25. Dustin
Dustin
"Uncle Dusty!"
Tiny voices yank me from my sleep, and I unconsciously let out a groan. Cracking open an eye, I see it's nearly noon. Brooke jolts awake next to me.
"What the hell was that?" she whispers.
"My niece and nephew," I grunt back.
"Oh, okay." Brooke closes her eyes again with a tiny sigh. Her eyes spring back open a split-second later. "Wait, what? They're here? Now?"
"Knock knock, hope you're decent!" My sister waltzes into the room, and her jaw drops. "Holy shit."
"Momma said a cuss!" Orion sings out, peeking around his mother's legs. "Who's that?"
"That's Brooke, honey. Can you and your sister go put the groceries away in the fridge, please?" Alicia asks in the ever-patient Mom voice she's perfected.
"Hi, Brooke! Bye, Brooke!" Orion giggles and runs out of the room.
"Hi," Brooke squeaks in a tiny voice .
My sister smirks and perches on the edge of the bed. "So."
"So," I grunt. "Brooke's here."
"I see that. Welcome to Chicago, B. Enjoying your time?"
"Hi," Brooke repeats in the same squeak. "I mean, yes. Hi. Hello."
"So, this is a thing, then? Like, for real?" Alicia cocks an eyebrow.
"Yeah—" I start, but Brooke cuts me off.
"Yes. This is for real. I'm in it for the long haul." She turns to me. "I mean, if you'll have me?"
My heart leaps in my chest, and a smile beams out of me at what feels like a million watts. "Oh, I will absolutely have you. As soon as my sister leaves the room."
"Gross." Alicia grimaces. "Well, good. He's happier than he has been in a while, B. But if you hurt him again, I will kill you. Don't fucking test me, okay?"
"Heard," Brooke nods. The women stare at each other, and I get the sense a silent conversation happening. It must turn out pleasantly, though, because they genuinely smile at the same time.
"Welcome back to the family, B. Now get dressed—there's some little monsters out there, and I can't promise they won't destroy everything unsupervised." Alicia rises from the bed and scurries back to her small brood, gently closing the door behind her .
"I forgot they were coming." I chew on the inside of my lip. "Sorry about that. I was… distracted."
"Understandable—I'm very distracting." Brooke smiles. "Guess we better get up and going, huh? I've got some kids to meet properly."
"Sure do." I pause. "Hey, Brooke?"
"Yeah?"
"Did I impress you on our first date yesterday?"
She giggles and slides her hand over mine under the covers. "You really, really did."
Together, we slide out of bed and quickly dress before greeting the kids and listening to Orion babbling a mile a minute about soup-in-ears and the puppies next door. Brooke slowly relaxes and gives me a tentative smile.
I didn't know I was worried about Brooke and Alicia getting along after all these years, but I guess I was. The sigh that left my chest when the two fell back into their habits of gossiping and poking loving fun at me felt like a thousand-pound weight was lifted. But that's Brooke. She just fits. She always fits.
Especially now as she sits on the floor with my hellion nephew and silently watching niece, stacking plastic bricks under Orion's directions. Orion is already over the moon for her, but Nova seems more reserved.
"Hey, Nova?" I call over. She silently looks up at me with questioning eyes. I guess she's still got a bit of shyness around new people. "Did you know Brooke has a cat? "
"Kitty?" The little girl's eyes widen, and she looks at Brooke with a new regard.
"Sure do! His name is Huey. Do you want to see pictures?" Brooke pulls out her phone and swipes through her camera roll. "See, there he is sleeping on my couch, and there he is climbing the bookshelf, and there he is making a silly face—"
"Kitty!" Nova shrieks.
"Good job, Dusty." My sister sidles up to me and smirks. "Really."
"Thanks, I guess." I run a hand through my messy hair.
"Keep her this time."
"I will."
My phone vibrates a frantic beat against the nightstand the next morning, rousing me from sleep and making Brooke grumble. Picking it up, my heart nearly stops. It's the office.
"Brooke, it's work," I whisper urgently.
She snaps her eyes open instantly and looks at me with panic. "Oh, shit. Answer it! I'll be silent!"
Nodding, I swipe to answer it. "Dustin speaking. "
"Hello, Mr. Sanders. This is Kelsey with the People Team. Are you available to speak currently?"
"Yes. How may I help you?"
"Thank you. I'd like to inform you that the investigation has concluded, and Atmosphere has come to a decision in regards to your employment."
I quickly put the phone on speaker so Brooke can hear. "Oh, uh, thank you. And what, um, what's the decision?"
"Effective immediately, your employment with Atmosphere has been terminated. We thank you for your years of service and wish you the best on your future endeavors. An email with your separation terms will be sent to your personal email shortly. We will also send a box to your home address, postage paid, for you to return any outstanding equipment you may have. Do you have any questions for me at this time?"
Brooke's eyes are like dinnerplates as she stares at me, mouth agape. My heart thuds in my chest. It's the only part of me that's capable of movement. I can't say anything. I can't make words come out of my mouth.
"Mr. Sanders?" Kelsey's voice echoes around my bedroom. "Mr. Sanders, are you still there?"
Blinking rapidly, I force myself to answer. "Uh, yes. Um. What about Brooke?"
"The other party? Well, as you are no longer employed, you may resume contact at your leisure unless instructed otherwise by an attorney. I can't speak to that, unfortunately, as I am neither an attorney nor qualified to provide legal advice. Do you have any other questions?"
"No," I mumble. "Um, thanks."
"Thank you. Have a pleasant day." Click .
What. The fuck. Just happened. I stare into space, still blinking rapidly, heart still pounding against my ribs. Terminated. Fired. I'm fired?
"Oh, Dustin," Brooke breathes. "Babe, I promise everything is going to be okay. I know it doesn't feel like it right now. I know it feels horrendous, but you are so smart and capable. You're a dedicated worker, and I'm going to help you find another job—when you're ready, I mean."
"Yeah." The word comes out half-strangled. I don't have the brainpower to speak. My mind is running calculations and algebra at light speed. With my current savings, I have enough runway to live at the same standard as I do now for two years. More, if I cut down on unnecessary expenses. But two years is more than enough time for me to find another role. "Move in with me."
"What?" Brooke gasps.
Did I say that out loud? I guess I did. "Uh, I mean. If you'd like to. Down the line."
"Babe, I would love to live with you, but is right now the best time to discuss this? You're—" she cuts herself off as her phone rings on the other nightstand. "Who is that?"
I look at the screen. "That's Atmosphere. Answer it. "
She scrambles for her phone and answers breathlessly, "Hello?"
A familiar voice comes out of the speaker, but I can't hear what they're saying. Brooke's eyes flick over to me, and she quickly puts the call on speaker.
"—available to speak with me?" It's Kelsey?
"Uh, yes, hi. Hello. Yes, I'm available."
"Wonderful. The investigation has concluded and we would like for you to return to work. However, we would like to see you in the Chicago office tomorrow afternoon. Could you please advise your current personal email for airfare confirmation?"
Stunned, she spells out her email address, still staring at me.
"Thank you. We look forward to seeing you in the Chicago office tomorrow. You'll be meeting with myself and Peter Navarro at three in the afternoon. We'll have a car pick you up at O'Hare, and lodging accommodations will be provided. An email will be sent to you shortly with all relevant details. Thank you for your patience during the investigation, and we look forward to your future successes."
"Um, thank you." Brooke blinks.
"Have a pleasant day." Click.
"What the fuck just happened?" she asks with panicked eyes.
"Honestly? I have no idea. "
We both sit in stunned silence for several minutes. What she said to me before her call still rings in my ears. She's right—I will be okay. And it does feel horrific right now. But right now is not forever.
If there's a silver lining, it's that Brooke was here when I got the news. I'm so grateful for her. If I were alone today, I imagine I'd get some liquor delivered and drink myself asleep, alone. But she's here. And my heart feels a little fuller when she wriggles herself closer. The warmth of her body heals my anxious mind with every heartbeat.
I'm going to be okay. Brooke's going to be okay.
We're going to be okay.
"Hey, Dustin?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I get a ride to the airport tomorrow? They said they're going to send a car to pick me up, and… well, it's probably best they don't know I'm here right now, right?" She picks at a hangnail on her thumb nervously.
"Yeah, of course. We'll get you to the airport."
I don't know how, but we eventually went back to sleep after our employment-based awakening. And waking up with Brooke snuggled up to me, our limbs tangled together, is one of life's greatest joys. I could do this forever. I want to do this forever.
The thought of her moving in with me is still fresh on my mind. She's right; I shouldn't have brought it up like that, all spur of the moment and panic-based. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want her here permanently, but maybe a bit down the line? A little further in the future? Like, next month, maybe?
Huey, too. I want that little orange menace stalking around the halls. I want him to nap happily in sunbeams and watch the city go by. Do cats like high-rise buildings? Do they know they're up high? I know they love to climb—does living on the eleventh floor count as climbing? I hope I get to find out.
Brooke silently rolls out of bed after kissing my cheek, and a few moments later, I hear the sound of my coffee machine gurgling to life. Which, in turn, springs me out of bed because I need to show her where the brown sugar is. But I'm stopped in my tracks as I emerge from the hall.
There she is. Contentedly moving around the kitchen like she's always been here. I know in my heart that she belongs here.
"Move in with me," I blurt out again. "Bring Huey."
She looks up at me with surprise. "Dustin, if you think I'd abandon Huey in New York, you don't know me at all. "
"No! I know you wouldn't. I just… I don't know, I want you here. I want him here. I want this—" I gesture to the space around us. "—to be ours. Will you?"
"You're sure this isn't just a trauma response from losing the job?" she asks, sipping from her steaming coffee mug.
"I'm sure. I want you both here. I want this to be us. I want you, all of you. I wanna hold your hair back when you're sick. I wanna buy you tampons."
"Wh—Oh, honey. Did you talk about this to Alicia? That sounds like Alicia." She laughs. "I want that, too. But I don't think you need tampons."
"I don't," I agree. "Maybe bandages?"
"Sure. I'll buy you bandages, babe. Yes, I will move in with you, but not quite this second. I need to figure out this Atmosphere thing and my sublease back home." She pauses. "You really want this?"
"I really do."
"Good. I want it, too."