Page 5 of Crushing On My Brothers BFF

Sitting on the private jet, feeling like an ass, I set up my phone on a tripod and lean forward, staring at the lens. Tyrone said I shouldn’t use a high-quality camera. He thinks everything will seem better low-tech for the tone we’re going for.

“My best friend could be bleeding out right now,” I say. “Or maybe he’s lost the ability to walk, but because my life is business, I’ve got to think about the company. Always the company. No family. No love. No?—”

I grab my phone, delete the video, and restart it on the tripod again. This documentary is supposed to be uplifting and inspiring. There will be dark points, of course, but I can’t start it by grumbling. When did I become so depressing? Even Paul comments on it sometimes.

“You need to find yourself a lady.”Those are big words coming from him, considering he’s single, like me. The difference is he has girlfriends occasionally and happily throws himself into a new sport, whether windsurfing or abseiling.

Leaning forward again, I talk to the camera. “I don’t remember meeting Paul. We were both too young. I know it was in kindergarten. The first memory I can remember of him is of climbing a tree. The shortest branch was too tall for us. I offered to give him a boost on my shoulders, but I fell, which meant he fell. He mangled his finger pretty badly. Then he got this look in his eyes, real determined. He told me to climb onhisshoulders. Hell, I thought he should’ve gone to the hospital, but he said he wouldn’t leave it unfinished. Not in those words. We were just kids.”

I stop and remember that day, the breeze against my face, the sunlight, the whole future ahead of us. “I never knew it would all go by so fast. I never knew those memories would be so valuable. In the end, we climbed the tree. He helped me up. Then, using his good hand, I hauled him up after me. We got to almost the very top, feeling like conquerors. When we started the company together, that’s how I felt, too…”

But then he left it. He wisely chose to avoid the dreary office life.“Why did we start this business? To share our love of sports… We’ve done that. Now it’s time to enjoy ourselves.”

He left twelve years ago. I resented him for a while, but it never threatened our friendship. Through everything, we’ve always kept it strong. Always.

“Please,” I whisper. “Just make it through this, brother.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Sophie

My heart is breaking as I sit next to the hospital bed. The doctor said that Paul is doing far better than they had hoped. He suffered a concussion, but he’s conscious and able to talk a little. He’s also dosed-up on pain pills to help with the agony of his torn leg.

He’s propped up in bed, his head shaved from where they had to examine his injuries. The room smells of chemicals, sweat, and fear. Paul is looking at me, but out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head is too difficult right now, but hecan, according to the doctor. He hasn’t got any spinal damage.

“Don’t… cry… sis…”

I try to smile through the tears, but then I end up making a sobbing noise. “Sorry.” I rub my cheek. “I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

“Okay,” he repeats slowly. Everything he says is labored, with long pauses between the words, as if speaking is a huge effort. “This is my worst nightmare.”

He doesn’t need to tell me that. Over the years, he’s had minor injuries—bruised ribs during martial arts sparring or fights, minor sprains from surfing, and stuff like that. The longest he’s ever been completely out of physical activity has been a couple of weeks.

“The doctor said I might never be the same. He said I should rethink my future.” It takes maybe thirty seconds for Paul to say this, pushing each word out. “I said I’d rather be?—”

“No.”I stand up, leaning over the bed, glaring down at him. “I don’t want you to say that. You can’t eventhinkit. There’s a long road ahead of you, I get that, but you can do it. You’re strong. Think of all the times you could’ve quit when I was little. When Mom and Dad…”

“Died because of those junkies,” he says.

I clench my fists so hard, remembering those sad days after Mom and Dad passed. Paul sat up with me, told me stories, and eventually moved us into his apartment. I was only a little kid when our parent’s car was T-boned by two junkies running a red light.

“We’ve been through too much for me to let you give up,” I tell him. “So if you want to have that attitude, you’re going to have to deal with me pestering you every single minute of every single day until you change it.”

Slowly, a smile spreads across his face. It looks like this takes as much effort as speaking. “Thanks,” he says. “Probably needed to hear that.”

“Kaleb is on his way,” I tell him.

His smile gets even wider. “Really? That soon?”

“Of course. He wants to be here for you.”

“He’s got so much work.”

I gently place my hand on Paul’s. “Hewantsto be here. You’re more important to him. You don’t have to feel guilty about pulling him away from work.”

Paul doesn’t have to say anything else for me to know that’s what he wanted to hear. After a minute or two, he closes his eyes. I sit with him until he falls asleep again.

After showering and changing into the clothes Gwen brought me, I’m alone in the hospital. Gwen has to work. I should be at college, but there’s no way I can focus on my studies right now. Paul wasn’t just there for me growing up. When I said I wanted to study filmmaking at college, he paid my way. Money hasn’t been an issue for him ever since he sold his half of Free Everywhere to Kaleb almost twelve years ago. That was back when Kaleb worked on the West Coast.

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