Page 11 of Brother
Simon answeredfor Nathan obnoxiously.“Yep. Though strangers normally call him Nathan. Nate ismore for friends and family.”
Jacobblinked,clearly takenaback. Nathan shrugged Simon’s arm off. “Simon, what thefuck?”
Simon finallyturned to look at Nathan.“What? Just a fact.”
“If he’s callingme Nate, it’s ’cause that’s how I introduced myself.”
“Oh, is that howyou’re introducing yourself now? Or just to guys you wannafuck?”
There was amoment of excruciating silence, amplified by the sound of thecrackling bonfire, the people laughingand talking around them.
“Uh…” Jacob tooka step away. “I don’t wanna start any family drama, eh? I’m justgonna…” he pointed his thumb over his shoulder.
What couldNathan even say?‘No,sorry, please stay, my brother isn’t usually this much of a fuckingpsycho’? All he could do was watch him walk away.
Nathanturnedtowards Simonslowly. “What. The fuck?”
Simondidn’t say anything, jawclenched in that stubborn way it got sometimes.
Literally, whatthe fuck was happening?
He needed to getaway from his brother before he said something he’d regret. He moved towards the forest,hoping to get some air away from the smoke and the heat of thefire.
His instinctssang as Simon followed him, but Nathan couldn’t stop and confront him. He kept walking,past the people, the drinks, into the forest, hoping his brotherwould get the message and leave him alone. Or follow him andexplain what the fuck he was doing.
Most of thetime, Nathan didn’t knowwhat he wanted. If he should want what he did.
“Nate. Nate,come on, I—”
Nathan whirledaround. The tree-shadowsflickered slightly, the bonfire light reaching even here, where thenoise was dampened and distant.
“Simon. What thefuck are you doing?”
Despitehaving the opportunity to talk,all Simon did was stare at Nathan, eyes as dark as the air aroundhim.
Nathansighed frustratedly.“Look. I know I hurt you when I…when I chose another college likethat. Without telling you. But you can’tdothat.”
“That guy’s anasshole, Nate.”
“What the hellare you talking about? You don’t even know him.”
“Yeah, Ido.”
“No, you fuckingdon’t! Oh, my God. He’s not from here, Simon. He’s never been herebefore. He doesn’t go to your college. When the fuck did you meethim, huh?”
Simon glared at him,caught in the lie.
“What is withyou? Seriously. What the fuck.”
“You shouldn’tbe doing that,” Simon replied darkly.
Nathan threw hisarms in the air.“Doingwhat? Flirting?Fucking other people? What, you think I haven’t been fucked incollege?” It was a lie, but something sick and desperate made himsay it. Had to say it, because this just, this just made him thinkthat— “I’m notyours,Simon.”
He saw thechange come over Simon like an animal rearing to attack.His face crumpled,heating into anger. Before Nathan knew what was happening, he wasbeing shoved away. Too stunned to catch himself, he fell down,scraping his hand on a twig.
Hedidn’t even have time toshout, Simon covering him like a beast about to bite. Nathan pushedback, a facsimile of the way they used to wrestle when they werekids. Now, though, Simon was stronger—fit from working out whileNathan hadn’t seen a gym in his life.
All he couldhear was the roar of their breathsbefore Simon’s voice cut in, a shard of lightthrough the black. “Who the fuck do you think you belong to if notme?”
