me with a shoulder.
“When my brother’s involved, you can’t win at all.”
“That’s not true. I saw you smoke everyone’s time in the relay race we had earlier. And you kill it on the basketball court. Plus football.”
“And soccer.”
Rex smiled. Damn it. “And soccer.” We started walking toward the building we were staying in. The builders had been so concerned about the forest around the area that they even constructed the house around two trees, instead of taking them down, which meant that there was one massive tree trunk in the living room and another through the kitchen.
I freaking loved it.
The rooftop garden was probably my favorite part. It attracted all kinds of crazy cool wildlife. I’d sat there for fifteen minutes tops earlier in the day and counted about four different species of monkey and ten different kinds of reptiles, from colorful geckos to harmless snakes. And the birds, holy crap the birds, they were everywhere, and their songs added a permanent relaxation soundtrack that promised me some bomb-ass naps later.
“We should play tomorrow,” Rex said. We stopped on the stairs leading up into the house. For it being December, the air felt warm and thick with humidity.
“I’m down,” I said.
“You’re gonna have to go easy, though. Running isn’t my favorite thing to do.” Rex rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, a move that lifted his shirt and showed a peek of skin. Thankfully, it was pretty dark out here, so this time my blush stayed hidden.
“I’ll keep it easy.”
“Okay, good.” Rex leaned on the white wooden railing. “You know, Benji, I’m really proud of you. I remember meeting you and you were like a little twig. I thought the wind would blow too hard and we’d have to tape you back together. But you’ve really worked hard, and it shows. Watching you run like lightning down a field is crazy and really fucking inspiring.”
The moonlight broke through some of the dense canopy, shining like a spotlight on those ocean blues of his.
…
Damn. He left me speechless.
Get it together. Brother’s best friend. Straight. Unavailable.
That jolted some words back into my head. “You’re really fucking inspiring.” Those weren’t the words that had landed in my head.
“Really? Nah, I don’t think so.”
There was a sense of sudden defeat in his tone, which caught me off guard. Rex always dripped in confidence. He was the kind of guy who rarely ever admitted defeat until there wasn’t a choice. I’d watched him work his ass off at our house, studying for months at the dining room table. Even on days I could tell were heavy on him, he always powered through. And he scored in the top 5 percent of all LSAT takers, which opened up a shit-ton of doors for him.
“You’re in a top law school, working your way up to be a big-shot attorney, and you make some kick-ass waffles. You’ve got plenty that inspires me.”
Way more than I just listed actually.
Rex put a hand on his stomach, his gaze dropping. “Law school isn’t exactly going great, and, well, the waffles may be part of the bigger problem, if you know what I mean.”
I knew what he meant, and I hated to see it affecting him so much. Rex was bigger than the average guy, but that didn’t mean anything besides the fact that his genes had him holding on to some extra weight than others. I was a witness to it. I probably inhaled double the amount of food Rex would eat, and yet my physique had stayed similar, only fluctuating from skinny to muscular. And it wasn’t like Rex would be considered unhealthy or dangerously overweight by any means.
“Rex, you shouldn’t have to worry about that. You’re perfect the way you are.” Okay, pump the brakes before I tell him I love him and am carrying two of his children. “You look good, and I don’t think there’s a problem with your weight at all.”
“Thanks, Benj.” His smile almost knocked me off my feet. “That means a lot. Sometimes, all I hear is the negative stuff, even if it’s just me saying them and not my lovely stepmother saying them.”
“Don’t listen to her. Or anyone else who has shit to say. It’s just them pushing their own crap on you, and you don’t have to take it.”
“Damn, look at you, a sports star and a star therapist.”
“You got a two-for-one deal, tonight.”
“Not bad.”
Was he moving closer to—yup, he was moving closer to me. Like really close. Like I