9. CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER NINE
Wes
T he light breeze whips my hair around my face as I stand on the curb outside my new building. Breck is on his way to pick me up for lunch, and I can feel the year since we last saw each other stretching between us and pulling taut the closer he gets. When I was flown to the hospital in Hawaii after the crash, he dropped everything, took time off work, and was on the first flight he could get. He stayed with me for a week and he’s been a constant source of support since.
We’d been close friends since I studied abroad here in college, but after Hawaii, he became my best friend. My friends from back home hardly keep in touch, and I don’t know that I would feel comfortable accepting the support from them that I’ve sought from Breck. That’s how you know the fair-weather friends from the true ones—they show up. And here is Breck showing up when I need him most and giving me a much-needed escape.
A sleek grey Toyota Hilux pulls up with a loud honk. A grin splits my face at the sight of him bounding around the front of the truck like a golden retriever, headed straight for me. I brace myself as we collide and he wraps me in a hug unlike anything I’ve experienced in… well, probably since I saw him last. Breck is the most physically affectionate man I’ve ever met. When he hugs you, it’s a full-body experience, not like those bro-hugs or the handshake/back slap hybrids either. It’s just part of who he is.
I’m struggling to remember the last time someone hugged me that wasn’t my sister. Even my parents don’t hug like this. In the Navy, buttoning down your emotions is expected, and rightfully so when compartmentalizing is key, but it usually trickles down into your friendships and relationships as well. Things have never felt like my bond with Breck does, like they exist deeper than surface-level. Almost never, I should say, but that’s not a thought I allow in.
I squeeze him back, putting all the feelings I can’t find words for into it, hoping he understands.
“Fucking finally, mate! I can’t believe you’re really here.” Breck’s warm laugh surrounds me as he nearly picks me up off the ground.
All my stress, the worries, the anxieties… the guilt, seem to drop to the sidewalk like a stone as he releases me. Leaving his hands on my shoulders, he looks me over. My somewhat disheveled appearance is probably a shock to him, and I smirk remembering the way Joss appraised me in a similar fashion earlier. Even in college I had a buzzcut. I may not have been in the military yet, but I knew where I was headed and I made sure to fit the part. I know I look a little shaggy by comparison now, and I’m just waiting for him to comment on it.
Breck, on the flipside, looks exactly the same. Six feet tall and built like a rock. His ability to surf and snowboard with the grace of a dancer has always blown my mind. His sandy-blond curls blow in the wind and his bright blue eyes shine with open excitement.
“Man, it’s good to see you.” The emotion in my voice threatens to spill over, so I pull him back in for another quick hug.
“You have no idea. It’s been way too long!”
I hear the passenger-side door open and look over Breck’s shoulder to see Talia standing there. Her olive skin tone and dark hair pair perfectly with her rich hazel eyes. She’s sporting a small smile, amused by our bromance unfolding in front of her. I know her too, but not well. She was around a bit in college, but being two years our junior, we didn’t overlap much. And it wasn’t until a few years after graduation that she and Breck got together.
“It’s good to see you, Talia. Thank you for the pizza and beer yesterday, you’re a lifesaver.” She walks over and I give her a side-hug then drop my arms. I’m not as comfortable with physical touch as Breck is, especially when it comes to his girl. I sneak a glance at Breck and find his eyes have turned mushy—he’s a goner for her.
“I’m so glad you found it. I knew you’d be wrecked after that flight.” A gust of wind tunnels between us then, and she motions toward the truck. “Lunch, yeah?”
“Oh yeah, I’m starving.”
I can feel Breck watching me as we head for the truck, like he’s running a mental diagnostic on how I’m really doing. How I’m coping. I put a little more effort into the smile I flash him, but I think he sees right through it.
“Willow has school, huh? Her favorite uncle moving to town didn’t warrant a skip day?” I open the front passenger door for Talia but she hops in the back, motioning for me to take it.
Breck’s smile goes wide as he climbs in. If he’s a goner for his girlfriend, he’s even more so for their daughter. “I thought about it, but she already missed a few days last week with a cold. I’m supposed to give you a hug from her.”
Willow was a surprise that neither Breck nor Talia was prepared for. They’d only been dating a few months when they found out Talia was pregnant. As soon as Breck told me he was going to be a dad, I deemed myself Uncle Wes—even if I’d hardly get to see the kid because of the distance.
“Yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes. “Look at you being the responsible parent,” I say, but we both know he’s so much more than that—he’s an amazing dad.
“We’ll have you over this weekend and you can see her. I doubt she’ll let you out of her sight the whole time,” Talia chimes in from the back seat as we pull away from the curb.
Riding shotgun next to Breck, we shoot the shit about work and life. Driving down familiar roads feels like a dream after all this time. He slides into a parking spot with ease like he isn’t commandeering a beast—the man has always loved his toys, and it’s nice to see that hasn’t changed.
The café we’ve pulled up to is quaint, with little tables out front and a sandwich board propped on the sidewalk. I laugh at the words written on it. On one side, it says, “A meal without wine is called breakfast,” and on the other it says, “But a breakfast without champagne is not a breakfast.” The café is warm and inviting, and my stomach grumbles loudly at the smell of fresh bread. I planned on getting something to eat this morning but was promptly distracted by a beautiful brunette.
The fresh coffee aroma washes over me and I realize that I forgot to buy some at the store. I’ll have to make a stop later; otherwise, I’ll be pounding on Joss’s door in the morning.
“Tell me about this new neighbor.” Breck says, fishing for information after my text about her being prettier than him. He’s practically salivating at the prospect of a woman in my life. Not happening, bro .
“Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s not going to be anything happening there,” I reply, the words sending an unwelcome pang through my chest.
I can see the disappointment as his face falls, but he recovers and smiles again. “Why’s that? She got a boyfriend or something?”
I think back to our conversation. I never actually asked, but I doubt she would have had me in her house and spoken of her attraction to me if she did. No, I think I can confidently say she isn’t in a relationship.
“No. She’s just not interested in anything casual, and I’m not interested in anything serious. You know I’m not one for messy and complicated, which is exactly what it’d end up being.”
“Wait.” His head rears back in surprise. “You’ve actually discussed this with her? Didn’t you just meet? ”
How can I explain this without sounding nuts… I guess it would seem odd to most people, but I loved that we were able to be up front about it. No mixed signals or wrong ideas here.
“Sort of…” I run a hand through my hair as I trail off, trying to think of how to start.
“What do you mean sort of ? You’ve been here less than twenty-four hours… Is she from school?” Talia asks with way too much interest.
“No, not from school. She was a flight attendant on my flight in. We ran into each other again this morning at the coffee shop just down from my building and, turns out, we’re neighbors.”
“What are the chances?” Breck lets out a low whistle.
“Right?”
“I mean, come on, Wes. This is like the plot to every romance novel—you have to pursue her. It’s fate!” Talia is not letting this go. I scrub a hand across my stubbled face trying to think of a way to diffuse this situation before she gets carried away planning my wedding.
“Talia…” Breck chastises her, but he does it with that megawatt smile of his, dimples on full display, so she doesn’t seem to mind.
“What? I’m just saying.” She shrugs her shoulders like this should be a foregone conclusion.
“Look, I get it,” I say. “But we’re neighbors , Talia. It would be a shit show if things went south. Anyway, we like each other, and it feels easy being around her. As friends.” I let out a chuckle at her crestfallen face before directing my next words to Breck. “She cracked a Silence of the Lambs joke. An honest-to-god serial killer joke. I almost died. ”
Breck laughs. I know he’s going to like her.
“So, when do we get to meet her? Any friend of yours is a friend of ours, right, Tal?” Her eyes swing to him and soften with a small nod.
“I’m not sure, she works a lot. I think she’s off for the next few days though. We’re planning on surfing dawn patrol tomorrow.”
I can hardly wait to get in the water. I surfed a bit in my first two years of college in San Diego, but it wasn’t until I transferred to Sydney that I really threw myself into it. Breck was always dragging me out with him in the mornings before classes and to random surf camps up and down the coast. I know he doesn’t get to go nearly as often now between work and family stuff. He’s busy, and I get that, but it used to be a huge part of his life.
“She surfs?” His eyes brighten, and he sounds even more excited about meeting her. “I haven’t gone to Bondi in ages, I’d love to join you. Tal, you don’t mind, do you?”
It bothers me that he has to ask. I know they live together, have a kid together, and work together, but still, Breck’s a waterman. Talia’s eyes drop to the table as she gives a little shrug.
“Yeah, it should be fine. I can take Willow to school, but we have a nine-o’clock meeting that I need you to be at.”
“I won’t miss it!” He leans and plants a kiss on her lips. She blushes and looks around as though embarrassed. They’ve been together for over eight years, you’d think she’d be used to his publicly affectionate ways by now .
“Thanks, babe.”
He looks back at me with those dimples carved into his cheeks. He’s like a big puppy who just got a treat, and I don’t know why it doesn’t sit right with me.