Chapter 35
Lewis
All day I’d tried to ignore that the weeks since Hogmanay had flown by and suddenly Noah’s departure was only a few days away.
Noah: Hey Pretty Kitty, want to hang out this evening?
Lewis: Of course
Being with him was the only thing I wanted to do these days.
On this side of Hogmanay, mid February looked a lot closer. I’d never really got anxiety, but lately it was my constant companion.
Noah: A friend from school got in touch. Chloe? Do you remember her? She and a couple of others want to meet in Kincardie at half eight
Noah: God, we’re old
Lewis: Yeah, sure. Anything you want.
Noah: I really don’t want to go, but would if you wanted to.
Noah: I just want to hang out with you, maybe play some Alphaforce?
Lewis: Yeah, that sounds better.
Noah: I’ll spend some time with Mr Pickles and then I’ll be over
Noah: Are you okay with frozen pizza again? I have been craving it all day
Lewis: Anything you want, Puppy
I sent a turquoise heart the exact same shade as my eyes and got a little kissing face back.
With a sigh, I locked my screen, slipped my phone into my pocket and grabbed my coat from the staff room. It had taken us a few months, but Noah felt safe enough to spend some nights at my place.
If it were up to me he wouldn’t be staying in that damp hovel on his parents’ premises.
Just one more thing to do before I could go to my flat and get myself ready for him. SweetPea had called me earlier, asking me to get him some more beer for the restaurant.
I made my way over to the restaurant, one crate of beer in each hand.
“I’m bringing more supplies,” I called over to him from the kitchen door.
My colleague looked up from his carrots but didn’t stop chopping them.
“Cheers, mate. Can you put them in the storage room?”
“Sure.” I stacked the crates behind the door, and let my gaze travel around. How could I get Noah in here? He’d look so pretty bent over the beer crates.
“Done.” I leaned my shoulder against the doorframe when I was back in the kitchen. “Do you need anything else? If not, I’m off.”
“Any plans for the evening? We were thinking of watching a movie together, Clara, Ariah, Ollie, me.”
“Nah, thanks for the invite, but I can’t. Noah and I have made plans.”
“Noah and I?” he echoed, glancing over at me with the knife poised in midair.
“Yeah, Ollie’s brother? We’re—”
“I know who Noah is, but I didn’t know you two were a ‘we.’”
I fidgeted on the spot, not knowing what to tell him.
I pretend to be his boyfriend, but we’re actually much more, and he loves my cock in his ass? I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him?
“Oh shit, Sinclair,” SweetPea chuckled quietly and chopped away at the carrots. “Don’t tell me you’re fucking Ollie’s brother,” he said in a carrying voice. With one thick eyebrow raised he pointed at me, his sharp knife in one hand, a carrot in the other.
I stood up straighter.
I will neither confirm nor deny it.
Our chef chuckled.
“What’s the joke?” Clara, who had just appeared in the door, tilted her elegant head.
SweetPea had turned purple at her approach, like he always did.
The stupid fucker. At least my puppy knows I want him.
The hairy fucker would never get any if he kept choking on his cock whenever Clara was around.
We all knew she was single—her ex had stood her up on their wedding day—but how long would that be the case?
Not for very much longer, this much was clear. She was too gorgeous to die alone.
“Ah, it’s nothing. SweetPea just inhaled too much of the Oaken Storm.” An open bottle of whisky stood next to him; I bet he’d used it for a sauce earlier.
She didn’t smile. Clara never laughed or so much as joked about anyone, least of all our chef.
“Allair, could you get me another steak, rare, no potatoes please?” She was the only one who called him by his real name. To everyone else he was “SweetPea.” Clara insisted on using his given name.
I hoped they’d get over themselves soon. It was painful to watch them dancing around each other. SweetPea nodded, giving her the hint of a smile that she returned before she went back into the restaurant.
“You should get a move on, sweetie pie,” I mumbled under my breath. “Or someone else is gonna get there first.”
An unearthly sound escaped the Brownie’s throat at my jab. It was a hissing snarl, and I chuckled in answer. I was two heads taller and about a hundred pounds heavier than him. He didn’t frighten me.
“Don’t worry, ScaryPea. I wasn’t talking about myself, she’s lovely and all, but I’m not interested.”
“Because you’re fucking Ollie’s brother,” he repeated under his breath, a pained expression on his face as if he was scared I was lying about my interest in Clara.
I gave him a tiny shrug as if to say ‘go figure’ and waved at him as I turned on my heel.
Yeah, gods damn it. I am fucking my best friend’s brother.
Nah, scratch that. I was head over heels in love with my best mate’s brother who would be gone from my life again in just a few days.
It was so fucking unfair. The entire world found someone. Roy, Fitz, even grumpy SweetPea. And my person would go to live half a world away in a surfer compound full of hot dudes in less than five days.
For fuck’s sake!
I trudged over to the staff apartments, freshened up, and got dressed.
Twenty minutes later, I left the staff house and set off in the direction of my truck.
“Lewis!” someone called and I stopped and turned around. Ollie stalked across the driveway towards me. A tick went in his cheek and his nostrils flared. “Can I have a word?”
Oh shit.
My heart hammered in my ears as panic flared up inside me. “Sure, what’s up?” I tried to keep my voice steady, but it shook just like my hands did.
Ollie’s eyes pierced me and he jammed his smartphone in my face.
“This!” he hissed. “You made me feel like shit for not giving a fuck about Noah the other day, so I decided to check out his account. You know, be a supportive older brother and all that.”
My stomach dropped.
Oh fuck.
“Do you know what I found there?” Ollie’s voice shook with rage.
Words failed me. Of course I knew.
“‘Bright days ahead’, ‘My favourite ride.’” He gripped his smartphone tighter and threw some more of Noah’s witty captions at me.
“‘Cuffing season with this hot kitty,’ ‘Being the best puppy for my daddy’?” His voice dropped to a dangerous snarl that rivalled mine.
“What the actual fuck is this, Lewis?” Ollie actually stomped on the frozen gravel to drive the point home.
“Are you fucking my baby brother?” he demanded, poking the upper corner of his phone hard into my chest.
I’d heard enough. The panic I’d felt for a few moments evaporated and the anger at my best friend exploded out of me.
“Oh, now you care what Noah does?” I roared.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ollie took half a step back but caught himself and stood his ground. “I asked you a simple question. Are you screwing Noah? Yes or no?”
“Even if I was, it is none of your business, Ollie. And what I mean is that he’s suffered nothing but neglect at your parents’ hands and yours!
” The breath rasped in and out of me. “You are my best friend, and I love you, but your behaviour towards your ‘baby brother’”—I sketched quotation marks into the air—“has been shitty, to say the least.”
Ollie backed away some more with his face milk white under the stubble.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Lewis.”
“No? He’s staying in a fucking shack, Ollie. A dilapidated, rundown shack! Did you know the heating broke a few weeks ago? Nobody cared if he had any food or clothes for this weather.”
“I arranged for you to take him to the shops,” he snapped defiantly. “And he never told me about the heating.”
“You let him fend for himself, Oliver, and you know it.” My best friend flinched when I used his full name.
“Do you want to know why he didn’t tell you?
He couldn’t reach you, for fuck’s sake!” I shouted, but I truly didn’t give a shit.
I had nothing to hide anymore and no energy to hold back.
“So he called me, and I showed him how to light a fire in the grate, and I made sure he wouldn’t fucking freeze! ” My breathing rasped in and out.
God, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this angry.
“And you know what pisses me off the most? As soon as his sex life might be involved, he’s suddenly your baby brother that you need to protect again.
That’s messed up, Ollie, fucking messed up.
” I growled with frustration. “I’ve always liked him, and I said I would help him with his social media so he could make more money.
Fucking sue me! You know what I think? You and your family were more than ready to let him go.
” My best friend gaped at me, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
“‘Let’s not bother with the weird kid, he can fend for himself.’ And he does; he’s amazing.
” My chest swelled with pride at my sweet puppy.
“But the minute you realise someone else might look out for him, you feel your honour being threatened, and you try to make yourself feel better by making me feel like shit instead. I’m sick of it, Ollie!
So sick of it.” I threw my hands in the air, and took a step back so I wouldn’t hit him.
“I love you like a brother, you know that? And I’d do anything for you. But that doesn’t mean I won’t call you out on your bullshit! If you want to talk, you know where I live, but maybe take a good look at yourself and how you’ve treated your brother first.”
Snarling and huffing like the agitated tiger I was, I spun on the spot and stalked across the driveway to the staff houses. I needed to calm down before I met Noah.
“Hey, mate, you okay?” SweetPea’s voice sounded from right behind me and I spun on the spot to face him.
“Grand,” I growled. “Who heard us?”
“Everybody,” he huffed. “At least we didn’t have any guests yet. Clara was very particular about drama in front of the guests, so she would’ve made Sy and me break it up if we had some.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry.” I rubbed a hand roughly over my face.