Page 6 of The Last Person
“No thing. Thank you. I appreciate it.” The words are rushed, so to cover it up, I shut the trunk of the car with a loud thunk and then nod toward the entrance of the building.
It’s unusually quiet in the lobby as we make our way to the elevator, and I don’t bother breaking the silence between us. Brian hates forced conversation, and while I’d like to think it’s never forced with me, I know he needs to decompress now. He hates beingonconstantly and that’s what the last few days have been for him. For me, it was like a solar panel on a cloudless day. I soaked up every ounce of having fun, being social, talking,laughing, and dancing as I could. It’ll help keep me warm in my cold, lonely apartment.
In the past, this is when I would’ve gone out and hooked up, but I’m not into it.
“Are you going to be weird if I put your bag in your apartment for you?” Brian asks as we walk off the elevator.
“I’m never weird.”
A slow smile spreads across his face. “Sounds like what a weird person would say.”
I’m about to reply when I notice the white envelopes taped to both of our doors.
I nod toward them. “What are those?”
Brian’s brow furrows, and he sets the bags down as he gets to the door and grabs his.
I rip mine out of the envelope at the same time, and we both skim the few paragraphs. When I get to the part in bold, my eyes dart to Brian, who curses under his breath, then wads the paper up and chucks it at the floor.
Of course, he’s too diligent to leave it there, so he picks it up again and stuffs it into his pocket, grumbling as he does, then he flings his door open, picks the bags back up, and stomps inside.
Since he doesn’t slam the door shut—and he still has my bag—I follow him.
He doesn’t say a word as he drops the bags to the floor, grabs the spray bottle off his counter, and goes straight for the window lined with plants.
“Hi, babies. Daddy’s home. Looks like the babysitter took good care of you. You all look happy and well hydrated.” He sighs and reaches for one of the shoots on his spider plant that’s wrapped around one of his succulents. “Isla, how many times do I have to tell you to keep your hands to yourself? You’re going to choke out your brother.” He carefully moves the shoot, aiming it toward the window instead. Then he picks up the squirt bottleand lifts up the leaves of his aloe vera. “Robert, you’re looking a bit dry. Weren’t you thirsty yesterday?”
I silently watch him care for his plants with the same tenderness he has for everyone in his life.
“Now, I want you all to be calm, but I have some bad news. The owner of our building is selling it, and we’re going to have to move soon.”
Selling is a generous word. The building being repossessed because the owner got busted for tax evasion is the actual reason, but I understand why he’d want to be gentle in breaking the news to the kids.
“I know,” he continues with a sigh. “I’m sad too. But I promise to find you somewhere with just as much light.”
Taking a step forward, I enter the conversation. “We’ll find somewhere even better than this.”
Brian slowly spins to face me, his mouth tugging up at one corner. “We?”
“We both need somewhere new to live, and if you think I’m letting you move too far away from me, you’re crazy. I don’t want to have to walk or hire a car to come bother you.”
“You could just not bother me,” he says, though his lips finally curve into a full smile.
“And leave you to your own devices? You’d never leave the house. I need to at least be able to do regular wellness checks on you. Besides, who would watchBridgertonandLove Islandwith me?”
He chuckles and aims for the couch, dropping onto it. “I don’t want to move. This is the first place that’s felt like home since I moved out of my childhood house.”
“I know,” I say as I sit down next to him. “Which is why we’re going to find somewhere for you that feels even more like home. Plus, with your plants and me, how could it not feel like home?”
“You think highly of yourself.”
“Hey, I said the plants first.”
He sighs. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Leave that to me.”
How easy is it going to be to find two nice apartments in the same building that aren’t far from the stadium? Probably not easy. But I’m nothing if not persistent and charming. That’s why I usually get what I want.
