Page 32 of My Three Roommates

I make my way back to the others to find them sitting at the table, drinking morosely.

“So,” Cody says as I take a seat beside him. “That’s your brother.”

CHAPTER 18 KENNA

“SOME NIGHT,” BRAD says as he closes the bedroom door behind us.

“What’s up with Eric?” I ask him.

“No idea. He’s normally a good guy. He used to follow Tanner and I around when we were younger. I’ve never seen him act like that before.”

“Crazy.” I pull my sweater off and fold it up. “I’m going to get a drink of water. Do you want anything?”

“I’m good.” Brad kisses my cheek. “I’ve got to get some sleep.”

I’m on my way to the kitchen when I spot Tanner sitting alone in the living room, clutching a beer bottle miserably.

“Hey.” I curl up next to him. “What’s up?”

He shrugs, his expression pained. “Oh, you know. That wasn’t exactly how our date night was supposed to go. I’m sorry for the way my brother acted.”

“It’s alright. I’m not too bothered by it. Are you?” I ask Tanner, sensing his unease.

“I sure am. Among other things, he shouldn’t have pushed you. I’m angry on your behalf.”

“I’m fine. It was just a bump and it wasn’t on purpose.”

“He still did it, and it was because he wanted to take a swing at someone. There’s no excuse for that.”

“True.” I pat his arm. “Is there something else bothering you?”

“Yeah.” Tanner swallows hard and clenches his bottle tightly, as if he’s struggling with what he wants to say.

“Eric will come around,” I say uncertainly. I don’t really know if he will. He always seemed like a nice guy before. Nothing like tonight.

“It’s not that. Or at least, it’s not just that. The things he said, and his whole attitude. It all came out of nowhere. I’ve never known my brother to act that way. Back in school, he knew a couple of guys that were gay and he never had a bad word to say about them. I don’t know what’s come over him.”

Tanner pushes his hand through his hair and closes his eyes. His voice goes so low, I can barely hear him. “Our father was violent with us.”

“I never knew that. I’m so sorry,” I say.

“It’s not something I talk about.” He rubs at his eyes. “He used to knock both of us around. Mostly me, because I was the oldest. It only stopped when our mother finally got rid of him. After that, I always used to keep an eye on Eric to make sure he wasn’t going to turn out like that himself. He never showed a single sign. Once he was older and nothing happened, I thought he going to be fine. I didn’t turn out that way, so why should he?”

Tanner winces. “Now he’s raised his fist, right out in public for everyone to see without caring a bit. That’s not the Eric I know. That’s the father I hated.”

I have no idea what to say. I slip my hand into Tanner’s.

“There’s something I can’t ignore,” he continues. “I think it’s possible Eric might’ve gotten in touch with our father. Once my mother kicked him out, the man disappeared without a trace. I figured he was out of our lives for good and I was glad of that. Then a couple years ago, Eric started talking about finding him. He wanted to know if I had anything he could go on, but I didn’t. He eventually told me nothing came of his search. Now I wonder if he tried again and managed to do it.”

“Do you think what happened tonight was because Eric was drunk?” I ask.

“Even if he was, that’s no excuse. Besides, I’ve seen him really wasted more than a few times, and he never once acted like that. Maybe it was the shock of finding out about Cody and I, but it seems like it was more than that. Maybe there’s something else going on with him.”

“I’m sorry.” I lean against Tanner and he drapes his arm across my shoulders. “Are going to talk to him?”

“Eventually. It might be better to give him some time to absorb everything. You know, I wasn’t worried about telling Eric about all of us before. Now I’m not sure if he’ll accept our relationship at all. He only found out about me and Cody. I don’t know what he’ll think about the rest of it. You, Brad, everything. All of us. Maybe we shouldn’t be together.”

“What?” My heart drops and I go cold. “Are you serious?” I study Tanner’s face. He’s profoundly sad. I need to make him feel better about this. His brother can’t screw everything up.

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