Chapter 23 #2
“I’m not leaving for another day,” Nuri reminded, patting her head. “We’ll see each other tonight. I’m coming over to watch a movie, remember? Plus breakfast in the morning, and then later, you wanted to bring me to your favorite bookshop, didn’t you?”
“Too bad you won’t have any money to buy books,” Nate chimed in, “since you’re about to be fired from your brand-new job.”
“Swear you aren’t going to disappear on me,” she turned to Nuri, ignoring Nate’s comment. “I don’t care if HQ suddenly catches fire, you aren’t allowed to go back to Ignite early. Promise.”
“I promise,” Nuri reassured, but that wasn’t good enough. After years of disappointment, he couldn’t really blame her.
“You could just stay, you know,” she at least had the sense to lower her voice, though Silver was still far out of earshot. “We could finally live together again like a family.”
“Neve.” Nate gave her a stern look.
“You want him back every bit as much as I do.”
“Nuri loves his job. It isn’t right for us to pressure him like this. We’re being selfish.”
“Whatever.” She stood with a flourish. “I’m going so you’ll stop yelling at me. But I’m not happy about it.”
“Noted.”
After giving Nuri one last tight hug, she exited the sandwich shop.
“She just misses you,” Nate said once they were relatively alone. “Don’t take anything she says to heart. Besides, she doesn’t know about the two of you.” He motioned toward Silver. “How’s that going anyway?”
“I’m not going to talk to you about my sex life,” Nuri drawled.
“Relax, I’m not asking for details.” He gave a mock shudder. “I just want to know that he’s, like, taking care of you and shit.”
“Lang—”
“Sorry.” Nate blew out a breath and wiped his hands off on his napkin, clearly taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “You’re okay, right? Because if you aren’t, if there’s anything happening that you don’t want or don’t like, you have to let me know.”
“Who is the older brother here again?”
“I’m serious,” he insisted. “I can help you. I know some people here, powerful people. The kind that could even go head-to-head against Silver—”
“I appreciate your concern,” Nuri glanced in Silver’s direction, seeing that he was headed their way, “but don’t say things like that in the future.”
“I won’t if you promise you’ll tell me if there’s ever a problem.”
“Nate.”
“Neve’s right. We’re family. We’re all we have left. Age doesn’t matter when it comes to this stuff. I’m not a kid anymore, brother.”
“No, you certainly aren’t.” How much of his childhood had Nuri missed? How secretly neglected did Nate feel? Neve? He’d had his reasons, sure, but did that really make up for it? Did it change anything?
Silver arrived, cutting their conversation short, and set the brownie in front of Nuri.
“What’s this?” Nuri frowned at the chocolate square.
“You were eyeing your sister’s all throughout lunch,” Silver replied. “Denying yourself dessert isn’t going to make you appear any more mature in their eyes. Your siblings already idolize you, Narek.”
Nuri couldn’t resist looking over at Nate, who didn’t say anything in response. He seemed busy picking out the last chips from his single serving bag.
He did really want the brownie…
“So,” Nate waited until he’d just taken a bite, and then rested a steely gaze on Silver, “you going to stick to my brother like glue this entire time, or are you going to give him some breathing room and respect his space at least once?”
Damn it.
Nuri set his fork down with a click. “Nate.”
“Is there something you want to do with him that I can’t be present for?” Silver asked smoothly.
“I just want alone time with my brother to catch up,” Nate said.
“I’m not preventing you from catching up.”
“Look, I understand that you’re an only sibling, so you probably don’t get it, but we’ve been super tolerating toward you for years now.
You overwork him and you keep him away from us.
Now that he’s finally here, you think that makes up for it?
It doesn’t. Neve is putting on a brave face, but she’s terrified that you’re going to change your mind and order him to leave early.
If you’re really in the type of relationship you claimed to be in when I walked in on you two, then you should want to make him happy. ”
“Oh?” Silver tilted his head.
“It’s pretty simple,” Nate concluded. “If Neve is happy, we’re happy.”
“And having some alone time will make her happy?”
“Yes.”
A thick silence settled over the table, and just when Nuri was about to reprimand his brother, Silver surprised him by standing.
“Enjoy the rest of the day with your siblings.” Silver captured him by the nape, holding him steady as he leaned in. The kiss was unavoidable and soft, though by no means brief. He licked the seam of Nuri’s mouth and then flicked his tongue between his parted lips.
Embarrassment and arousal swirled in Nuri’s gut, but he responded all the same, kissing him back despite all of the reasons he shouldn’t.
By the time Silver pulled away, Nuri was out of breath.
“I’ll see you back at the hotel.” His eyes hardened warningly. “No later than midnight, Narek.”
All he could do was nod, still too shocked to do much else.
“Damn,” Nate stated as they watched Silver step out of the shop and onto the street. “I can’t believe that worked.”
Neither could Nuri.
He should have been glad.
So why did he feel nervous instead?