My True First [18+]

Chapter 3

Present Day

I shoved my feet in a pair of sneakers and glanced at my watch before going to the room I shared with my brother.

"Have you got everything, Timmy?"

"Yeah." Grinning, Tim crouched down and started to tie the shoelaces on his new pair of sneakers.

"What about your book?"

"In the backpack."

"The jacket?"

Tim stood up and gave me his signature eye-roll. "It's gonna be hot, Liam. You and Aiden never wear jackets."

"That isn't true. We do wear them, Tim. Okay, it's up to you, but don't whine if you're cold later in the afternoon."

Huffing, Tim opened our closet and pulled out a thin jacket which he then stuffed in his backpack.

"Well done, buddy." I ruffled his fair hair and grabbed my gym bag. We were finally ready to leave.

I was grateful that Jeff, my friend, and ex-colleague, suggested that I brought Tim to his and Charlie's gym, where we worked out and played basketball. My best friend, Aiden, and I started to go there together in May, shortly after I met him at work in Fauber Construction.

Today, Aiden was bringing his girl, Ellie. They finally got back together last night, and he was impatient to introduce her to all of us.

"When will I play basketball with you and Aiden?" Tim's question brought me back to the here and now right when we were getting on the train to go to the gym.

"You can play with us, just not the matches," I said, gripping his hand. "You'll be as tall as I am in no time, anyway."

Tim started to ramble about the height of the kids in the summer soccer camp where he'd spent a couple of weeks, and my thoughts drifted to the same worries I'd had for the last few months.

Our father died shortly after I turned eighteen, leaving Tim and me with nothing. I was lucky that Victor, his boss, offered me a job in Paris. I would work in construction the way my dad did and earn decent money.

I agreed to relocate to the capital straight away. It'd been a year and a half of living in the city that gave me an opportunity to start over. Eventually, I started to work at the office, and while I was happy with my new office job, Tim didn't seem to like his school.

I learned that he'd been bullied, and all I got in response to my complaints was a bunch of fake promises nobody was going to keep. The principal told me they were understaffed and didn't have enough resources. I knew it, but it didn't make the situation any better.