The Little Mistakes (boyxboy)

Chapter 47

I felt a bizarre mix of emotions while I hobbled my way back to my bedroom after the little gathering. Nothing all that spectacular happened; my aunt, uncles, and cousins were all there, as well as Jaxon and Kieran. We had a delicious early dinner or late lunch or whatever it was called, and we did a lot of goofing around and talking.

There was an air of sadness floating around behind all of the laughs and smiles, but for the most part I just shook them away. I knew I was going to miss these people. I also didn’t know if I’d even get to see any of them again.

It kind of hurt to think about that, though. All these people I considered my closest family had done a hell of a lot for me over the past couple of months. It made me upset to know that I would be leaving them in about twelve hours or so. And I already knew Patrick was the one I was going to have the most difficulties leaving. I was utterly attached to him now, and I liked to think that he felt the same.

I found myself crawling onto my bed, pulling out my laptop, and pressing call on Skype before I even fully realized what I was doing. I was just struck with a pang of sadness and loneliness.

So when my baby brother actually answered the call about two minutes after it started to ring, my eyes widened instantly. I think that was the moment I actually knew what I was doing. And my cheeks flushed a bright crimson as Bradley’s eyes softened pitifully when they landed on me.

“Caise...hey,” he said, smiling brightly. I opened my mouth to speak but what came out was barely shy of being embarrassing and unintelligent. So Bradley talked over me. “How are you doing? I heard about everything that happened. I should have called you before. I just wanted to give you some space. Are you okay?”

I think what finally snapped me out of my weird mood was the fact that, first, Bradley was treating me as though I were the younger one here--and that just wasn’t cool--and secondly, Patrick came strolling into my bedroom.

My blue gaze flicked up from the computer screen and when it found Patrick’s relaxed expression, the small smile slapped onto my face without even asking my permission. I reached a grabby hand out on impulse, and due to routine, until the older boy smirked a smile at me and took my hand in his.

Patrick climbed on the bed, laying on his side behind me. I rested my back against his upper abdomen, sitting cross-legged. His fingers on one hand played with mine, and he wrapped his other arm around my waist. The fingers of that hand messed with the hem of my shirt above my hip. Every now and then his fingers or nails would brush against my skin and I would subconsciously lean into it with a small, subconscious smile on my face. Patrick’s touch was comforting.

“Who are you talking to?” Patrick asked, not bothering to look at the screen. He just watched our fingers move together, yawning cutely as he did so.

“Uh, Bradley,” the self-proclaimed boy on the computer screen said in an obvious tone.

I smiled down at Patrick as he finally dragged his eyes up to look at the computer.

“Oh. ‘Sup?” the brown-eyed boy said.

He gave my little brother a brief, uninterested nod and went back to studying the fingers of my left hand. I let out a small laugh and Patrick glanced back up at me with a tiny, amused smirk on his face. When I looked back at Bradley, he was watching us with a weird glint in his eyes.

Bradley shook his head and blinked before he spoke. “So anyway, back to what I was saying, are you okay? What was that prick’s name...Rykker or something?”

“Rikert,” I said, frowning.

I felt Patrick tense for a second before he clearly forced himself to relax again as though nothing changed.