Heath glanced at his cell phone sitting on the coffee table before him and picked it up. He scrolled through the messages he'd exchanged with Drew the previous night.
Hey, you. You make it back ok?
Hi. Yes, we got back pretty late but we stayed too long at my uncle's house in Brooklyn. Food, wine. You know how we do.
I do. Feeling ok?
Yes. How about you—are you taking care of those ribs?
As much as possible. Lana won't let me leave the house so I'm stuck here overnight.
Ha. You're trying to make it sound like a bad thing but I know you're happy to be around them and the girls.
I may or may not be involved in the watching of some animated Disney movie called Cinderella with two little girls right now. I digress. Are you back at home now?
Sort of. My mother is "fretting" (her word) over my mental state following the trial, so she and my father are making me stay with them tonight so I don't have to be alone. I keep telling them I like to be alone but they won't buy it. So, I get to sleep on their couch tonight. Jealous?
You live across a courtyard…?
I know this. But sometimes you just have to do things to make your parents happy. I knew it was serious when my father personally went to get both Rocky AND his litter box and bring them over. How do I argue with that?
You definitely don't. Well, enjoy your couch while I enjoy my bed (in your face). I'm glad you're doing ok. I'll call you tomorrow.
Ok. Get some rest. Talk to you later.
He sighed as he read them over and over. They were humorous and lighthearted like they always were, except now there was this enormous elephant in the room of their relationship.
Drew had said she loved him.
He could hear her speaking the words clearly in his mind, see her face as she spoke them. He saw the blush in her cheeks, the tremble in her hands, her nervousness, but he could also feel that emotion coming off her. She'd taken another huge step with him—officially putting her heart in his hands.
And what had he done? He'd stood there like a mute asshole, staring at her, until she disappeared into the room. Then he'd turned on his heel and walked out of the courthouse and acted like nothing was different.
But it was. It was totally different now.
He didn't know how he felt about it. He felt something, but he didn't know how to identify it. No girl had ever said that to him before, at least not in a way that he took seriously. But he'd known Drew had meant what she'd said. He didn't know what to think of it. He didn't exactly know how he felt about her, either. He felt some strong emotion when he thought about her. He wanted her; he really liked having her be a part of his life. She was smart, sweet, kind. Beautiful. He wasn't interested in seeing any other women; Saturday night had solidified his belief that Drew was it for him. But he wasn't sure if that was love or not. He'd never been in love before and generally found the entire idea of it to be ridiculous. Connor was the one who fell in love and then made his entire life be about that love and the girl…not him.
Oh, is that what we're telling ourselves now? his mind jeered sarcastically.
Before he could get truly annoyed with himself, his phone went off in his hand. He glanced at it, and saw that it was Connor.
"I just saw you," he said by way of greeting. Connor laughed, and Heath noticed that it was a real laugh, full of mirth. He wondered what in the hell had gotten up his big brother's ass to put him in such a good mood when everything was going to shit around them.
"I know, but I'm wondering if you can meet me downtown for lunch," Connor said. "I want to talk to you about something."
"What?" Heath asked suspiciously.
"Just get your ass downtown, okay? The sandwich place. Half an hour. Go." He hung up without another word, leaving Heath no room to continue to argue the matter.
He lingered on the couch for another moment before finally heaving himself up carefully, holding his side tightly with his arm. He trudged into his bedroom to throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, stepping into the first pair of sneakers he saw and grabbing a baseball cap. He splashed water on his face and brushed his teeth, then grabbed his phone and keys and headed out the door.
As he drove into downtown Pittsburgh, he heard Drew's mocking comment about how much more he was driving lately. He realized it was true; before he'd met her he always relied on public transportation despite the vehicle sitting in his garage. Now, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd ridden the bus, much less where his bus pass actually was.
He found a spot across the street from the sandwich deli Connor had mentioned and started across the street. When he pulled the door open, he saw Connor standing at the counter, getting ready to pay for his order. He smiled at his younger brother when he saw him.