Page 39 of Tutoring Mr. Hotshot

Is it just me, or is there some jealousy in his gaze? Could he be upset I’m not giving him all my attention?

“My brother. He’s here.” I point in the direction of the sign Aries has picked back up.

Andry nods with a smile. “Can I see your phone? I would like to thank him for the tickets.”

With a shrug, I hand the device over. He types quickly before giving it back.

I nearly tuck it away, except something tells me I should look at what he sent. If nothing else, it will give me insight into how he’ll treat my brother when they finally meet in person.

And though I say finally, I really mean tonight, because I highly doubt Aries will leave without doing his whole macho-brother-intimidation ritual on Andry.

Rodney:This is Andry. Thanks for the tickets. Will you meet us by the locker room after the game? I want to meet you. Ma said good things about you.

My jaw drops. “Why would you tell him you met Ma? He’s going to freak!”

Sure enough, the bubbles on the screen tell me he’s texting back already. Then my phone goes off so rapidly it’s basically a vibrator in my hand.

Aries:Hi, Andry!

Aries:*waving emoji*

Aries:I will definitely meet up with you.

Aries:Rodney isn’t going to like it. He thinks I’m too extra.

Aries:You met Ma?

Aries:OMG! Are you gonna put a ring on it? Is this you asking me for his hand?

Aries:I will hold my judgement until we’ve met.

Aries:But I do like the way you make my brother smile. That gives you a head start.

Aries:He’s going to flip when he sees all these messages. It’s what he gets for ignoring me earlier tonight.

Aries:*evil Elmo fire laughing GIF*

I sigh, then pinch my nose between my fingers. “Why did you encourage him?”

“What do you mean?”

Handing the phone to Andry, I watch as he reads the reply. Then he scrolls up to read the other messages Aries sent tonight while we were at dinner.

Even I haven’t gone back to read them. I can only hope Aries didn’t mention anything embarrassing.

When he hands me back the phone, his smile is softer. “Your brother loves you. That is a beautiful thing. I already like him.”

Somehow, those words do more to calm me than I thought possible. I drop my guard at his honesty.

“That’s good. I think he’ll like you too.”

Our discussion gets lighter as we shift to sports in general. I explain how Aries is on the professional football team here in Bellport, while Andry gives me stats and details about the Bears. After covering those two, he breaks down his role on BU’s team. I find myself fascinated by every new fact he tells me.

There’s so much more to all this than I thought. Growing up with an athletic brother taught me a lot, but there’s no way to know it all. Andry gives me a different perspective at how to look at things.

Plus, it’s obvious he loves hockey. It bleeds through every detail he shares with me.

By the time the players meet for the puck drop, I feel like he and I are closer than ever. I just hope my chaos magnet of a brother doesn’t undo all our progress after the game.

---