Chapter 20
My attempt at avoiding Gabe over the next few days is unsuccessful when he corners me early one morning as I’m coming out of the bathroom.
“Can’t a man shower in private?” I ask, attempting to squeeze past Gabe and head to the kitchen.
“Negative, Brother. We need to chat.”
“As, uh… ominous as that sounds, can I at least put some clothes on?” I nod down at my bare torso, towel slung low across my hips.
“Fine, but I’m coming with you.”
I scoff. “I’m not going to climb out the window while you’re waiting.”
In lieu of a response, Gabe follows me into my room, making himself comfortable when he plops onto my bed.
“Gabriel, shoes off the bed.”
He shuffles so his feet hang haphazardly over the edge and then props his head up in the palm of his hand. I stand there staring at him, waiting for him to—I don’t know—avert his eyes? “Do you mind?” I ask.
“Nope,” he replies, popping the P obnoxiously. “You aren’t escaping me, Benny boo.”
“I’m not trying to escape you!” I sigh, dropping my towel and quickly hopping into some boxers. “I’m just trying to get dressed in private.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not looking at your dick. I’m too busy trying to figure out what that tattoo is. Do Mom and Dad know about that?”
“As a thirty-year-old man, I didn’t think I had to update my parents on everything new that happens with my body,” I retort.
“What about Jules? Does he know?”
Gabe is cruel for bringing up my twin. Mainly because I feel guilty that Jules does not know about my tattoo.
“Fuck,” Gabe mutters. “I’m calling him. He needs to be here for this.”
Scrubbing my hand down my face, I ask, “Be here for what?” But it’s too late, Gabe has already FaceTimed Jules.
“Everything okay?” Jules asks as soon as he answers. Always the worrier.
“Everything is fine,” Gabe says at the same time I yell, “I’m being held hostage!”
Jules’ low chuckle comes through the phone. “Do I need to come over there?”
“Yes,” Gabe replies.
“No,” I counter.
“Be there in ten,” Jules says before hanging up.
Gabe tosses the phone onto the bed next to him, appearing to have no care in the world. After a moment, the motherfucker starts whistling. I finish getting dressed, leaving the room without another look his way.
The plus side of working at the coffee shop with Jules is that he’s taught me how to make a phenomenal cup of coffee at home.
I grind the beans, measuring out just enough for myself when Gabe joins me in the kitchen.
The island chair scrapes across the floor as he pulls it out and takes a seat.
“Will you make me some too?” he has the audacity to ask.
“No, asshole. Make your own coffee.”
“Touchy, touchy this morning.”
I smash the button on the kettle a little too hard, effectively proving Gabe’s point. “You would be touchy too if you woke up to an intervention.”
Gabe laughs at me. “This isn’t an intervention. Jules and I just want to know what’s going on in your life.”
“Yeah, because you are both so forthcoming,” I huff.
He considers me for a moment. “Fine, I can be forthcoming. I have… had a thing for Luci Ramirez for… a while. And I just found out she’s been dating someone since January.”
“Luci Ramirez… as in Bex’s Luci?” Damn, we’ve all been keeping secrets it seems.
He nods, a crease forming between his brows. “Yeah. So I downloaded a dating app and guess who else I saw on the app?”
I groan because I bet I know exactly who he saw. “Colette.”
“Mhmm.”
The sound of the door unlocking halts our conversation. Jules lets himself in, untying and retying his man bun before he sits down next to Gabe. “I don’t want to rush this, but I do need to go help Cole at the shop this morning.”
My head snaps toward him. “What’s Cole doing at the shop?”
Jules looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Working… You’re the one who got her the job,” he replies.
“But, she shouldn’t have to—she shouldn’t need another job anymore.” Did they fuck something up? I thought she would have—
“Is that why she said we need to talk today? Is she already quitting?”
I immediately feel defensive over Cole. “She’s not quitting. Well, I mean hopefully she is, but she’s not a quitter. She’s an extremely hard worker.”
Jules holds his hands up in supplication. “I’m not implying that she’s not.”
“See what I mean?” Gabe directs the question to Jules.
“What are you talking about?” The kettle beeps indicating that the water is ready. I turn away from my brothers to finish making my coffee—I have a feeling I’m going to need it for this conversation.
In a rare moment of silence for Gabe, they don’t answer my question until I have completed my task.
Once they have my attention again, Jules starts talking.
“Gabriel is slightly concerned about you.” I start to protest but Jules gives me a look that says, shut up.
“Would you like to hear what we have to say or would you like to explain what’s going on with you and Cole? ”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say, Nothing’s going on with me and Cole! But that would be a lie. I’m just not quite sure how to answer that question truthfully. “Go on,” I reply instead.
Jules looks momentarily disappointed but continues anyway.
“We just want to make sure you aren’t going to get hurt.
Obviously you two have a history. What was once an academic rivalry seems to have turned into some sort of mind game.
And we want to make sure that you’re not getting too wrapped up in something that she’s not putting the same effort into. ”
“Just because her effort looks different, doesn’t mean she’s not putting in effort.”
Gabe quirks his eyebrow at me. “Is she?”
I turn to Jules. “I know that you get it. You’re going through the same thing with Thea.”
“It’s different,” he immediately replies.
“Is it? To me it just looks like the Bardot brothers are attracted to partners that are scared of commitment.” I look meaningfully at Gabe, who gives me the smallest shake of his head.
“Thea’s been through a lot.” Jules’ hackles are raised and I get it.
“So has Cole.”
My twin takes a deep breath, centering himself before he continues. “I believe you. And you know that I’ve always liked Cole. She kept you on your toes all through school and it seems like that hasn’t changed. Just… don’t do anything impulsive, alright?”
I ignore the very impulsive purchase that is sitting in my nightstand drawer. “I won’t.”
“He got a tattoo!” Gabe snitches, seemingly upset that he hasn’t been able to contribute anything to this conversation.
“What the fuck, Gabriel?”
Jules, who has more tattoos than I can count snaking up and down both of his arms, looks betrayed. “I’m the tattooed brother,” he states.
“It’s one tattoo! Don’t worry, I’m not about to get matching sleeves to yours.”
“Good, that would be extremely creepy.” He smirks, which is Jules’ version of a full on belly laugh. “What’s the tattoo?”
“It’s a bunch of lines,” Gabe answers. “Does it stand for something? Is it like how many people you’ve…?” He bounces his eyebrows suggestively.
I roll my eyes. “That would make me a world-class jackass if I got a tally mark for every person I’d fucked.”
“They’re tally marks?” Jules questions in a way that makes me think he sees way more than I want him to.
“Yeah…”
I wait a few beats to see if he asks anything else. After he’s stared at me long enough that my temples have started perspiring, he abruptly stands from his chair and claps Gabe on the back. “Well, I think that went well. I’ve got to head to the shop. See both of you later?”
Gabe looks incredibly confused, but he doesn’t argue as we watch Jules leave.
Finally he shrugs, also getting up so he can move to the couch. I sit next to him with my hot cup of coffee, watching as he finds the ESPN app and turns on SportsCenter. Several minutes go by before he says, “I’m always here if you want to talk, you know that?”
“Me, too. Okay?”
“Okay.”
And that’s the end of my brotherly intervention.