My Best Friends Brother

Chapter 109

I guess I should have seen this coming, although the timing is piss-poor considering my best friend is probably trying to convince your brother that being a thrupple with him and Han is a valid life choice... I nod, following him out through the doors until we get to the benches that look out on the ever expanding forest behind us.

This place is really beautiful, if everybody can get their heads around me and Miles soon maybe we could all do this every year or something? A way to always bring us back together no matter how far we all go.

Jayce is very rarely uncomfortable, he's one of those people that is used to being the most powerful person in the room so he doesn't really have a reason to feel inferior with things, but right now he looks down right awkward.

Me and him have known each other for a really long time, and at one point I definitely considered him one of my best friends, but our relationship hasn't been like that for a while. I actually think if he wasn't married to Al then we probably wouldn't have seen each other ever again after college. We are really different in a lot of ways, but we both have so many of the same people in our lives that we love, it means we will always be connected.

He runs his hands through his blonde hair again, this battle has been there with him all day as he tries to find the words that he feels he needs to tell me but just can't seem to get a grasp on them enough to let them go.

"Jayce," I begin, I think it will be easier if he just understands that I'm not mad at him anymore. "Everyone has told me what's going on with you, and I'm really fucking sorry for what's happening. I didn't realise it was such a bad injury and I appreciate how hard it must have been to be dealing with all this on your own for so long. Al and Milo are good with you at the moment, you don't need to worry about doing this with me too, we're fine."

"It doesn't work like that Josh." He chuckles with a humourless laugh, pressing his thumbs together the exact same way that Miles does when he's anxious about something. I guess I've never really paid attention before to how much they have in common, I've only ever really noticed their differences. "Whether you feel like you're owed it or not I'm going to give it to you. I'm really sorry for the way that I've been, with you and with everyone. I appreciate your understanding but honestly I don't deserve it. I really need to thank you as well, what you said our first night here was kind of what broke the dam. I needed that, I needed someone that wasn't afraid to give it to me straight. I really should have realised after all these years that it would be you."

We both snort with gentle laughter, I think back in the day I was one of the only ones that didn't bow down to him because he was the great Jayce fucking Thompson. Well, me and Chad. If he was here right now he never would have let Jayce get to this point, he would have smacked him around the head months ago and shock some fucking sense into him.

People focus too much on what happened at the end of their friendship, on everything that happened between them both and Al, but it was such a small part of who they were together.

They were both always fiercely competitive, unrelentingly passionate and frighteningly courageous. They got in so much more trouble than anybody even realises, but they always had each others backs. Al loved Chad, but so did Jayce. I don't think people truly realise how much losing someone who has been your best friend your entire life, especially under the circumstances he lost him, can affect someone deep down in their soul.

The Jayce Thompsons of the world always need a Chad Wilson to keep them in line. Is it any wonder he started to spiral as soon as he didn't have that pillar of security to lean on anymore?

"I'm glad that it settled in for you. You need to keep up with the help you're getting though, I think that you're running low on chances with everybody now Jayce, so you need to make the most of the ones that they are giving you."

He nods, the weight of the world clearly still on his shoulders as they continue to drag him down. I'm not expecting him to get better overnight but he needs to make sure he's making steps in that direction every day, because all the people he hurts are under my protection now and I won't let him harm them, any of them.

"I'm going to get better. I don't want to be this way anymore Josh, I think it's happened so slowly that I didn't even see it until you practically punched me in the face with it." I laugh, shoving his shoulder and getting him to smile in return. "I've got a plan, I know what I need to do. I want to be the man they deserve, all of them." Good.

We sit for a while in quiet, the stars are so clear tonight that I know Miles will probably be out on that balcony for hours just soaking them in. It's crazy to me how not that long ago they all just looked like a scattering of light to me, now I can pick out every pattern he's taught me. He just keeps teaching me, even about myself.

It's cold but not unpleasant, the both of us enjoying some peace before we re-enter the madness waiting for us on the other side of that door. "I really appreciate you looking out for Milo as well. You guys must have spent some quality time together at that camp too have grown so close so quickly." Oh yeah, real quality time.  "I appreciate you being a brother to him when I couldn't."

Oh fuck. You are really fucking far off base on that one mate.

"He only has one brother Jayce. I think sometimes you need to remember that."

He smiles, his hands relaxing until we're both just leaning back staring up at the sky. I wish I could tell him, tell him exactly how I feel about his amazing, phenomenal brother, but it's not my place, when he finds out it is not my decision to make.

"Well, whatever you are to him, he seems happy with you around so I'm glad for that." I really hope you can remember these words when it comes time for you to face the reason why Jayce...

If his happiness is truly all that matters to you, please don't take it away from him, or me.

"You're doing good though right? Charlie said work is mental with you guys and Al said you're kind of seeing somebody now too? Good for you man. Nobody wanted to see you on your own forever."

I can't tell him about Miles, but I can tell him what he means to me.

"Yeah, I am. He's actually really amazing. I don't think I've ever met anyone more perfect for me... I'm pretty sure he's going to fit into our little gang like he's been there the entire time."

Jayce grins widely, probably the only one I'm going to see when it comes to my relationship with his brother for a while, but I'll take it.

"You need to bring him around mate, we'd all like to meet him. Why don't you guys come over for food next week? I'll let Al cook so I don't end up poisoning the poor guy."

I'm sure it will be a meal to remember...

"Okay, next week."

We both rise to our feet and slowly, Jayce reaching over to smack my back as we step back inside. It's like the end of a game all over again... Jayce turns back towards where the kids are to check on them while I go towards the living room.

Miles sits ready and waiting, now on the smallest of the couches as he edges his way over to make room for me. He can't stop smiling and I don't know why but given the smirk on Charlie's face I'm betting that ginger-nut biscuit has something to do with why he's so giddy.

"What's got you so happy?" I ask as he throws a blanket over the two of us before slipping his hand into mine underneath it.

"Can't I just be happy to see you? Is everything okay with Jayce?" He leans back on the couch, his head sitting sideways on the cushions as I look at him from my mirrored position. He really is truly the most beautiful man I've ever seen.

"Everything's fine, we're fine, nothing to worry about." He looks so good, his hair pushed all the way back and his skin sun kissed despite how fucking cold it's been here lately. It's those eyes, those eyes are going to end me. There is nothing this man couldn't ask me for that I wouldn't be willing to give him just by looking at those fucking eyes.

His hand travels from mine, lightly tickling at the skin of my forearm with the tips of his fingers. The chatter of all the people around us fades away until all my senses are encompassed by him alone. There's a moment, just the briefest fleeting moment where I swear he's glowing, like a blinding light is pushing its way from behind him to brighten his whole being, until everything I was able to see becomes just him.

Like he's being gifted to me by an angel.

He leans forward at the same moment I do, his lips gently brushing against mine until silence is all that surrounds us as I become entirely lost in his display of total affection.

Silence.

Oh shit, what the fuck are we doing?

The same awareness hits him at the moment it hits me, we're here in front of everyone not in the secrecy of our own room anymore. We both pull away sharply and quickly turn to the now silent room. Six pairs of eyes stare back at us, not a single one of them uttering a word. A blind panic almost overtakes my body until a powerful sudden realisation hits me...

They're smiling.

Every single person here knows about us, they know and they aren't judging or giving us shit, they're all just happy to see us happy.

We're just like one of them now.

Brie returns her attention to my brother almost as quickly as Charlie returns his to Han. The two couples becoming as easily lost in each other as May does when she returns to her phone. She acts like she couldn't care less, which to be fair is probably the truth, but she has always been extremely graceful about us. Aleah however, she doesn't turn away, she just smiles before edging her way to the end of the couch nearest to us and capturing my hand with hers.

Miles moves to pull away from me but she shakes her head at him. "Don't,"  She glances between the two of us, smiling as she lets her petite fingers run against my palm. "I'd given up hope that I'd ever see you like this Josh. I kind of thought that maybe you'd just end up one of those miserable old men with a lot of cats that screams at their kids to getaway from his yard... This is definitely better."

The room burst out into laughter and I realise that the couples weren't quite as caught up with each other as I originally thought. Miles leans his head against my shoulder as if he's trying to give me emotional support but it doesn't stop his body shaking with giggles as he looks over at his bloody sister.

"Thanks Al, I really appreciate your total and utter lack of faith in me." She continues to laugh but shakes her head like she's trying to dismiss the words she just said.

"I didn't mean it like that you idiot." She shoves my shoulder before scooting off the couch and slipping herself onto the arm of the one I'm sitting on. "What I meant was, I didn't think you would allow yourself to be this happy. You've deserved this, out of everyone I know you are the one who truly deserved to find something special." She looks over at Miles, his smile beaming at her words as she grasps his chin and looks straight into his eyes. "And they don't come much more special than you Mr."

Miles tries to shove her off but she isn't having any of it, reaching over and leaving her pink lipstick mark kisses on his head while he continues to protest, just as Jayce walks into the room.

"Jesus Lee, leave him alone. He isn't a kid anymore, you can't keep doing that." She finally relents her attack on my guy, slipping back into the seat next to her own. "You made anymore decisions about LSU Milo? Coach said that scout is on the phone every fucking week trying to get you to sign that contract."

Miles smiles up at me before subtly pulling my hand back underneath the blanket so he can hold it again. This time next week we won't have to hide from anybody.

"There's not a lot I can do at the moment, he said that the place is mine when I want it but I'm keeping my options open. Eli is thinking about going to Brookside and it looks good there too, but his dad wants him to go back to London. I'll probably look at it again after Christmas."

Jayce raises his eyebrow at Miles and I can't help but do the same. Brookside is where me and Al went to college, it's only an hour from Westbrooke so obviously I'd be fucking thrilled if he was still that close but I'm really hoping that I'm not playing a role in that decision.

"But you've wanted to go to LSU since you were old enough to say it? Don't get me wrong, Brooks has a decent team but you don't need to go where Eli is to see him man. Besides, you know mum will try to get you to live with her and commute if you go to a school that close. I thought you wanted out of there like I did?" Jayce has no malice in his tone, I think he just genuinely wants to make sure that his brother is making these decisions for himself and not everybody else, so do I.

Miles' hand shuffles uncomfortably in mine, looping our fingers together and squeezing my palm like it's going to give him a sense of comfort.

"I haven't made any decisions yet. Obviously I don't want to still live at home but sometimes it's not that easy. I don't need to worry about it right now anyway." Jayce doesn't push further, agreeing silently to just let this go for now.

But I'm not.

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