Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
FRANKIE
It was by sheer luck alone that Frankie and Lucas had composed themselves and settled in the living room by the time Fenton arrived. He had Fallon in tow, carrying a sleeping Elodie on her shoulder, and they both froze halfway into the living room at the sight of Lucas on the sofa.
Fallon’s gaze locked on Frankie, who had half his ass propped up on the arm of the couch, ordering pizza on his phone. “Why is he here?”
Lucas stiffened, and Frankie immediately knew he had taken offense. It became very clear that while they were both autistic, they didn’t necessarily speak each other’s language fully.
“Lucas is staying for dinner,” Frankie said. Fallon was a man of few words and always had been. If he could complete his sentence with a one-syllable word, he would.
“Okay.” He walked off toward Elodie’s bedroom.
Lucas cleared his throat. “Should I…go?”
“Nope,” Fenton answered. He walked over and flopped down one cushion away from Lucas, who tensed up even more. “You and your friend are responsible for teaching that little fuck-face ex of his a lesson. You’re welcome to literally move in.”
“Please don’t invite people to move into my home without asking me first,” Frankie said dryly. He nudged Lucas lightly, hoping he understood he was making a joke.
Lucas snorted. “The only reason Frankie would want me here is to cook for him anyway, and I do enough of that at my job.”
Fenton raised a brow. “Maybe you can teach him a few things. If I can come over for something that isn’t pizza or some sort of internet casserole…”
Lucas burst into laughter, shaking his head. “Just come over next time.”
Fenton grinned at him. “Dangerous invite, bruh.” He leaned back and kicked his feet up on the foam cover of the coffee table. “So anyway…blind, huh?”
“Jesus, Fen,” Frankie said.
Lucas wrinkled his nose as he laughed. “It’s fine. Was I obvious, or did someone tell you?”
“Fallon told me. Is it weird? Are you blind like my sister?”
“It’s normal,” Lucas said, his fingers twitching with his small stims. “I was born that way. Well, mostly. I had my eyes removed when I was a newborn, so I don’t remember anything about it. And no. I’m not blind like your sister.”
Fenton’s brows flew up. “Oh, shit. That must have freaked your parents the fuck out.”
Lucas’s mouth twitched into an amused smirk. “You know, I never did ask. My dad’s kind of…I don’t know. A sentimental marshmallow about literally everything. Like, he still has all my old canes in a box in his attic. I felt like if I asked him, it would turn into a two-hour story time.”
“Can’t relate. My parents sucked, and getting this one to talk about anything more interesting than what brand of socks he needs to buy is like pulling teeth.”
Lucas wrinkled his nose and turned his head toward Frankie, reaching for his leg. They’d agreed not to say anything, but Frankie found himself suddenly craving the need to be defended. And Lucas didn’t let him down.
“Maybe I’m weird, but I have never had a better evening than talking with Frankie.”
Fenton’s gaze snapped to Frankie’s, and he lifted his brows, mouthing, ‘Really?’
Frankie wanted to smack him upside the head. Using Lucas’s blindness to his advantage like that pissed him off in ways he was not expecting. Before he could lose his cool though, Fallon appeared with Elodie, who was rubbing at her eyes, her glasses hanging from the strap around her neck.
“Daddy?”
Frankie hopped off the couch and reached for her. She smashed her face into the center of his chest the way she always did when she was fresh from a nap. He pragmatically did not complain that his brothers had let her fall asleep so late in the day either.
“Hi, Bugs. Did you have a nice nap?”
“Mhm. I want pancakes.”
“We’re having pizza.”
“Noooo,” she said very softly, shaking her head.
He bounced her a little. “Your friend is here. Do you remember Lucas from next door?”
She sniffed and swiped her hand down her face, then turned her head. Her nystagmus was always a little worse after she’d slept late, so her eyes were moving more rapidly than usual. He didn’t think her brain was processing much of anything she was seeing.
“He’s on the couch next to Fenton. Want me to ask him for a hug?” He braced himself because he wasn’t sure Lucas was actually into hugging children.
“I would love a hug,” Lucas said.
Elodie brightened. “My friend!” She shoved her arms in Lucas’s direction, almost toppling out of Frankie’s grasp. He had just enough strength to keep her upright until he was close enough to let her tumble into Lucas’s lap.
Lucas didn’t miss a beat as he adjusted her so she was sitting across his thighs, and then he pulled her close and nuzzled the top of her head. “You give really good hugs.”
“Mmkay.”
“Say, thank you, Bugs.”
“Mmkay.”
Lucas grinned over the top of her head. “It’s fine.”
“Read a book?” She turned her head to face Fenton, likely recognizing him. “Where’s my book?”
“It’s in your bag,” Fallon said. “She got it at school, but we couldn’t read it. It’s in braille, and there’s no print on it.”
“My time has come,” Lucas said, then cracked his knuckles. “Hand over the book, and while I’m reading, you can go next door to my place and make a salad so we’re not just eating pizza.”
“Yes, pr—” Frankie started before stopping himself. His brothers didn’t seem to catch on, but Lucas’s ears turned bright pink. “I think I can do that.”
Fallon grimaced. “I think I should help. Last time, you forgot to wash the leaves, and there were little bugs in it.”
“That’s…true,” Frankie said, deflated. He had missed that step.
Lucas twisted to the side without disturbing Elodie’s place on his lap and got his keys out of his pocket. “Just put everything back where you got it, and don’t get annoyed if you miss something and I have to call you to figure it out.”
Frankie took the keys and fought off the very real, very profound urge to lean over and kiss him. “Back in a few.”
He started out the door with Fallon at his heels as Fenton gave him one last look, then got up to get the book from Elodie’s bag.
The door closed with a click, and neither brother said anything until they got to Lucas’s apartment. It was as tidy as ever. The blanket nest was now gone, all the cushions and throw pillows back on the couch, and the dishes from dinner had all been done and put away.
He felt a little bad, though he knew Lucas would have insisted on doing it himself since Frankie was unfamiliar with the layout of his kitchen. Even now, he was sweating a little about not getting everything put away correctly.
“Relax,” Fallon said. “I can remember where it all goes.”
He didn’t have an eidetic memory, but it was pretty close. Frankie had relied on him a lot when Fallon and Fenton were little because the stress of taking on parental responsibility took up space in his head where organization should have gone.
He walked to the fridge and opened it, staring around before snagging lettuce, a small container of shredded carrots, some sliced radishes, and a block of cheese.
“Will this work?”
“Onions,” Fallon said. “On the side. I don’t like them.”
Frankie found a small container of shredded red onions as well, then a jar of deep purple Greek olives. “Yes?”
“Mm.” Fallon nodded as he slipped into the chair, and his gaze fixed on the sink. “Wash the lettuce.”
“Yes, yes. I won’t forget that step again.”
Fallon bowed his head. “I know I’m fussy—”
“No,” Frankie said softly as he began to pull lettuce leaves away from the head. They had a satisfying crack to them, they were so fresh. “You’re not fussy. No one wants bugs in their food. I’m just bad at this sometimes.”
God, would he ever be good enough for Lucas, who needed someone more put together than him? He wouldn’t be able to take it if he’d forgotten to wash lettuce and served Lucas something with bugs in it and he wasn’t able to see it for himself.
He took in a slightly tense breath.
“Are you angry at Fenton?”
Frankie looked up at his brother. “What did he do?”
“He was making faces and mouthing stuff that Lucas couldn’t see. You looked angry.”
“Ah.” He washed and rinsed the leaves before he spoke again, setting them on a paper towel to dry. “It wasn’t kind. But I didn’t want to embarrass Lucas by bringing it up.”
“I would want to know,” Fallon said. “You need to ask him if he wants to know.”
“Yeah,” he breathed out. That was only fair. He hunted for a knife, then snagged a cutting board and began to chop. “And you? Are you doing okay?”
Fallon swallowed heavily and said nothing for a long, long while. When Frankie was sure his question had shut his brother down, Fallon cleared his throat. “I feel stupid.”
“Fallon—”
“I know you hate that word. I know I shouldn’t say it about myself or about anyone. But I can’t help it. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so stuck in my routine. I wish that it didn’t hurt inside to make big changes. Or maybe if I was braver, I wouldn’t have stayed so long.”
Frankie felt like something in his chest was cracking in half. He set the knife down and walked around the counter, stepping close to his brother without touching him. “Hug or no hug?”
Fallon swallowed heavily, then opened his arms. Frankie pulled him close, squeezing hard enough to make Fallon’s breath gasp—just the way he’d always liked. The way he’d always needed. The pressure kept him grounded.
“Plenty of people get locked into abusive relationships,” Frankie murmured when he let go. “This isn’t because you’re not brave or incapable.”
Fallon bit his lip. “He hurt me. A lot. First, he’d say really nasty stuff to make me upset so he could comfort me.
I didn’t realize what he was doing right away, but…
but a friend saw it. Charlie came with me on a shoot for engagement photos, and he was being nasty.
I think he was getting braver because he didn’t use to behave like that in front of other people. ”