“That doesn’t make any sense. Who’s like that?” Dean spat, his temper finally showing up for the party.
I lifted my beer. “Me.”
“Great,” he said with a snort. “So she’s a female version of you?”
I shrugged. “I’m just saying. It’s sort of a guy’s way of thinking, if you break it down. And that probably works for you since you’re such a chick.”
“Really?” he snarled at me.
Shaking my head, I grinned. “I’m only fucking around, little brother.”
The scantily clad bartender walked over to our table and the three of us immediately shut up. She asked if she could get us anything and I ordered three shots of tequila. Once she walked away, I looked at Matteo’s worried expression and shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“If I drink too much, we’ll need a driver for the driver,” he explained and I laughed.
“Where were we?” I paused and looked at Dean. “Oh yeah. You’re a chick and Melissa’s a dude.”
“It’s not funny. And I’m over it. I’m done. And when we get back to your place, I’m telling her that.” He sounded determined and angry, and it hit me that those feelings were exactly what he needed. My brother needed to take control of his dick back.
“Good,” I told him.
“Yeah?” Dean eyed me, then downed the last of his beer.
I loved Melissa because she was my wife’s best friend, and because she’d been there for me on more than one occasion. But she’d been stringing my brother along since I’ve known her. So yeah, I supported my brother’s decision to tell her to shit or get off the pot.
“You deserve the best and if she’s not going to be that, then fuck her. It’s not like you haven’t given her enough chances to make a decision already. No girl’s worth all this hassle. Except mine. But she’d never pull this kind of shit.”
“And mine,” Matteo added.
“Trina is a good one, bro.” I raised my glass toward him before taking a drink.
“Yeah, yeah. I already know how fucking great both your wives are. Can we get back to me?”
“We never left,” Matteo reassured him.
“So, what do you think? You don’t really know either of us. What’s your take?” Dean lifted his chin in Matteo’s direction. “You know, as an outsider?”
Matteo looked between me and my brother before saying, “I don’t know the whole story between you two, but it sounds like she’s just leading you on. She knows how you feel about her, right?”
“Absolutely,” Dean answered.
“Without a doubt? You’ve told her?” Matteo asked.
Dean’s face scrunched up. “Yes. More than once.”
The bartender appeared and placed our shots on the table. I handed her my credit card and told her to bring us the check, wanting her to leave as soon as possible so we could get to the bottom of this shit with my brother.
“Okay, so what does she say?” Matteo asked, getting us back on track.
“She usually avoids it. But she’ll kiss me to shut me up or say she likes me too, but—”
“But what?” I interrupted.
“She likes me too, but she doesn’t want a boyfriend right now. Or she can’t. Or some other bullshit excuse. I don’t know. It’s all lies. Fuck her. I’m done.”
“I think that’s exactly what she needs.” Matteo stared at my brother and a light bulb went off inside my head.
“Matteo’s right. You have to make sure she knows you’re done.”
“I just said that I would.”
I slapped my hand against his shoulder. “But you have to follow through. She needs to lose you to figure out once and for all what the fuck she wants.”
“This isn’t a game to me, Jack. I’m done. She just wrecked me and I won’t let her do it anymore. She either wants to be with me or she doesn’t. Either way, I’m fucking done waiting around for her to make up her mind.” I watched as he downed his shot.
“Ready to go back home?” I asked.
“You bet.”
The three of us rose to our feet as Matteo pushed his tequila shot toward Dean and he downed it as well. I signed off on our tab with the bartender before we headed out of the darkness and into the bright Manhattan sunlight.
“I need to park the car. Apparently my wife is upstairs with yours,” Matteo said from the driver’s seat. “Do you want me to drop you two off at the entrance and then meet you inside?”
“Don’t be an asshole. We’ll park the car and go in together.”