Chapter 5
Vanian
While we’re chilling on the couch, Nantes’s phone buzzes. He grabs it from the coffee table and swipes it open, his brow creasing as he reads the message.
“Busted.” He chuckles. “My brothers and Brogan are on the way.”
“Is that bad?”
“It’s more loud than bad.” Nantes smiles. “Brogan noticed the one car that hasn’t left yet and put it together that no one has seen me for a few hours.”
“I see they still mind personal boundaries.”
Nantes laughs heartily. “Just like old times. If I’d told them not to come they would’ve stayed away, but I figure we might as well rip the bandage off.”
I nod. “It’ll be good to see everyone. Deo and Brogan were still teens when I last saw them.”
“Yep.”
Just a few minutes later, while we gather our wineglasses, there’s a knock at the door, and Nantes yells out, “Come in.” Seconds later, Deo, Brogan, and Giuliano pour into the space with inquisitive expressions.
It’s Giuliano who notices me first, stopping in his tracks, his brow creased. “No way. Vanian?”
“In the flesh.”
“Whoa.” He walks over and gives me one of his specialty bear hugs. He was always the buff one out of the brothers, and that hasn’t changed at all.
Deo and Brogan stare at me, and I admit to staring back a little. Both of them have changed so much. They were kids when I left, but they’re definitely adults now.
Deo holds out his hand. “Hey. Long time no see.”
“Definitely. How are ya, Deo?”
“Great.” He glances at his cousin. “You remember Brogan?”
“Of course.”
Brogan just stares at me with an expression I can’t quite place until Deo nudges them with his arm and they blink, clearing their throat.
“Hey, Vanian,” Brogan says.
“How ya been?”
“Can’t complain.”
“What brings you to little Robin’s Grove, Wisconsin?” Giuliano asks.
“I was planning to visit my sister in Janesville and I bumped into Nantes in Madison.”
“He’s staying with me for a few days,” Nantes says. “His sister sort of forgot he was coming.”
“Oh, shit,” Deo says. “How does that happen?”
She would’ve had to know I was coming to forget. “Oh, you know, life is busy sometimes.”
“You still living in Chicago?” Giuliano asks.
“Yep. I just took a few days off to unwind a bit.”
“He’s a child therapist,” Nantes explains.
Brogan nods in understanding. “Ah, yeah. That can be heavy, right?”
“Sometimes, yes. It’s good to see you guys. You look great.”
The front door opens again and a tall man with dark hair peeks in, relaxing when he sees all of us. Nantes waves him in. “You can come in, Balt.”
Deo turns around with a huge smile on his face. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey. Your mom said you were coming over here.”
“You were busy with Nonna, and I figured I’d only be a few minutes.”
Balt kisses Deo’s cheek. “You don’t have to tell me where you’re going, but I missed you.”
“Gag.” Brogan rolls their eyes. “Clearly, these two are in love.”
Deo and Balt hold each other’s gazes until Nantes clears his throat. Deo chuckles. “Sorry. Um, this is my man, Balt. Balt, this is a family friend, Vanian Taylor.”
We shake hands as Balt says, “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, man.”
There’s something about Balt that strikes me. It’s something in his eyes or his demeanor that says he’s a man with secrets. Call it the therapist in me, or maybe it’s because I recognize myself in him, but yeah, he’s lived a lot of life.
Deo must notice my gaze and misconstrue it as he wraps his arm around Balt’s in a territorial fashion. Settle down, little dude. I’m straight. I can admit that Balt is an attractive man though, so I guess if he was mine, I’d hold on tight too.
“Any plans while you’re in town?” Giuliano asks.
I shake my head. “Maybe go out to Madison, but mostly just hanging out and catching up with Nantes.” I glance at my friend. “I’m a little burned out at work, so I just want to chill for a few days.”
“Good plan. Better rest up tonight, because once Nonna finds out you’re here, she’s gonna be all over you.”
“Is Nonna a fan of his?” Balt asks.
“Uh, yeah,” Deo says. “She thought he was ‘too skinny.’” He mimics Nonna’s voice perfectly. “She spent a lot of time trying to fatten him up.”
“Nantes too,” I point out. “We were her skinny boys.”
“And we were her chonks,” Brogan says, nudging Deo, who laughs.
“And you, Giuls?” Balt asks.
He shrugs. “Just normal, I guess. Our bonding wasn’t over food. She liked to go antiquing and I would always tag along.”
Listening to all this brings back a lot of warm memories for me. I always enjoyed hanging out with Nantes and his family. They were so different from my own. So close. And loud. Very loud. My house growing up was the exact opposite.
“I’ll be in the office in the morning,” Nantes says, “but I might take off a few hours early to hang with Van.”
“Whatever you need,” Deo says. “You know that.”
It’s super weird seeing Deo as an adult.
He looks very similar to how he did as a kid, but he’s shed the quirky oversized clothing of his youth for super stylish tailored clothes.
He always had really short hair before, but now it’s long and wavy, draping over his shoulders.
He seems mature too, but I guess he’d be over thirty by now. Time flies.
“I’m sure we’ll see you for dinner before you go,” Giuls says. “Or Nonna will hunt you down.”
I chuckle. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
The guys file out, waving and chatting with each other, leaving me and Nantes alone. He turns to me, searching my eyes for a moment, his lips parted as if he plans to say something, but he doesn’t in the end.
“Your family is cool. I’ve always enjoyed their company,” I say.
“Yeah, they’re alright.” He glances at the living room. “Want to find a movie to watch?”
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
“What a weird ending.” Nantes chuckles. “Like what even was that?”
“I couldn’t tell ya.” I open my phone and scroll to a horror movie forum. “We’re not alone though. This forum is full of the same reaction.”
“Oh yeah?” Nantes leans closer to see my phone screen. “Any theories?”
“This one says the woman was the main character all along, we just didn’t know it.”
“Huh.”
“That seems to be the popular angle.”
“I can get on board with that.” He points at the screen. “What’s that one say?”
As he leans closer, his scent tickles my nose. He smells nice, but I couldn’t describe it. It’s very soft and subtle, and expensive too. “What cologne are you wearing?”
Nantes tilts his head as he thinks for a second. “Oh, probably this scent Deo and Balt gave me last Christmas. I guess it’s a scent based on your zodiac sign.” He chuckles. “Not really my thing, but I have to admit I do like it a lot. Does it stink?”
“Not at all. It’s really nice. I’ll have to ask where they got it.”
Nantes chuckles. “Just be prepared for a lesson on astrological signs.”
“I can handle it.” I look back at my screen. “Uh, this comment is about the weird caretaker and how we should’ve picked up on things sooner because of how creepy he was.”
“Fair point.” He leans back, stretching his arms above his head. “I should get up and get the linens for the guest bed.”
“I can do it. Just show me where everything’s at.”
He smiles. “We’ll do it together.”
Rising from the couch, I follow Nantes down the hallway to a linen closet, lingering behind him as he opens it and grabs sheets and pillowcases.
“I’ve got a blanket in the closet in the room.”
“Cool.”
The bedroom is cool and dark, which is perfect. There’s a queen bed and a nightstand, and across from that, a dresser. It’s simple, but it’ll do.
Nantes jumps into making the bed, so I help from the other side with the fitted sheet.
“You’re my first guest.” He smiles.
“Lucky me.” We work on the flat sheet next. “It’s a nice place, Nan.”
“Thanks. I appreciate having it. It’s good to be close to family, too.”
“Doesn’t get much closer than this.”
He shakes his head. “Nope.” Glancing at me, he asks, “How are your folks?”
“The same. They moved a few years ago. Arizona, to be closer to my dad’s sister. Guess she’s got some health problems and can’t live in a cold climate.”
“That was nice of them to uproot themselves to help her.”
“I think they secretly wanted to bail too. They got a lot of babysitting duties from my sister. They aren’t exactly the doting type.”
“I remember that.”
“Ironically, they hate Arizona.” I pick up a pillow to put the case on. “Too hot, too dry, too many people. They’ll probably move back when my aunt passes on.”
“I don’t think I could handle a desert. I’ve heard it’s well over a hundred degrees every day in the summer.”
“Well over. A hundred and fifteen or more is nothing.”
“Yeah, not for me. I need my seasons and cool weather.”
“Definitely get that here.”
“Chicago too.”
I nod, fluffing a pillow. “That lake effect ain’t no joke.”
We both laugh.
I watch him walk to the closet and grab a blue blanket, then help him spread it out over the bed.
“Do you think this is enough? I think I have another blanket in my room if you need more,” he says.
“Nah, this is enough. I get hot and sleep ass-naked most nights.”
Nantes laughs softly. “Me too. It’s weird we’ve been apart for so long but still have so much in common. We were like that as teens too.”
I nod, studying his face. “We were.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, I recall a funny memory. “Do you remember that time your parents were out of town and we had a party here?”
“Which time?”
“That time.”
I see the exact moment the memory I’m talking about washes over him. He actually blushes as he laughs and shakes his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh god, yes. That time.”
“I was impressed we handled it so well, but now I’m even more impressed by you. I didn’t get a vibe at all from that. Maybe I was too stupid or young or drunk.”
“Drunk, maybe.”
“Obviously, you weren’t into me, or I might have known that night.”
Nantes shrugs. “It was the whole situation, you know? It was awkward. Even if I had been into you, that isn’t the way I would’ve told you.”
“To me, it just felt like we were close enough that we could cuddle while we were sleeping.”
“Naked?” Nantes grins.
“It wasn’t my fault I got confused after going to the bathroom. You usually slept on the top bunk.”
“Too drunk to climb the ladder that night.”
“That little twin bed was pretty tight for two teenage boys to share.”
“Just a little.”
“I remember waking up that morning. I had this warm body pressed up against me and I was positive I must have scored a hot babe.”
Nantes glances at his feet, nodding. “Yeah.”
“Then I thought, okay, she’s pretty flat-chested. Good thing you woke up at that point, or my roaming hands might have found some other surprises.”
Nantes nods, his teeth grazing his bottom lip. “Good thing.” He stands abruptly. “Holler if you need anything.”
“Did I make you uncomfortable? I didn’t mean to.”
“No, not at all. I was just thinking you must be tired.”
“Cool. Yeah, I can sleep. Night.”
“Night, Van.”
I watch him leave the room, then flop back on the bed.
It’s pretty comfy, so hopefully I’ll get some decent sleep.
As I peel off my clothes, memories of my life with Nantes flood my mind.
We did so many crazy things together. I swore our bond was unbreakable, and I was right.
Even with all the time we lost trying to be grown-ups and save the world, we fell right back into it. That’s comforting.
Sliding between the cool sheets, I tuck the pillow under my head and close my eyes. These few days away will be good for me. Maybe even better than I expected.