Tyler stared at his brother’s bare back, watching the rise and fall as he slept peacefully in bed. It was well after two in the morning, and Skylar had just fallen asleep about twenty minutes ago. Tyler had honestly been getting worried that the other man wasn’t going to sleep tonight.
Today had been…heavy. They’d unpacked a lot of things, and Tyler felt good about where they were now. Skylar wasn’t leaving him. They were going to get through this. Skylar would see that Tyler wasn’t running from this either. And eventually, he hoped that Skylar would feel comfortable enough to let his guard down and allow himself to finally be happy. With Tyler.
Slowly, Tyler moved closer to the bed, kneeling beside the edge of it and watching his brother’s face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. His head cocked to the side, arm moving on its own accord toward Skylar’s cheek. Just as his fingers were about to make contact with his brother’s smooth skin, there was a loud vibrating sound to his left, causing Tyler to scramble backward as if he’d been burned.
The sound of his phone pulled Skylar from sleep. Quickly, he jolted up, blinking rapidly as he looked around the room. His hand closed over the phone moments before he answered it, his voice still groggy. “‘Lo,” he answered, not even bothering to check the caller ID. His eyes landed on Tyler almost immediately, brows knit in confusion. “Yeah…okay, I’ll be right there.” He paused as he listened to the person on the other line. “No, don’t move. I’ll be right there.”
He was off the bed before he even hung up the phone. Quickly, he grabbed the white Henley he’d been wearing earlier and pulled it over his head before he stuffed his feet into his jeans. “That was Jessie,” Skylar explained. “Adam is wasted and he’s trying to drive back to the dorms. I gotta go get him before he does something stupid.”
Immediately, Tyler’s first instinct was to ask if he could come, too. But he knew the answer would be no. And he knew why. “Oh,” he muttered instead. “Okay. How long are you gonna be gone?” He tried not to let the desperation seep into his voice, but it was hard to hide. He’d been hoping they would have the weekend to spend time together and familiarize themselves with the cabin. But apparently Skylar’s idiot friends had other ideas.
“Not sure,” Skylar answered with a shake of his head. “I’ll text you when I get there. It’s a dive bar outside of town.” He sat on the bed as he pulled socks on and then tugged his boots on. “I’ll try to make it quick.”
With that, Skylar grabbed his keys and headed down the stairs. Tyler tried to ignore the ache in chest that immediately hit him like a knife when heard the door closing behind his brother. This was supposed to be their weekend. The cabin was supposed to be their space. And yet, Jessie still somehow found a way to invade. He hated it.
Figuring that his brother was going to be gone for at least a few hours, Tyler headed downstairs into the main living area. They’d spent most of their night here watching television and playing some random card game they’d found. It was a nice change of pace from being in their childhood home. Here, it felt like this was just for the two of them. Something intimate that Venus had gifted them so they could finally explore these new feelings. And Tyler wasn’t about to let Jessie take this away from him.
Anger bubbled up inside him once more at the thought of Jessie trying to get Skylar away from him. It was all she ever did. She was so clingy. She was always texting him and calling him at strange hours of the night. It was like she didn’t sleep, either! Only she didn’t have an excuse for it. Not like Tyler.
His body buzzed with hatred as he continued to think of the woman who was vying for his brother’s attention. She needed to take a hint. She needed to just let Skylar go. He was spoken for. Only Skylar was too nice of a person to actually tell her to go pound salt. No, instead he would indulge her. And Tyler couldn’t blame him for it. After all, no one was supposed to know Tyler was back.
But that posed a problem for him. Because that meant Jessie would continue to think Skylar was fair game. Continue to think Skylar was hers. When in reality, Skylar was anything but hers. Skylar belonged to Tyler. And Tyler to Skylar. It had been that way since before they were born. The bond they shared was forged inside the womb, and there was nothing anyone could do to break that.
He found himself wondering what Venus would do in this situation. Would she just let Skylar do things in his own time? Or would she do something to speed up the timeline? Maybe she had experience with this sort of thing? After all, it wasn’t like Tyler knew much about the woman. And every time he saw her, they only talked about him.
Mind made up, Tyler pulled on his blue and orange color block hoodie before stepping into his boots and heading out the door. If he was lucky, he’d find Venus hanging out at his grave. Apparently, it was a hot spot for her.
The music was blaring so loudly it made Skylar’s head hurt. It was after closing time, so he figured that Joey, the bartender for this joint, would have at least had everything shut down so all he had to do was turn out the lights and go. But for some reason, that wasn’t the case.
As soon as he walked in, Joey gave him a nod of acknowledgement, smiling widely at Skylar. He knew the man well. After all, he and his friends had come here multiple times over the last year and a half. Joey had been serving him beer since before he was even legal. Not that he was advertising that to anyone.
It didn’t take long before he spotted Adam. He was slumped over the bar with his fingers wrapped so tightly around an empty beer bottle that Skylar was surprised it hadn’t broken. “Hey, buddy,” he greeted when he got close enough, taking a seat next to his friend. “Whatcha doing?”
Adam’s bloodshot eyes landed on Skylar almost immediately, a wide smile spreading across his face. “Yo, Sky, dude, it’s been forever,” he slurred, reaching for Skylar’s shoulder. It took him a couple of tries before he finally managed to grip his shoulder in his drunken state, but he seemed pleased with himself when he got it. “I’m…I’ve been drinking all night. A lot.”
Slowly, Skylar nodded. “Yeah…I can tell,” he assured the other man. He made sure to keep his movements slow so that he didn’t scare Adam. He knew his friend had a temper on a good day, but when he was drinking, he could get violent. “Wanna tell me why?” he asked. “Did something happen?”
“Kristen broke up with me,” Adam confessed. “We were all here having a nice time. We were celebrating.” Snorting out a laugh, Adam jerked Skylar toward him playfully. “You know that. I invited you, but you said you were studying for some bullshit test.” Pushing Skylar away drunkenly, Adam continued, “Anyway…Kristen saw that Amanda was texting me and she got pissed. Made a scene and dumped me.”
Scoffing, Adam became more animated, trying to retell the story as best he could with the amount of alcohol in his system. “It was her damn fault, anyway!” he finally yelled. “She shouldn’t have been looking at my phone! That’s private! I mean, c’mon, man!” He turned his attention to Jessie then. “You don’t look at Sky’s phone! Because of this little thing called boundaries, am I’ight?”
It was very obvious that Jessie was in no mood for any more of Adam’s shit. “No, I don’t look at Skylar’s phone,” she answered, venom in her voice. “But even if I did, he wouldn’t care. Because we have something better than boundaries – trust. He doesn’t keep things from me and I don’t keep things from him. And it’s not Kristen’s fault that you were caught cheating. It’s your own fault for being so stupid as to do it in the first place. Because Kristen is a great woman. And honestly, she deserves so much better.”
Her icy brown eyes then turned toward Skylar, softening immediately. “Do you have this, babe?” she asked, smiling when he nodded. “Sorry I had to call so late. I need to get Kristen home. And…honestly…I kind of don’t even want to look at him right now.” Leaning in, Jessie pressed her lips to Skylar’s allowing the kiss to linger. It felt good after so long to be able to touch him. “Maybe…once you get him all settled…you could swing by my place?”
Skylar lingered for a few seconds longer than he should have. Jessie’s kiss was familiar in a way that was supposed to feel grounding – normal even – but instead, it landed oddly over everything that had happened over the last few days. The cabin. The way Tyler’s voice sounded on the other end of the phone. The way Tyler had looked at him before he left, like Skylar was the only stable thing holding him together.
He pulled back first, forcing a small smile. “Yeah, I’ve got him,” he assured her, though his mind was already elsewhere. “It’s looking like this is going to be a project though. So…raincheck?”
Jessie didn’t notice the hesitation. Or if she did, she didn’t mention it. Instead, she slid off the stool and grabbed her purse. “Call me when you’re done playing hero,” she said lightly, already turning toward the door with Kristen in tow.
As if Skylar would ever be done playing hero as she so helpfully called it. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if she was joking or if she was actually pissed about it. And right now, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He watched them go, then let out an exhale through his nose. He did not have time for this tonight.
Adam was still slumped over the bar, muttering something into his bottle as if it might answer him back. Joey gave Skylar a sympathetic look from behind the counter, clearly having seen this exact kind of night play out many times before. Luckily, the man had enough work to do that he wasn’t actually paying any mind to Skylar or Adam.
Suddenly, it dawned on him that he’d forgotten to text Tyler when he’d got here. Great – this was shaping up to be a wonderful evening. “Hey,” Skylar muttered quietly, testing to see if Adam was even coherent enough to know what was going on. When the other man barely reacted, Skylar figured he was in the clear. Quickly, he yanked his phone from his pocket and tapped Tyler’s name.
It rang once. Then twice. The third ring felt like it lasted for too long. “Come on,” Skylar muttered under his breath, taking another step away from the bar just in case there were any prying ears.
“Sky?” Tyler answered on the fourth ring. His voice was too fast. Too sharp. Like he’d been sitting by the phone waiting for him to call like some kind of love sick teenager after their first date. The image in his head made Skylar shudder.
His grip on the phone tightened. “Hey, I’m here,” he answered. “I’m still at the bar.” His eyes ticked toward the counter, making sure no one was listening in on him. “I just wanted to check in.”
There was a long pause. For a second, Skylar thought Tyler hung up on him. Just as he was about to check the phone connection, Tyler spoke again. “So you’re still out,” he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.
It wasn’t a question. Skylar could tell that much over the phone. He wished that he would have been able to FaceTime with his brother. Back in the day – before the resurrection – he wouldn’t have been so unsure of himself. But now, after everything, Tyler almost seemed like a completely different person sometimes. “I am,” he answered. “But I’m wrapping it up soon. Adam is a mess. I’m just gonna get him all situated and then I’ll be heading back.”
Another pause. This one lasted longer. Skylar turned his head to peek at Adam who was laughing at nothing now. Damn, the man was wasted. When Tyler answered again, his voice was even smaller now. His mere okay leaving no clues for Skylar on how the other man was feeling. “Are you okay?” he asked, desperately needing to know what was going on with Tyler right now.
Almost immediately, Tyler answered, “I’m fine.” It was too immediate. Like he was trying to hide something. Skylar could just picture the other man sitting in the corner of the room barely holding himself together.
Skylar rubbed a hand down his face, trying to keep it together himself. Again, he turned toward Adam and Joey, making sure they were still occupied. He’d be willing to believe that Adam was about to pass out if he hadn’t already, and Joey was nowhere to be seen. “Ty,” he breathed, feeling confident no one would know who he was talking to. “Talk to me. Please?”
Again, there was a long beat before Tyler finally answered. He could hear rustling sounds, almost as if there was fabric shifting, or someone was moving. “I just…thought you’d be back by now,” Tyler finally answered.
“I know,” Skylar assured the other man. He could tell his brother was getting antsy. There had been a lot of traffic getting up here, so it had taken longer than he’d originally planned. Then again, it was a Saturday night, so he wasn’t sure why he was surprised. “I’m sorry. I’m coming back. I promise.”
Silence again. It was almost like Tyler was getting coached. As if he were waiting for someone to tell him how to respond. “Don’t stay out too long,” he finally mumbled, waiting for Skylar to assure him that he wouldn’t before Tyler ended the call.
Before Skylar had a chance to analyze the call further, Adam groaned loudly behind him before nearly falling off the stool. “Jesus,” he gasped, running to catch his friend before he fell on his ass. He was really trying to be present here, but the way Tyler had been on the phone wouldn’t leave his mind. He needed to wrap this up fast and get back.
He quickly thanked Joey who had come back out from the storage room before he helped Adam out of the bar and into the JEEP. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he was relieved or upset that Adam slept the whole way back to the dorms. On the one hand, it gave Skylar time to think. On the other hand, he was kind of wishing for a distraction from the way Tyler’s voice and demeanor on the phone wouldn’t leave his head.
Subconsciously, Skylar pressed his foot a little harder on the gas pedal, not worried about getting pulled over. Right now, he needed to haul ass back to Tyler.
“He’s coming home,” Tyler mumbled, mostly to himself though he knew he was speaking loudly enough that Venus would hear him. His eyes ticked up from the worm he’d been watching bury itself in the dirt beside his headstone, glowing ice blue orbs locking with Venus’ matching greens. “Why do I feel like this?”
Venus frowned slightly when Tyler spoke. “Do you think what you feel is wrong?” she asked, careful not to answer his question too directly. When she made contact with the people her spells brought back, she didn’t like to influence them too much. She wanted him to think for himself and come to his own conclusions about things.
Was it wrong? No, not necessarily. It was just…different. “I…don’t know,” he answered. “Skylar was freaked out. Really freaked out.” Biting into his bottom lip, Tyler continued, “He left me. I mean…he didn’t leave me. He came back. But he…ran away.” Tossing the stick he was using to draw lines in the dirt, he continued, “When I asked him if he was afraid of me, he told me he didn’t know.”
At least Skylar was honest. Venus didn’t necessarily think Skylar was afraid of Tyler. There was definitely something brewing there, but she didn’t think it was fear. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what it was. But she was eager to watch it all unfold. “Do you think he’s afraid of you?”
Slowly, Tyler shook his head. “I don’t think he’s afraid of me,” he answered, his tone certain. “I think he’s afraid for me. I told him everything about my physical condition since I got back. You know…the slow heartbeat, the slow breathing – all of my vitals being out of whack since I crawled out of this grave. And…I told him about my feelings for him being amplified. But he didn’t run. He’s staying with me.”
It wasn’t surprising that Skylar was scared for Tyler. Venus had only met him a couple of times, but it was very apparent that the younger man cared deeply for his brother. Obviously – he’d brought him back from the dead. “He’s staying with you,” she repeated, head cocked to the side as she watched Tyler’s reaction. “Yet, you’re here, and he’s off playing the hero to his friends. Doesn’t that make you worry that you’re not his only priority? The way he is yours?”
Anger bubbled up inside of Tyler once more at the words. “Because she won’t leave him alone,” he ground out. “Every time I feel like I’m getting through to him, she just calls him and sets my progress back. It’s because he’s too nice. Skylar wouldn’t just hurt her after they’ve been together this long. But he wants me. Otherwise he would have left. He just doesn’t know how to break it to her yet.”
When Venus inquired about her, Tyler rolled his eyes. “Jessie,” he spat. “Tyler’s girlfriend. They were high school sweethearts. She followed him to Ebenridge – she was supposed to go to some fancy school but then changed her mind last minute. Because my parents couldn’t afford to send us to a fancy college.”
Rolling his eyes, Tyler snatched up the stick again, poking it into the ground repeatedly. “She’s like a damn leech who won’t let him go,” he continued. “Every time I think I’m making progress, she pops her head in, and I’m thrown right back to square one. It’s exhausting.”
Now that was intriguing. “It sounds to me like you need to help Skylar choose what he really wants,” she explained. The look on Tyler’s face was delicious when he locked their eyes once more. “You know, sometimes people can’t make decisions for themselves because they’re too afraid of hurting other people in the scenario. It sounds to me like Skylar is in one of those situations.”
Her shoulders sagged slightly before she shook her head. “Then again, I may be wrong,” she explained. “Maybe Skylar just has different priorities than you do at the moment. Maybe…he likes the attention from both of you. Or maybe…he just isn’t ready to pursue anything with you because…well, you know. The whole brother thing might be a bit of a turn off for him.”
Again, anger bubbled inside of him when Venus suggested such things about Skylar. “He loves me,” he assured the woman. “I know he loves me. He’s just interested in moving a bit slower than I am. He hasn’t come to terms with everything yet. He doesn’t want to scare me. I’m taking your advice and showing him how hard it is to scare me.”
Another smile came to Venus’ lips when Tyler reminded her of the advice she’d given him. “I know that’s what you’re trying to do,” she nodded. “But…how can you compete with someone like her? He can actually be seen in public with her. She’s not his…dirty little secret. And I’m sure she’s probably assisting him in…other ways, too.”
“I can do all of those things for him, too!” Tyler all but screamed, slamming the stick into the ground so hard that it snapped under his fingers. “He just needs to give me the chance! But he won’t! He can’t! Not when she’s bothering him every damn second of every day!”
Quickly, Venus pushed herself off the ground, standing just inches away from Tyler. “Then do something about it, Tyler!” she urged. “You’re never going to get what you want if you just sit back and wait for it to fall into your lap!” Her eyes flashed bright green as another smile spread over her lips. “You’ll never get what you need if you don’t make him see what’s right in front of him. So what are you waiting for?”
What was he waiting for? Honestly, Tyler didn’t know. “I…don’t want to scare him,” he explained. “If I push too hard and I scare him, he will try to run away from me again. And I can’t…lose him.”
She actually felt bad for Tyler. She’d been in his same shoes years prior. Only her case had been a little different since the person who brought her back hadn’t been her sibling. “You can’t lose something if it truly belongs to you,” she assured him. “You just have to make him see it. Force him to make that choice sooner than he wants to. Because you deserve that.” With that, Venus stalked off into the woods, disappearing behind a large willow tree.