The Fall by M A Gray

Author:M A Gray [Gray, M A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Summer House
Published: 2020-02-22T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Maverick

Just get it over with.

I’ve been staring at my phone for nearly ten minutes. It’s late, but even with the time difference between Indiana and Seattle, Noah should still be awake.

Before I can chicken out, I dial my brother’s number and wait. The phone rings and rings. I tense up on the couch, my fingers curling into claws around the cool metal. I’m home alone. August has an away game and won’t be back until later. I’d rather him not be here for this conversation anyway.

“Hello?”

I swallow. Gather my courage. “Hey, Noah.” Fuck, my voice sounds funny. “What’s up?”

It’s quiet on his end. He replies with, “The sky.”

I snort and ease back into the couch cushions. My heart is racing, and I feel feverish. No reason to be afraid. This is my brother, the one I’m closest to. The only person aside from my therapist who I’ve spoken to in length about Kaylie’s death. I know Noah would never judge me. “Clever.”

“You sound weird,” he says. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine, fine,” I say around the lump in my throat. “I can’t call and see how you’re doing? How’s Max?” A distraction is just what I need.

“Hm.” A skeptical sound, but he lets it go. “Max is good. Just got a promotion.”

“And?” It takes a while for Noah to warm up.

I can sense him thinking. “We’re thinking about planning a trip next year. Maybe Canada to do some hiking.” Nerves flutter in his voice.

I burst out laughing. “You? Hiking? Please.” Noah feels safest in enclosed spaces, preferably with his computer or a video game in hand. He doesn’t like getting dirty either. The thought of him sitting around a campfire is comical. “Did Max rope you into it?”

Noah chuckles as well, knowing I’m right. It sounds a tad maniacal. “He promised if he gets to choose this vacation, I’ll get to choose the next vacation.”

“Which will be where?”

“At our house.”

“Staycation. Nice.” Needing to move around, I wander over to the bookshelf and scour the line of titles. Most of the books are August’s. A lot of nonfiction, but I catch a book of short stories, too. That’s one thing we haven’t discussed—literature. I file that information away for our next breakfast session. “You coming home for the holidays?”

“Not Thanksgiving—we’re heading to Max’s parents’ place—but for Christmas, yeah.”

I’m glad. It’s been lonely with Noah gone. Kellan and I get along, but we’re cut from two different cloths.

Noah says, “A worthy attempt at distracting me from the reason you’re calling, but it’s not going to work. Spill.”

My groan slips out before I can call it back. “The curse of a brother who actually pays attention.”

“You say you’d rather have this conversation with Sebastian?”

“Hell no.” I love Sebastian but.. no. Just no. He’s always trying to bring the spotlight back to him, and right now, I need this to be about me. “I wanted to ask you—” I stop. Ugh. It doesn’t fucking matter. All of my brothers are in relationships with men. It’s still a scary thing to ask though.

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