Spaces Between Notes by Kristina M. Sanchez

Author:Kristina M. Sanchez [Sanchez, Kristina M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kristina M. Sanchez
Published: 2016-10-27T04:00:00+00:00

When Niko and Jamie were young and got into fights, they were fairly predictable. At some point, they’d start hitting each other. Whenever they got tired of that, they’d ignore each other. Niko was way better at it because Jamie was a tender-hearted soul. Eventually, he’d break down, first jokingly telling Niko he couldn’t possibly still be hung up on the thing. Then he’d keep wheedling until he got desperate. He’d eventually start rambling, getting all emotional, and tell Niko he was his best friend and that would never change. They were brothers. He’d keep babbling until Niko burst out, “If we’re brothers, I can’t get rid of you, so what the hell are you crying for?”

“I’m not crying,” Jamie would say, even though he was, and then he’d call Niko an asshat. They’d wrestle, playfully this time, and that would be that.

The deluge of text messages Niko got that evening was the adult equivalent of that, he figured. He read some of them, and they were all along the lines of “I don’t know what I thought. You were the first one I came out to. I know you’re not like that.” Blah de blah de blah.

He’d texted back one message.

Niko: All right. Stop before we have to braid each other’s hair or some shit.

Jamie and Micah were waiting for him with fast-food breakfast when he drove up to the house the next morning. Micah shoved the coffee cup at Niko and was mostly quiet as Jamie went over how they were going to tackle the job they were starting today: cosmetic work. Carys said now that her porch was looking so pristine, the lawn, including the dilapidated trellis Niko had tried to knock down, looked horrible in comparison.

The work suited Niko fine, and Jamie and Micah were both excited to put on their landscaping hats. The job of rebuilding the trellis fell to Niko both because he was the one who’d destroyed it in the first place and because he was useless as a landscaper. He’d help them with the heavy work, but in the meantime, he had things to do.

All things considered, Niko wasn’t exactly upset he’d be working mostly on his own that day.

Before they could break to go their separate ways, Jamie took Niko by the arm and steered him off to the side of the house. He looked like a man who wanted to have a conversation, so Niko was already glaring at him by the time he’d found his words.

“Look, Nik… Carys told me what your dad said.”

Niko rolled his eyes and shook his head. Of course she couldn’t be expected to have any self-control.

“I know, I know. The woman doesn’t know when to shut up, right?” Jamie said with a huff. “Which, by the way, makes the two of you all that more bizarre. I mean, Christ, Nik. She has no secrets, and this is you we’re talking about. How did the two of you ever happen?”

Niko’s lip twitched. His friend knew him well.

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