Page 96 of One Day Like This (Excess All Areas 1)

Are you hurt?

He gingerly touched the side of his eye.Nothing that won’t heal.

Izabel sent him a few kissing emojis.I don’t wish Jase ill, but you are the one I care about. You encouraged me to set Gemma straight. Maybe it’s time for you to set Jase straight. I know it sucks to be the older brother. Kinda like it sucks for Luke to be mine. But there’s a reason you’re brothers.

Matt looked down at Jase. Memories of day trips with Nan, school plays dressed as Elvis and Wise Man Number Two. Watching Man City win. Watching City get thrashed by Wigan in the FA Cup. Beers drunk and thrown. Greek beaches, cheap hotels, fights.

Fuck.

I know you’re right. I just don’t know what to say or how to fix it.

Perhaps there’s no fixing it. But there’s still you and me. And we’ll have a good life no matter what our jobs are.

Wise words, woman.

Yeah, well, seeing I can’t be there in person to kiss your hurts better, words are all I have. I love you.

The three words grounded him back in his body. He suddenly felt more solid, less flaky. Less strung out. It felt better. It felt good.

You don’t know what it means to me to hear that. I love you too, Iz. So much. I’m sorry this is all such a drama.

Get some sleep, Matt. You need it more than you need another chat with me.

Not sure I need anything more than I need you. But sleep sounds good. Go to bed, babe. I’ll call you in the morning.

He slid down the wall until he was next to his brother, who was still sleeping.

“Jase. I don’t know why you hate me like you do. I wish I could fix it. I wish I could go back to whatever started it,” he said quietly. “I don’t know if you can miss something you never had, but I wish we had what Ben and Alex have. I wish life was easier. I wish it wasn’t always a struggle. I worry you’re bouncing out of control. I think we all are, maybe.”

Jase started quickly and looked up. “Matt,” he mumbled groggily.

“Yeah. Right here, Jase. You need to get to bed.”

“We fought again?” The glazed-over eyes told Matt he was still drunk or riding a new high. The uncertainty in Jase’s voice struck Matt.

“We did.”

Jase reached out his hand toward the side of Matt’s face, looking stricken. “Why?”

Matt shook his head. “Why do we ever fight, Jase?”

“I don’t know,” Jase said sadly. “I can never decide if we’re meant to be brothers, or if it was all a cosmic mistake.”

He climbed to his feet and offered Jase a hand to his. When Jase stood, he spun before reaching out for the wall with one hand and the side of his head with the other. “I think I must have nailed the floor.”

Fuck it. His room had two beds in it. He held the key to the lock, and it clicked open. “Come on in and get some sleep. If that’s a concussion, you’ll need waking.”

Jase stepped through the door but turned. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” Matt said. “Me too.”

* * *

“Do you remember the school trip to Conwy for that geography project? The one where we had to monitor foot traffic every other hour?” Luke asked, three days later. He sat at his electric drum kit in his living room.

Matt put his guitar down on the sofa. “Yeah. Didn’t you get paired up with Chris Rhodes?”

“Yeah, boring wanker. But remember the girl you hooked up with behind the Spar when you should have been counting the foot traffic that passed in a half hour window? She was in the pub the other night.”

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