“No way! Are you tryin’ for a three-way?” Kate asked with a loud laugh. Scott looked at Wesley with a raised eyebrow and grinned. Kate smiled and introduced Lissa and herself to Scott. “Hey, you didn’t bring enough glasses for us!” she whined.
“Well, there’s nothing I like better than buying drinks for underage girls, but… I’ll let you share with me,” Scott compromised flirtatiously. I realized then just how similar Scott and Wesley were.
“You’re barkin’ up the wrong tree there, chief,” Wesley said nonchalantly, leaning over the table and lining up his break.
Scott smiled and laughed, raising his hands in an “I surrender” motion and stepping back. “Sorry, man. Didn’t know I was stepping on your toes.”
Lissa stepped forward and I grinned. “Actually, it’s my toes that you’re stepping on,” she said with a smile, sliding her hand around Kate’s waist.
Kate grinned and actually blushed a little. “Yeah, I’m spoken for.”
“Oh. Oh,” Scott said, laughing, turning his beer around in his hands.
“Don’t you have a girlfriend anyway?” Wesley asked.
Scott nodded happily. He looked puzzled and leaned toward Wesley with his hand shielding his mouth. “Then, what’d she mean by the three-way thing?”
Wesley looked at Scott with a serious expression. My stomach tightened. “She meant us,” he said, nodding toward me. “Toren’s my boyfriend.”
“Wh-what?” Scott stuttered, his eyes wide. Then his face broke into a smile. “You gotta be kidding. You’ve got one weird sense of humor, man.”
“I’m not joking,” Wesley said, his expression still serious. He twirled the pool cue in his hand. “We’re gay. He’s my boyfriend.”
Scott looked at me and my face was bright red. I couldn’t discern the look on his face. I said Wesley’s name quietly and felt my heart thumping fiercely.
“Oh, come on! Your sister knows, so I should be able to tell my brother,” Wesley said comically, trying to calm my nervousness.
Scott stared at us and I wasn’t sure if I felt like running away or going up and kissing Wesley just to prove it. Scott crossed his arms and smiled triumphantly. “All right. Then, kiss him.”
I stared at Scott blankly. Wesley grinned. Scott waited. I shook my head.
Wesley laughed defeatedly and closed his eyes. “Toren’s not exactly out yet, so how about later?”
“Yeah, whatever,” Scott said, pouring another glass of beer. “Let’s just shoot some pool.”
We played a couple of games and Scott drank nearly two pitchers by himself, with a little help from Kate and Wesley. When he couldn’t line up a shot anymore, Wesley decided it was time to call it quits. Scott finished off the pitcher, and Lissa and Kate walked us out.
When we got to the car, Wesley spun around, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me so hard I felt it in my toes. He held me steady and grinned at Scott, who stared at us with wide eyes.
“Shit. You really weren’t kidding,” he slurred, opening the side door and dropping into the passenger seat.
Wesley smiled at me and kissed me again, gently, before opening the door for me.
“Wow. That was kinda hot,” Kate whispered, loudly enough for us to hear. Lissa nodded in agreement. I guess that was the first time they actually saw us kiss. I smiled lightly; it felt like another milestone in our relationship. At least a half milestone.
We started out for home, but somewhere along the way, Scott complained that he was hungry and needed coffee. We ended up at a twenty-four-hour restaurant, sitting in the smoking section and being stared at by Scott, who sat across the table from us.
“You know, seriously, I half expected to come home and find out that you knocked up some poor chick. I really wasn’t expecting this,” Scott said, sipping his coffee and eating french fries by the handful. “But, hey, at least you don’t have to worry about that!” he added, staring at me. He leaned in close and lowered his voice. “I’m assuming that you’re the ‘girl,’ right?”
My whole body blushed and I couldn’t think of anything to say. Wesley shook his head. “That’s enough, Scott. But yeah, and he’s great in bed,” Wesley said, looking at me sideways with a devilish grin.
“Wesley!” I shouted, holding my chin in my palm and looking away from the table. They laughed the same way, and I thought, They really are brothers.
“I take it that Mom and Dad don’t know?” Scott asked, suddenly serious.
Wesley shook his head. “Nah. It doesn’t matter, though. Like anything I do will ever be good enough.”
Scott looked sad and stared into his cup of coffee. He rested his chin in his palm and stared at Wesley, who was tapping his fork on the table. “I’m really sorry about what happened at dinner. I didn’t think Mom would still be riding you like that once I was gone.” Scott stared at the table again, and Wesley shrugged before looking out the window. It was an awkward yet intimate silence. “Seriously, Wes, I’m really sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Wesley snapped. Then his face softened a bit. “It’s not like it’s your fault. I don’t expect you to go out and fail just so I rise a little in rank in Mom’s eyes. I just gotta be patient. When I move out, I won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
I listened quietly. This was the most I’d heard Wesley say about his family. He was sad and angry and treated unfairly, but he didn’t let it get the best of him. I didn’t feel pity for him; maybe some sympathy, but he was strong. He could handle anything.
“This is exactly what I admire about you,” Scott said quietly. “You don’t let anyone get you down. You’re happy no matter what you do and it doesn’t matter what other people think. I mean, you got a good job doing what you love, a cute boyfriend that makes you happy. You’ve
