Never Have I Ever: Wanted my Brother’s Rival

Eli: when do you have to leave for that work thing?

West: the car is coming in an hour

Eli: do you have to wear a suit?

West: why?

Eli: no reason

West: no reason, huh?

Eli: I bet you’d look good in a suit

West: how about I send you a picture when I’m ready and you can see for yourself?

Eli: I’d like that

West: and maybe you could send me one when you’re getting ready for your show?

Eli: you want one?

West: yeah. I don’t have any pics of you on my phone. I need to fix that

Eli: you have that video…

West: I do

West: I watched it again this afternoon

Eli: you did?

West: I did. And I came so hard

Eli: maybe you could send me a pic of that too?

West: next time

West: ugh

West: brb. Lilian is calling

He added a line of eye roll emojis.

I bit back a laugh as my ears throbbed with heat. Maybe sitting in the middle of the living room with three out of four roommates wasn’t the best choice when having a flirty text conversation.

West and I had been texting nonstop since he’d dropped me off at the house yesterday. I’d expected him to be too busy to want to talk, but he’d kept me updated while he’d been traveling, including a real-time transcript of the hilarious fight a man and his mistress had in the seats behind him on the plane. He’d also sent me photos of his hotel room, as well as random snaps of the city and a few selfies.

I hadn’t sent him any photos yet. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but I was at home with my roommates. I had nothing interesting to share, and a part of me worried that sending him pics of me would be crossing some sort of line.

Ding-dong.

“I got it!”

Footsteps thundered down the stairs. Seconds later, Matt came skidding into the living room. He grabbed the back of the couch to slow his momentum and slingshotted himself down the hallway leading to the front door.

SLAM.

“Ow!”

“Something tells me he doesn’t got it.” Alex snickered, not looking up from his phone.

“Or he got a face full of wall.” Beck kicked Alex’s foot, where it rested on the coffee table. “Are you done sexting?”

“How do you know I’m sexting?” He waggled his eyebrows at Beck.

“Because you’ve got that dopey look you always get when Kai’s whispering dirty talk and you think no one notices.”

“You figured out he does that, huh?” He smirked at Beck.

“Kinda hard to miss when you’re rocking a boner and practically melting into a puddle while he does it.” Beck kicked his foot again.

“And perhaps you can mention to him that some people have good hearing, so he might want to take it down a decibel when you’re not in your room,” Finn said dryly.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Alex asked with a grin. “Besides, it’s not like you two can talk. At least we’re not fucking all over campus.”

Finn’s cheeks flamed red, and Beck winked cheekily.

“Package for you, Eli.” Matt came into the living room with a large box in his arms.

“For me?”

“Is there a Matt-shaped hole in the wall we need to tell the property manager about?” Alex asked.

“Nope. But have you met the property manager?” Matt unceremoniously dropped the box on my lap and flopped onto the couch next to me.

“Yeah,” Alex said, and he and Beck exchanged a look. “He’s, like, sixty and bald.”

“Not him.” Matt waved dismissively. “The new one. I talked to him yesterday, and holy shit, he’s hot. Serious eye candy.”

“Yeah?” Finn perked up.

“Hey, eyes on the prize, Science Boy.” Beck nudged him with his shoulder.

“You know you’re the only one I want.” Finn patted Beck on the knee.

“Didn’t you deal with him over spring break?” Alex asked me. “Is he as hot as Matt is making him out to be? ‘Cause if so, I might need to be around next time something in the house shits the bed.”

“Um.” My cheeks flamed with heat. “Yeah. He’s attractive.”

“Awww, does our little brother have a crush?” Matt knocked his knee against mine.

I cleared my throat. “I kind of know him.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. We went to school together for a few years.”

“Must have been nice to catch up with an old friend, even if you did have to deal with a flood by yourself,” Beck said.

“He’s… we weren’t… it’s complicated.”

Alex tucked his phone into his pocket and gave me an appraising look.

“What did you get?” Matt pointed to the box in my lap.

“I have no idea.”

“Ooooh, a mystery package.” Matt grinned. “New house rule, all mystery packages must be opened in the presence of whoever is around when it’s delivered.”

“Really?” Beck gave him a flat look. “You really want to make that a rule after the mystery package you got a few months ago?”

“That wasn’t a mystery package because I knew it was from Jax, and all you fuckers could see what it was.” Matt grinned. “Totally different.”

“Coming home and finding that sitting on our coffee table is still one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.” Alex laughed.

“We’re getting off topic.” Matt tapped the box. “I think we need to see what’s in this mystery package.”

“Yeah, okay.”

All four of my roommates gaped at me, and I had to laugh at their shocked faces.

“Does anyone have anything sharp?”

“Here.” Alex dug his keys out of his pocket and handed them to me.

I flipped open the blade of the small knife he had hanging off the keyring and sliced the packing tape.

“I feel like we need a drumroll or something,” Matt mused.

I handed Alex back his keys, then opened the box. Inside lay a faded maroon hoodie. I’d worn it at West’s last week after he’d told me he liked seeing me in his clothes. I pushed the hoodie aside and found two more, as well as two white dress shirts.

“What’s in it?” Beck asked from the loveseat.

“Clothes.” Matt scrunched his face up. “Used clothes.”

“Who’s the mystery sender?” Beck asked. “Is there a note?”

I shook my head and closed the flaps of the box, my ears so hot they hurt.

“Looks like a box of boyfriend clothes.” Alex grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

“Boyfriend clothes?” Matt asked.

“Yeah. Like the clothes you steal from your boyfriend.”

“Eli has a boyfriend?” Matt turned to me. “You have a boyfriend?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Is that from the person you were talking about when you texted Kai?” Alex asked.

I nodded.

“Did you ever figure it out?” he asked.

I shook my head and glanced around. My roommates were all looking at me, but with concern and not exasperation.

“Dating issues?” Beck asked, his voice gentle. “You’ve got an entire focus group here if you need help figuring something out.”

“You don’t mind hearing about my problems?”

“Of course not.” Matt crossed his big arms over his chest. “Lay it on us.”

“I started messing around with someone.” I ran my finger over the smooth cardboard of the box, too embarrassed to meet anyone’s eyes. “I’ve never had a friend with benefits, so I’m not sure if I’m reading into things.”

“What’s confusing you?” Beck asked. “Are those his clothes?”

“Yeah. I wore them when I was at his place.”

“Anything else confusing?” Matt asked.

“He took me out to dinner last week. And he’s been flirty over text.”

“Hmmmm.” Beck pursed his lips. “How close are you? Like, is he a good friend, or is he just a casual acquaintance?”

“A good friend, but it’s complicated. We used to be close. Then some shit happened, and I didn’t see him for six and a half years.” Nerves fluttered through me. “We’ve only really been talking again for a week.”

That part was making me question everything. It was too soon to be feeling any of what I did for him.

It had to be the sex. I’d bonded to him because he was the first person I’d been with. I already felt a connection with him, and I trusted him, so it made sense I’d confuse those feelings for more.

“A week?” Matt asked.

“Yeah.”

“The friend you stayed with last week… that was him?” Alex tilted his head.

I nodded.

“But before you didn’t have any contact with him? Like whatever happened six years ago was the last time you saw him. Then you crashed with him during spring break?”

“Sort of.” I swallowed. “It’s… he’s…”

“Holy shit. Eli’s banging the property manager.” Matt sat up straight.

I buried my face in my hands.

“You’re as subtle as a pie to the face,” Alex said dryly.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like that.” Matt patted my knee. “I just got excited that I figured it out.”

“It’s fine.” I pushed my embarrassment aside and lifted my head. “But yeah, it’s him.”

“It’s hard when you hook up with friends.” Beck slung his arm over Finn’s shoulder. “What you’re describing could be his personality. Some people are flirty and like to treat their friends to dinner.”

“The clothes are definitely a sex thing. Nothing gets Kai’s motor running faster than seeing me in his clothes.”

“Not even stealing his phone like a bad boy?” I made sure to keep my voice as innocent as possible as I turned to Alex.

“Wait, what?” Beck and Finn both leaned forward.

Alex’s ears went pink. “I was pretending you didn’t listen to that. Guess that fantasy is officially dead.”

“Listened to what?” Matt looked between us. “We need story time.”

“Eli was texting Kai, and I kept stealing his phone to answer. I accidentally recorded Kai and me… having some fun and sent it to him.” Alex blushed bright pink.

The guys howled with laughter.

“Don’t worry. It wasn’t anything shocking. I live here, remember? I’ve heard worse walking past your room.” I gave him a bright smile.

“You’re a shit disturber, you know that, right?” Alex smirked. “You seem so sweet and innocent, but you’re really waiting for your chance to stir the pot.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I blinked innocently.

He chuckled. “Like hell, you don’t.”

“Back to your property manager.” Matt tapped his chin like he was deep in thought. “Do you like the guy as more than a friend?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want more? Like an actual relationship?” Beck asked.

“I… it’s complicated.”

“How is it complicated?” Finn asked. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“He and my brother have a history. They were rivals, and that thing that happened six years ago? It was a really big thing, and it kind of ruined both my brother’s life and his. I hated him for years. Then I got his side of the story. But Gray… he’ll never forgive him.”

“That does make it complicated.” Finn smiled sympathetically. “You and your brother are close?”

“Really close. He’s so much more than my big brother. But West…” I groaned and raked a hand through my hair. “I can’t have both of them.”

“I’m sorry.” Matt clasped my shoulder in his big hand and squeezed gently. “That’s a hell of a position to be in.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I whispered. “I’m not ready to let West go. Even without the crap between him and my brother, I’m leaving to go to grad school in a few months. I thought he’d slowly pull away now that I’m not staying with him, but he isn’t.” I looked at each of my roommates in turn. Could I tell them the whole story?

They were my friends, and they cared. They’d trusted me with their secrets. Maybe it was time I trusted them with mine.

“So Matt already knows this.” I pushed down the panic clawing at my chest and powered through. “But I cam.”

“Cam?” Finn asked.

“Really?” Beck gaped at me.

“That’s… not as shocking as it probably should have been.” Alex rolled his lips inward like he was biting back a smile.

“I’m still confused.” Finn glanced between Beck and me.

Beck leaned close and whispered something in Finn’s ear.

“Oh. Oh!” Finn blinked. “Wow.”

“If you think that’s bending your brain, wait until you hear the rest.” I snort-laughed, still not completely believing I was about to lay it all on the line like this.

By the time I finished telling them everything that had happened between announcing the auction and calling West about the flood, they were sitting wide-eyed and shocked.

“Holy shit.” Matt rubbed his hand over his face. “That’s crazy.”

“I already know the auction was a bad idea. And I’m grateful he stepped in,” I said quickly before anyone could potentially lecture me. “I made a mistake, and I’ll never do anything like it again. But it’s one more layer of complication on an already messed-up situation. Are you guys mad?”

I braced for some sort of backlash.

“Why would we be mad?” Finn asked.

“Because I’m doing… that… in the house.”

“We’re all doing that in the house.” Alex grinned. “You’re just the only one smart enough to capitalize on it. The rest of us have been doing it for free.”

The guys laughed, breaking the tension from my impromptu infodumping.

“You said you’re texting with your guy. Ask him about the clothes,” Matt suggested.

“Really?”

He shrugged. “Why not? We can guess all night, but he’s the only one who can tell you the truth.”

“I suppose.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

Eli: I got the package

Eli: thanks

West: I like knowing you’re wearing my clothes when I can’t be there with you

Eli: I don’t know how many chances I’ll get to wear the dress shirts

West: those are for when it’s just you and me

Eli: really?

West: yeah

West: I can’t think of anything sexier than you in one of those and nothing else

West: I’m just finishing up getting ready. I’ll text you when I’m in the car

Eli: okay

I looked up from my phone. Everyone was staring at me.

“He said he sent them because he likes knowing I’m wearing them when he’s not around. And he said seeing me in one of his dress shirts would be sexy.”

“Sounds flirty over friendly to me.” Matt glanced around. “But not exactly definitive.”

“No,” Beck agreed. “But you said it’s still early. The only way you’ll know where his head is at for sure is if you ask.”

“I’m not ready to do that,” I said.

“Then my advice is to roll with it. Have fun while you figure out what you want, what you can have with him.”

The other guys nodded in agreement.

“Thanks. I guess that’s all I can do.”

Even though nothing had been solved, I felt better. I hadn’t realized how heavy the secrets had been, how much they’d weighed me down. I’d told my roommates, my friends, the truth, and the world hadn’t imploded. They hadn’t turned on me or thought less of me for being a sex worker. They accepted me.

The conversation switched topics, and Matt started teasing Alex about the voice clip he’d sent me. I settled in my seat as everyone laughed and joked.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and checked our text thread.

A photo of West in a black suit, a white dress shirt, and an emerald-green tie stared back at me. Two more loaded: one where he was in only the black pants with his white shirt open and his incredible abs on display, and one of him lying in a big bed, looking sleepy, like he’d just woken up from a nap.

Eli: you look good in a suit

West: you think so?

Eli: totally get why suit porn is a thing now

West: lol maybe you can see it in person soon

Eli: and maybe I can help you take it off soon too?

West: that can definitely be arranged

West: gotta go. Think of me while you’re on cam tonight

Eli: I always do

I added a kissy face emoji, then instantly regretted all of my life’s choices when it popped up in the thread.

West texted back three kissy faces.

Yeah, this not overthinking thing wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped.