“Brian’s eaten but I haven’t. Do you want something?”
“Whatcha got?”
“There’s some spaghetti left over,” Brian told him, free of Simone’s clutches and sliding past him to get a glass from the cupboard. “Not enough for two, maybe.”
“I’ll make a salad,” Andrew said, scowling when Brian chorused him, making Simone snicker. “Haha, very funny. Your arteries would be solid by now if it weren’t for me.”
“I’ve missed you two,” Simone said dreamily. “It’s like spending time with an old married couple.”
Brian choked on thin air and Andrew nearly dropped the baking dish of spaghetti. Catching a very panicked look from Brian, Andrew guessed they wouldn’t be coming out of the closet tonight. Not that he was particularly eager to tell anyone. Today was only day two and if he was honest with himself, he was sort of waiting for Brian to freak out and run again.
In the end, he did make a salad and Brian ended up eating some of it as well. Simone entertained them with stories from work. She insisted on cleaning up when they were done and was in the kitchen when someone else knocked on the front door.
“What fresh hell is this?” Brian muttered on his way to answer it. “Elle. Of course it is.”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Simone said. “Elle’s coming over tonight.”
Brian glared at Andrew. “This is our house, right? Not theirs. Ours.”
Elle hip-checked him on the way past. “I’m the bride, don’t forget. Until the wedding is over, everything is mine. Oh my god, Simone! Your hair! It’s amazing!”
The women had become close while Andrew was with Elle and that hadn’t changed after she’d left him. Andrew had resented Simone at first, then got over it.
Simone and Elle hugged and gushed over each other, then started discussing bridesmaids dresses. Clearly, Simone was part of the wedding party. No one had bothered to tell Andrew.
Brian sidled up beside Andrew. “We could go upstairs,” he whispered from the side of his mouth. “Mess around for a bit. I doubt they’d miss us.”
Andrew barely registered his words. He was having a bit of a personal crisis. Right now, the only person he hadn’t had sex with in the room was related to him by blood. He was a bit weirded out and couldn’t help but wonder what Elle and Brian would talk about if she ever found out about him and Brian. Who seemed rather calm—now he wasn’t covered in Andrew’s come—for being in almost exactly the same place as Andrew. He’d banged Simone and Andrew. It was all very Days of Our Lives and Brian should be panicking right along with him.
“Aren’t you freaking out?” he asked in a whisper.
“About nearly being caught? A bit.”
“No.” Andrew sighed and hauled Brian past the kitchen and into the laundry and closed the door. “About how I used to be with Elle and you used to be with Simone and now we’re with each other.”
Brian frowned, then chuckled. “No. Why?”
“Because it’s weird. Doesn’t it feel a bit . . . incestuous to you?”
“Of course not. I don’t get why—wait, did you say we’re together? As in, together together?”
Andrew took a moment to catch up with Brian’s question. “Yeah. Aren’t we?”
Smiling shyly, Brian nodded. “If you’re okay with that.”
Some of his tension easing, Andrew smiled back. “I am.” Then he shook his head. “It is weird.”
Brian gave him a quick peck on the lips. “It’s not. It’s just sex. Who cares? Come on, they’ll be wondering where we are.”
Andrew watched Brian leave but didn’t immediately follow.
It’s just sex.
Was that all Brian thought was happening between them? Even though he wanted them to be together together?
Freak out transformed into confusion, Andrew joined them out in the living room and tried to get invested in wedding plans. It was difficult when Brian ignored him and let Simone’s hand sit on his knee and squeeze it and pat his thigh. His contributions became less and less as his sister cuddled his best friend—his boyfriend?—and he wasn’t allowed to say anything about it.
Later, coming back from feeding Archy, Andrew stopped just out of sight of the living room when he heard Elle speaking softly.
“He’s been very quiet lately. I think it’s just part of his healing process.”
“Andrew’s never been a big talker,” his sister said, concerned. “But tonight he’s barely said anything. Bri Bri? Do you think he’s all right? Not getting depressed again?”
Wonderful. They were talking about him behind his back. And clearly, he’d won himself the position of Most Vulnerable Member or something. Hopefully Brian would tell them to mind their own business.
“He’s fine. His boss is being painful, maybe that’s effecting him.”
It wasn’t exactly the slap down Andrew was used to from Brian and he was a little disappointed.
“You will let me know if he starts to get bad again, right?” Simone insisted.
“Yeah, of course.”
And now Brian was promising to go running to her whenever Andrew got sad. Andrew slunk back down the short hallway and leaned on the wall. They were just concerned. It was coming from a place of love. But it still hurt like hell that they thought he was one angry boss away from regressing.
Archy trotted past him, still licking his chops, and went back to get some lady-love while he had so much available. Andrew swallowed his hurt and disappointment and went out into the kitchen to clean up Archy’s chopping board. Talk in the living room had switched back to dresses as if they’d never been discussing Andrew’s apparently fragility.
“Sweetheart necklines are overdone,” Simone was saying. “Cowl is the way to go.”
“I don’t want anyone to have an accidental nip slip,” Elle pointed out.
“As opposed to a purposeful nip slip,” Brian added wryly.
Simone nudged him. “You’d enjoy that. You always used to like playing with mine.”
“Wow,” Andrew said loudly. “I’m tired. Think I’ll go to bed.”
His sister, at least, had the grace to look chastised. “Sorry. TMI.” She had been the one to not want to upset Andrew by continuing with Brian and she pulled back now, thankfully.
“It is a bit late.” Elle stood and stretched. “Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner but Fred worked late tonight, so I had to stay back with him.” She kissed both of Simone’s cheeks. “Have a great time in NZ, don’t fall in a volcano and be back here on the twentieth for a fitting. I’ll send you pictures of dresses for approval. Bye, boys.”
“Cowl, not sweetheart,” Simone called after her, then sagged on the couch when Elle was gone. “I’m about to fall asleep too. Where am I sleeping tonight?”
“My room,” Brian said as Andrew said, “Couch.”
Simone looked between them. “Either one is fine by me.”
“My room,” Brian repeated. “I can bunk with Andrew.”
Not really wanting to be part of that conversation, Andrew headed upstairs. He was in the bathroom, cleaning his teeth, when the others came up.