Page 54 of See Her

“What’s going on? Why aren’t you at work?” I address my brother, my eyes going between him and his bag.

“It’s my day off. I need to crash for a while.”

Wow. No easing in, let’s just jump right in, shall we?

“What are you talking about, you need to crash? Did you and Tina break up?”

“Well, no, but I have to get out of there for a while. The woman is in my face and up my ass 24/7 and it’s driving me out of my mind! I need to get away for a bit and figure out what to do about this.”

“So you can be inourfaces 24/7? No thanks. Go to Mom and Dad’s,” I say, crossing my arms.

“Come on, you know they’d never let me hear the end of it. I still love her, I just need a break. We don’t need to bring them into it.”

“Does she know about this?” I wave a hand at his bag. Ian crinkles his forehead and shows me his teeth in an uncomfortable grimace. “Oh my God, you’re such an asshole! No.”

“Seriously? That is some cold shit, Mayzie. I’m in a predicament here!”

“Sorry, but this is not a good time. You can’t be here, living on the couch.”

“Oh my God, Mayzie, it’s not a big deal. Get the stick out of your ass and just let your bro lay low here for a while,” he says as he saunters over to the couch and flops down. It’s like he thinks it’s a given that I’m going to just cave to him. This brings my irritation to a new level, and I see Jack stiffen in my peripheral at the way Ian’s talking to me.It’s not as big a deal as he thinks. This is how my brother and I always interact, and the way my dad and I speak to each other is even worse.Still, Jack is looking like he’s gearing up to jump in if this escalates.

“No, Ian. You need to grow a set and go talk to your girlfriend instead of hiding out here because you’re too much of a pussy to have a conversation.Or, if you’re really this chicken-shit, go stay with Mom and Dad and let them wipe your ass.”

Jack ducks his head, trying to hide his smirk. Ian drops his head back on the couch and rolls his eyes, completely unfazed.

“You’re being a real pain in my ass right now.”

“Uh, no. Flip that statement around.And anyway, it’s not happening. You need to go,” I say, putting my foot down.

Ian gives up on me and looks at Jack. “What the fuck’s her problem, man?” he asks with his hands up, giving him a look of solidarity. It’s like he’s hoping Jack will go all ‘bro code’ with him and bail him out.

“Like she said, it’s not a good time, Ian.” Jack steps forward, speaking for the first time since my wrecking ball brother barreled in. “And I know she’s your sister, but I’m going to ask you to tone down the way you’re talking to her.”

Ian harrumphs, scrunching his eyebrows together. “I’ll talk to my sister the way I have since we were kids, thanks.” He rolls his eyes before swinging his gaze back to me. “And what’s with all this ‘not a good time’ shit? What the hell is going on that’s so important?” he asks, squinting his eyes and looking between the two of us.

“She’s not just your sister anymore,” Jack presses on calmly. “Rip on each other all you want. Hell, I enjoy watching her give it back to you. But you reach a point of disrespect, and I’m not going to stay quiet.”

Ian stands from the couch, trying to make himself more even with Jack, which is not happening with my husband’s long and lean build, but he still tries for a small intimidation factor, raising an eyebrow at him. “And I should care about that, why?”

“Jesus, Ian, there are tadpoles more mature than you,” I huff out, before Jack promptly answers.

“Because I’m her husband now,” he informs Ian, while holding up his left hand.

Several moments tick by in silence before Brother of the Year forms a response. “Whaaaat?” he bursts out, with an incredulous laugh, dropping his head back again. After another chuckle, he looks back up.“You’re not serious,” he says, with a smug smile and making no move to get up.

“We got married last night,” Jack says, reaffirming the news. Now Ian leans forward, like he’s watching an intense part of a football game.

“You guys are fucking with me,” he says matter-of-factly with his hands out, like he’s explaining what ‘fucking with him’ means.

“No,” I say, holding my left hand up, following suit with Jack, who’s still so calm and confident as always, giving me a thrilling sense of security. The look in Jack’s eyes is kind but serious, with no trace of hesitancy or uncertainty.

“Wait, wait, wait…” Ian says, shaking his head and waving his hands around. “You got married. Yesterday. You’re married now.” Each sentence is a statement rather than a question. I simply nod in response, and shift my focus to getting him the hell out of here.

“So now you understand why we can’t have someone here right now. You can’t be here, sleeping on the couch, eating our food, with your clothes strewn everywhere.Like I said, it’s not a good time. So if you wouldn’t mind…” but he’s not biting.

“I cannot believe you did this. What did Mom and Dad say? I can’t believe they’re not here right now, tearing you a new one– OH!!” he cuts himself off with a gasp.“They don’t know yet, do they?”

Oh, fuck me sideways.

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