Crazy Love (mxm)

Chapter Four

James' POV

I learned so much about sexy Carter after he left.

He was twenty-three. He was currently working as a preschool teacher for a summer program. He was single and had been since his kid was born. Ronan was a result of a drunken fling he had with a random chick in a time where he was questioning his sexuality. The girl dumped a kid at his doorstep nine months later and got the hell out.

It was, all in all, a productive time.

I gave Carter's friends a little wave before stumbling out the door to my car. I chugged my last beer and tossed in onto the lawn before driving away.

I fantasized about Carter the whole ride home, and was met with the not-so-great reality of my brother screaming in my face.

"What is wrong with you?" Dillon yelled, grabbing me by the wrist and tugging me to the couch. "I will drive you whenever the hell you want. Or you could just Uber! Stop with this dumb shit before you end up in the hospital again. Or worse, kill somebody."

I scoffed. "I had two beers."

His fist clenched and unclenched. "Sure, I believe you. You're such a tool."

And then he stalked off and slammed his door behind him. I watched him go with a frown. I loved little Dil so much, sometimes I forgot he hated me.

I took my glasses off and laid down on the couch, grinning as the world swam around me. It was always more fun drunk, when things mattered a little less. Gravity didn't work as well and brothers weren't as unforgiving.

Poor Dillon. We were in a rough spot, but he had no idea.

The second my parents kicked the little dude out of our house, I'd flipped them the bird and followed after him. I'd been about twenty at the time, and only halfway done with college. We stayed with our uncle Elijah for about a year before getting this shitty little apartment together. I'd fed Dillon a bullshit number he'd have to pay me a month and called it half.

And he always made enough and paid me. Shame it was nowhere near half. I wanted to take a little bit of the edge off for him, make myself pay the most of it, but apparently money didn't get pulled out of asses.

I grimaced and pretended like we probably weren't going to get kicked out in a number of months.

"Oh well," I hummed.

Things would be better when I published my book. We'd have a ton of money and I could buy Dil a car that had those fancy bright headlights.

I passed out the second I closed my eyes.

I woke up to the sound of a bed slamming the wall repeatedly and two guys groaning. Dillon and his new boy were so annoying. My headache grew even worse.

To make myself feel better, I smiled and called Carter for kicks.

"What?" he snapped.

"...You answered?" My jaw dropped.

There was a bit of silence. "I don't know. It's like two in the morning, dude. This woke me up. I figured you were drunk off your ass and needed a ride."

Ooh. A ride. To Carter. That was a great idea.

I hopped up and grabbed my keys, jogging outside. "I'm sober now. Where do you live?"

"...I'm not telling you that. You seem like you could easily be a serial killer and I would be endangering my son's life too."

I fired up my car and backed out of the driveway. "I'm coming now."