I’ve handled worse than a rogue spreadsheet
Me
forgot who I was talking to for a minute there
they don’t stand a fucking chance
I’ll still be around if you need saving though
Pet
don’t need the heroics
got plenty of red bull and have been vibing to this one song on repeat
kept me sane more than the class did tbh
Me
a song huh
what’s got you vibing these days
Pet
Lucky by Zedd and Remi Wolf
I’d ask if you’ve heard it but since you’re a thousand years old and make the word vibing sound incredibly awkward I’m gonna go with no
“Little shit,” I muttered under my breath, a laugh slipping out as I pulled up the lyrics on my laptop.
“Still working?” Henry asked.
My eyes skimmed the words, my grin widening as I picked up my phone and typed quickly.
Me
of course I have
and really?
so who are you clutching your pillow to these days? me?
I’m flattered but I guess it’s nice to know you don’t regret it
I lifted my eyes back to my brother. “Sorry?”
Henry was squinting again.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
Pet
ooooh we’re playing the cocky asshole game today?
my bad
let me think up an appropriate comeback
I laughed out loud before I could help myself, then pressed my lips together as I took in Henry’s expression.
A slow grin spread across his face. “Oh, hello, teenage Sebastian!” he said with mock surprise. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Let me take a wild guess.” He looked pointedly at my phone, not even trying to hide his amusement. “Are you maybe texting our brother-in-law right now?”
“No,” I said too quickly.
My phone buzzed again, and our eyes dropped to it at the same time. We both reached for it, but thankfully I got there first, clutching it to my chest.
“You’re so full of shit,” Henry said, pointing. “You’re totally texting him right now.”
“So what if I was? I can’t text him?”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?”
“Five minutes ago you were acting like a fucking robot with your boyfriend”—he jerked his thumb toward the door Luca had walked out of—“and now you’re here giggling and kicking your fucking feet while texting your ex? Shit, Ash, I’m about to blast Madonna and pull out the neon pink nail polish.”
“That’s not what’s happening.” I rolled my eyes and pocketed my phone to keep it out of his reach. “Ethan is just fun. You know this. He’s your fucking best friend now—apparently,” I said, trying my damnedest not to sound bitter. “And we know each other. It’s different with him.”
“Exactly, Ash.” Henry’s eyes widened as he nodded slowly. “It is different with him. Do you know why?” His tone was placating, like he was talking to a small child.
“You’re dangerously close to getting right down smack in the middle of it, Henry.”
That shut him up.
His chest visibly deflated, and he sank back in his chair, poking at the sushi with his chopsticks. “I finally know what people who timetravel in movies feel like.”
I snorted. “What?”
“You know… how they’re supposed to not interfere and just let nature take its course. It’s annoying as fuck.”
I took another bite, this one harder to swallow. “I’m always going to have his best interests at heart, Henny. You know that.”
He nodded, the humor slipping from his face. “I know I’m not supposed to call you out, and I know I was the one who asked for us to keep everything separate, so I’m just going to say one thing. Okay?”
I waited.
Henry met my eyes, his bottom lip twisting. “Don’t fucking hurt him again.”
And that hit me right in the chest.
Somehow everything with Ethan was always a mess. First my teenage affair when our siblings were getting married, and now he’s my little brother’s best friend. When I wasn’t hurting Oliver, I was hurting Henry—and always dragging Ethan into the mix.
Fucking perfect.
“I won’t,” I said, hoping I could actually keep my promise this time.
Ethan’s unexpected reappearance in my life was not ideal for so many reasons.
But it was incredibly welcome. When my head was in chaos, just thinking about him could set everything right again.
The ease. How he cut through the noise. That effect he had on me was so difficult to give up when all I wanted right now was some source of comfort.
But my comfort shouldn’t ever come at his expense.
Or Luca’s, for that matter.
Things between us had turned a little tense since that lunch with Ethan—understandably—but it left a bitter taste at the back of my throat, an ache in my chest that felt too much like being caught doing something wrong.