Double Heat [Twin Ties: 3] (4 page)

“You’re executing an entire family in our kitchen.”

“Oh, please,” Evan scoffed. “Don’t even start. Your hippie, vegan logic doesn’t work on me. They’re not family. They’re lobsters. They’re food.”

Pointing to the complacent crustaceans, then the large pots of water heating on the stove, Brennan exclaimed, “You’re boiling them alive. You don’t even feel a
little
bad about that?”

Evan planted his hands on his hips and stared at his brother, who was wearing a pouty sort of miserable expression while sadly watching the lobsters wave their rubber-banded claws around.

“Okay, I’m detecting a vibe,” Evan sighed. “What’s wrong? Lay it on me.”

“Poor lobsters.”

“They’re fish. You eat fish. Move on. You can’t be that sad about fish.”

“Crustaceans,” Brennan lamented. “Not fish.”

“They’re under the fish umbrella,” Evan insisted, drawing an invisible umbrella in the air above his head with his hands. Brennan watched him do this, smirking a little.

“Now you’re under the fish umbrella. Can I eat
you
?”

“This is misdirection!” Evan accused, jabbing a finger at Brennan, who rolled his eyes and leaned back against the edge of the kitchen counter. The water in two large pots on the stove’s front burners, mixed with thyme, bay leaves, and lemon juice to create a broth, wasn't boiling yet, so Evan and Brennan were just standing around, waiting.

“What if I see Tommy?” Brennan asked after a long delay. Scuffing his toe, he avoided looking Evan in the eye. Evan wasn’t certain if it was a bad sign or not.

“The ex? Screw him. Well, not
screw him
, screw him. You know what I mean. He’s old news.”

“What if he asks about you? Or if I’m seeing anyone?”

“You don’t have to tell him anything, Bren. You don’t have to talk to him or see him at all if you don’t want to. If it’s stressing you out, avoid the guy. You’re not going there for him. Just do what you need to do.”

“He was my closest friend for a long time. I mean, yeah, he turned into a clingy jerk eventually, but that was probably because of Mom and the whole cancer thing. The more time I spent with her, the less I could spend with him.”

“It’s not like he magically stopped being a jerk. He’s still a jerk.”

Brennan raised his eyebrow at Evan and said, “You’ve never even met him. Is this jealousy? You’re not allowed to be jealous.”

“Don’t tell me if I can be jealous.”

“What if the twins give me a hard time? What if they totally veto the trip?”

“They would never do that. They’ll understand. You’re being crazy.”

“You’re the one boiling innocent creatures to death,” Brennan said sadly. “I think
you’re
the crazy one.”

“Oh, don’t start that again. Maybe these are morally corrupt lobsters who’ve done terrible things.”

That made Brennan smile again. “I love you, you know. You’re cute.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Evan said dismissively. “So, Pres was here?”

“Yep. I told him about the trip and all. He’s worried about you.”

Evan rolled his eyes. “He’s not allowed. I wish people would stop worrying about me for stupid reasons.”

“You don’t even
know
his reasons.”

“Yeah, well, I can guess.”

Brennan left his place at the counter and walked over to Evan by the stove. Winding his arms around and behind Evan’s neck, prompting Evan to wind his arms around Brennan’s waist, Brennan gave him a not-brotherly sort of smile.

“I don’t wanna know his reasons,” Evan said preemptively, scrunching his nose.

“Tell me. Come on. I can see it on your face. I know that face. I see it in the mirror every day.”

“There’s nothing.”

“Liar.”

Brennan’s fingertips drew up and down along Evan’s spine at the back of his neck, making Evan shiver slightly as goosebumps chased outward over his skin. Closing his eyes and pressing his mouth against the inside of Brennan’s left arm, Evan sighed and enjoyed the soothing contact.

“I know you have to go, but I don’t want you to go,” Evan murmured.

“It’s just for a few days. It was always just the two of us for her birthdays. Maybe it was because of you and Dad, but she was always so miserable and never wanted to celebrate. The only thing that cheered her up were those daisies I brought her every year. I couldn’t live with myself if I missed it this year. She went through so much, the least I can do is bring her some flowers, even if it is a major pain in the ass.”

“I know if it was me, it would mean a lot to have you remember me that way.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Brennan scolded, giving Evan a brief, tighter squeeze. “I don’t need to remember you. I have you.”

“Sorry. It’s true though. It’s a really nice thing to do for her. It’s just... too much for me right now.”

“I know. I get it. It’s okay.”

“You think I can handle them on my own?” Evan asked softly, without opening his eyes.

“Alek and Luka? Are you kidding?” Brennan laughed, sounding relieved to have something to take his mind off of heavier things.

“No,” Evan grumbled.

Brennan scoffed and kissed the side of Evan’s face. “They love you. It’s not like I’m leaving you with lions.”

“You know they get weird about me sometimes. I create more tension between them than you do. I’m not as good at keeping them in line.”

“They intimidate you.”

“No, just—”

“No, they do,” Brennan insisted.

“Well, they are both bigger and louder and more stubborn than me. What if they start fighting or something? You know Luka’s going to want to sleep in our bed. Everything’s going to be off-kilter without you.”

“I think you underestimate how much you have them both wrapped around your finger. Just because you’re not as loud as them doesn’t mean you don’t have their full attention. Whatever you need, just tell them, even if it’s just to lay off for a while.” Brennan leaned in to kiss Evan’s cheek. Evan’s hands gripped Brennan’s lower back. He could feel the dimples there through his shirt. Hearing a bubbling sound, Evan glanced up to see the broth for the lobsters boiling.

“Goddamn it,” Brennan groaned.

“Avert your eyes, my delicate flower,” Evan smiled. He reached for the scissors to clip off the rubber bands on the lobster’s claws.

A minute later, the lobsters were in the pots, placed there head first. Brennan’s hands were clamped over his mouth and his eyes were wide with shock. Evan had to shake his head.

“They’ll be delicious,” he told his oversensitive counterpart.

“We’re terrible people,” Brennan said with horror. Bringing his hands down to his sides, he added, “And I mean it, you know. They might be dense sometimes, but they’ll listen if there’s an issue. You just need to not expect them to read your mind. If it gets too intense, tell them. You’re allowed.”

“But the triangle the three of us make has some really sharp edges,” Evan told him. “You were there. You saw the fighting. They get weird and there’s sharing issues. I don’t want to be responsible for causing another huge fight between them.”

“Ev, it’s one weekend, not the end of the world. It’ll be fine. Dad isn’t here this time and they know they’re each fucking you, so there’s no big shocker there.”

The mention of sex had Evan’s face turning crimson in seconds.

“Oh my god! Are you blushing?” Brennan gaped. “How are you still not over the fact that you have plural boyfriends? This is our life every single day. The novelty wears off.”

When Evan covered his face with his hands and groaned, “If you say so,” Brennan was right there to draw him into another lingering hug.

“You really are cute, you know.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic.”

Chapter 4
Concerns

When Alek arrived at home a few minutes later, Evan and Brennan were still in the kitchen, minding the lobsters while they cooked. Evan was standing behind Brennan with his arms wound around Brennan’s chest and his chin tucked over Brennan’s left shoulder. It felt nice how well they fit together. Evan didn’t want to end the soothing embrace. There had been a daydreamy look to Brennan for a couple of minutes. Evan didn’t think it was because of the now-deceased crustaceans. He sensed Brennan wanted him right where he was, giving some much-needed comfort, so, after first taking care of the lemon butter for the lobster, Evan had stayed put rather than setting the table or cleaning up the place.

Once the door had opened and shut, they heard the telltale sounds of Alek’s jingling keys
—
which created music notably different than Luka’s, whose key ring was filled with many more ornaments, and therefore was louder and layered with more sounds. Then Alek’s messenger bag slumped to the floor by the coat closet and he finally spotted them, saying in greeting, “Hey. What’s that smell?”

“Sadness,” Brennan replied.

“We’re having lobster for dinner,” Evan explained. “I think I just made Bren a full-blown vegetarian.”

“You two okay?” Alek wondered, wandering over to them. His long, dark hair was slicked back from his face. It was almost long enough to tie back, which Evan was sure Alek would be doing as soon as he could. He was wearing a light blue dress shirt and dark grey pants with carefully polished black shoes. Seeing Alek in his work clothes always made Evan feel painfully young, like Alek was the grownup and Evan was just his ward. That feeling had a lot to do with the real reason why Evan didn’t like the idea of being alone with Alek and Luka. It added to the queasy tickle in his belly. If Alek and Luka were the adults, and Evan was just the kid they were in charge of, it wasn’t exactly an equal three-way partnership. For the most part, Evan would be expected to do as he was told.

Evan had never really felt like he had any control over Alek’s behavior or reactions. Alek was in charge and Evan was just along for the ride. Luka was slightly less intimidating, but not when he was around Alek and jealousy crept in. Then, Luka’s personality transformed from an easygoing one to that of a hardcore tornado of toughness and determination. Maybe that meant Evan had to work on standing up for himself, but he loved both of the twins too much to want to change them. It was more appealing to react honestly and let things play out as they would. But that was exactly what was making him so nervous.

When Evan glanced back, without letting go of Brennan, he saw Alek frowning at their coziness and drawn expressions.

“Yep, we’re okay,” Evan smiled. “How about you?”

“Sure. I’m fine. What’s the occasion?” Alek lifted the lid of one of the pots containing two of the four lobsters and peered inside. He looked impressed, which made Evan feel good.

“We need to talk,” Brennan said ominously.

“Oh no,” Alek groaned. “What happened?”

“Don’t mind him,” Evan cut in. “He’s being dramatic. It’s nothing bad, but it might be better to wait to explain until Luka gets here, too.”

“So, this is something that concerns both of you?” Alek asked. Evan saw the worry creasing Alek’s brow. Part of him was tempted to go to Alek and give him a hug to banish some of his fret, but it was like his arms were fused to Brennan. They wouldn’t let him go. In fact, as soon as the thought went through Evan’s mind to try doing so, Brennan’s arms came up to overlap Evan’s, holding him there. It was a little eerie, how it seemed Brennan could read his mind, but then again, who knew how deep their twin connection went? They were still discovering things all the time.

Evan pressed a kiss to Brennan’s jaw and said, “Yeah, in a way. It concerns all of us.”

Brennan let out a heavy sigh. Evan felt for him. “I should get the lobsters out,” he told Brennan softly, eyeing the clock. It was a roundabout way of asking him to let go. After hesitating, Brennan turned to look Evan in the eye, showing him everything Evan already knew was brewing inside, all of the questions and resolutions, twisting around, getting tangled. His blue eyes shone and his lips were stuck in a straight, hard line, so Evan gave him a little grin and kissed him to show him it’d be okay.

Then Brennan let go.

While Evan went to the stove, he said to Alek, “Could you get out the plates and stuff? There’s a bottle of wine in the fridge, too, and I think we all know I intend to polish that sucker off myself.”

But Alek caught him by the arm first, pulling him in and kissing him soundly. Some of the dynamics at play were already becoming clear to Evan. Evan could see it in the way Alek was looking at him, like he knew Evan was doing damage control for Brennan’s benefit and Alek was showing him that he didn’t have to carry the burden alone. Evan kissed him back, humming softly at the warm, wonderful feel of his lips, body, breath, and love. Then, Evan pulled back and pushed Alek toward Brennan, smiling as he went to get the tongs.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Alek draw Brennan into an embrace, folding him into his arms and holding Brennan’s smaller form to his broad chest. Brennan instantly returned the hug.

“You’re freaking me out,” Alek told him.

“Sorry. Ev’s right though. It’s not a big deal,” Brennan replied.

“Good.”

Brennan leaned back and kissed Alek, stretching up on his toes to manage it.