Fragile Threads [boyxboy]

Chapter 18

“I’ll go up with you to visit your brother this weekend,” Ethan stated firmly.

Ari gave him a long surprised stare. “That was a quick turn around. I thought I would actually have to convince you.”

Ethan shrugged stiffly and glared down at his feet. Ari stepped off his weight machine and hovered in closer. “You okay?”

Ethan didn’t think he was being that obvious, but maybe he was. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Anything I did?” Ari questioned quietly.

“No.” It wasn’t. Ethan furrowed his brow. “Family stuff.” He still was upset at his mother for even taking the calls—Ethan ground his teeth at the thought.

“Will you tell me later?” Ari pressed. “Or at least some time soon?”

“Fine,” Ethan agreed sourly.

“We can go out to lunch,” Ari changed the subject. “I’ll drive us off campus and treat us to something, so you don’t have to deal with too many people bothering you.”

At least Ari understood that much. Ethan forced a thin smile at that. “Okay.”

He retreated to his leg machine for the rest of class and Ari let him. Ethan was sure he had seen Landon making way for him at least twice, but Ari intercepted both times. Eventually Landon seemed to get the hint though.

Ari helped him duck out on lunch and got them off campus to a fast food place. There was some other lunch rush from their school, but they still managed to get the front of the line for food. Ari sat them down outside while the weather was at least mild outside—not too cold yet, even though it was technically winter.

“Where would we stay with your brother? Is he in the dorms?” Ethan questioned.

“No, he’s got an apartment off campus we can crash at.” Ari paused. “You don’t have a fake, do you?”

“Fake what?”

“That answers that, never mind.” Ari chuckled. “He’ll probably try and take us out to the bars or something, but that’s a no go. He’ll show us around campus, maybe sit in on some classes, check out the town… I’ll have my car so we won’t have to spend all our time hanging out with him.” Ari rolled his eyes.

“Is he a party kind of guy?” Ethan wondered.

“Jace is… kind of like Landon. Except also very brotherly, and annoying, and sometimes a dick up until it turns out he says something totally deep and sage-like and goes all philosophical on your ass.” Ari sighed, twirling a fry around dramatically. “I think Landon bases some of his shit off the stuff my brother did in high school.”

Ethan snorted in amusement.

“In all honesty,” Ari continued. “He’ll probably make you uncomfortable. He’ll be in your personal space bubble. He’ll probably boast something about sexuality. If he does anything you don’t like, you just have to give me that look or something, and I’ll make him stop.”