Page 112 of Third Time Lucky

‘I only faked my death once, for a good reason; that girl was nuts,’ he says as if it’s normal, hopping up onto the counter of his workspace.

‘Stop manipulating, Madi. I’m tired of making excuses for you.’

‘You don’t make excuses for me,’ he says.

‘Yeah, I do; you just don’t hear them because your mind is constantly in “get laid” mode. Women are not just objects for your pleasure to be tossed aside when you’re done. Your constant display of horniness in front of any female is not only embarrassing but also downright disrespectful and I can’t wait for the day when one of these girls gives you a “Brandon” moment.’

‘Jeez, asshole, tell me how you really feel, would ya?’

‘Great. I was hoping you’d say that ’cause I’ve still got some shit to say.’

His eyebrows shoot up his head with surprise.

‘You have no regard for anyone else’s feelings but your own selfish desires, making you a narcissistic, heartless man.’

He gasps. ‘I amnotselfish.’

Not selfish, but he doesn’t argue the narcissism or heartlessness? My jaw drops.

‘You hunted me down while I was on a date to get my advice on something absolutely stupid because I didn’t answer my phone. That’s not selfish?’

He shrugs.

‘Silence is golden, I like that. Listen closely. Your insatiable hunger for validation through manipulating women is disgusting and degrading. And, to top it off, you have a loyal girl who puts up with all of your bullshit, and yet you have the audacity to ignore her like she means nothing because you’re scared of how you feel about her. Now, Lucy is questioning whether I condone this behavior – which I don’t – and I’m pretty sure she’s worrying that I’m like you.’

Aaron’s face twists into a mask of fury as he listens to my tirade, finally understanding the depth of my anger. He looks like he’s been slapped hard. ‘You think I’m a terrible person, don’t you?’

‘No. But, I do think you might need a girl like Madi. She’s smart, independent and likes your dumb ass. After all, brothers grow up and get their own lives. And one day?—’

‘You won’t be around to keep me alive?’

I sigh. ‘I’ll always be around, but yeah. Eventually, we all gotta grow up. We’ve gone from sous chefs to this.’ I motion around the restaurant. ‘If you don’t want to be with Madi, tell her. Use your big-boy words. If you actually like the woman like you’ve insinuated you do, worship her. She might be the only woman to see past your pretty exterior.’

‘Fuck.’ he groans. ‘Why must you believe in love? And why did I get the looks and you get the emotional and mental stability?’

I roll my eyes. ‘I even love you, toolbag.’

A hard edge replaces Aaron’s usual easygoing demeanor. He seems on the verge of saying something for a moment, but then he clamps his jaw shut and turns back to his work. I watch as he cleans a knife with a furious intensity, each stroke more forceful than the last. And great, now I feel bad.

‘I’m not saying you’re a bad person, Aaron… just misguided,’ I speak softly, trying to reason with him. ‘It’s fixable. We’re men now,realadults. We can’t ignore our problems or run from them because they’ll always follow. We have to own up and fix ourselves because nobody’s saving us. You need to confront whatever made you like this.’

He remains silent, eyes fixed on some distant point beyond me. I turn my attention to wiping down the countertops, trying to defuse the tension that has suddenly erupted between us. But as I work, a thought occurs to me. It’s not just about whether or not Aaron will change his ways – though I desperately hope he will. It’s about doing what’s right and standing up for what I believe in, even if it means confronting family. Which is personal growth that I didn’t expect considering I’ve never even been able to tell a cheating girlfriend off, yet here I am, having an intensely hard conversation with my little brother.

Aaron finally speaks, his voice heavy with emotion. ‘Nothing made me like this, it’s just who I am. Jesus, you definitely don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.’

I stop wiping the counter and look at him. ‘Then explain it.’

He sets down the knife he was cleaning and meets my gaze. ‘You were already grown when Mom finally left Dad. Which means I got the worst of him out of the three of us.’ he explains bitterly. ‘You know he told me he needed to get laid more – when I wastwelve. I didn’t want to think about that shit. Then when I brought home my first girlfriend he handed me a condom and said “startin’ young, that’s my boy, better buy these in bulk, son.” I was a thirteen-year-old asshole fuckboy yet the girls kept on coming. At the time, I had no idea what it meant, but something sprouted in here,’ he motions to his heart, ‘that convinced me that there is no love, only sex. So far, we’re both proof of that.’

Well, not both of us.

‘For my sixteenth birthday he literally bought me a box of condoms. And not a small box, like a fucking case. You know every holiday he still gets drunk and insists that women don’t belong in a man’s life long term – they’ll only fuck you over? Then he talks about his latest conquests – and the guy somehow pulls some seriously hot women. But you wouldn’t know any of that because you never show up for holidays at Dad’s.’

‘It’s because he’s a liar. An ex-pro ball player. Or a tech CEO. He’s an asshole. Assholes say whatever benefits them,’ I counter. ‘I’d bet money not a single story he tells is true.’

‘It’s felt true,’ he replies with a shrug. ‘You’ve seen my life; even if I like a girl, she flees within days.’

‘That’s because you make it clear you only want one thing,’ I point out. ‘And while some girls are cool with that, most want something more serious than just a physical relationship even if that’s how it started. And I’m pretty sure Madi is there. She sees through your exterior.’

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