at least it’s a sign to know he’s sober.
I blow out a breath. “I’m sorry, Fletch. I shouldn’t have—”
He cuts me off. “No, you shouldn’t have. Especially you. Out of any of them, I trust you to be in my corner the most. Do you even know how fucking hard it is to stay clean and sober? Of course, I want a sip of one of those bottles. Of course, I don’t want to walk into the Goat, much less order a soda water. I know where all the hiding spots are in this town, who exactly to go to if I want to score. And I don’t. I don’t fucking do it, Forrest. So I’d appreciate not to be falsely accused.”
I nod, trying to keep my cool. Because before he’d gone to rehab, he’d lie left and right to avoid being called an addict. And while I believe him now, our relationship was forever tarnished from what he’d been through.
“It’s just … before you got sober, I didn’t know how bad it was. You didn’t tell me.”
There is no way he can miss the note of sadness in my tone.
“Just like you didn’t tell me you’ve been sleeping with Penelope?” He pulls that one out of thin air and my jaw nearly falls to the floor.
“Wha … what? No, I’m not.” Now that sounded like the most unconvincing lie ever.
Fletch gives me a look as if to say, really? “I’m your twin, moron. I know you guys have been boning since the night of Keaton’s wedding. Keaton and Bowen might be dense when it comes to this, but I’m your other half. Plus, you two eye fuck each other practically every time you’re in the same room.”
Shit … we were really that obvious?
“And if that wasn’t enough, you walked her to her car at Mom’s the other night. You played video games with her kids … which is the weirdest shit I’ve ever seen you do. Not that it’s not awesome, but come on, brother … I’m not a blind idiot.”
And apparently, I was shit at keeping my relationship with Penelope a secret. She wasn’t going to like that anyone knew, and we’d just started up again.
I throw in the towel, knowing I’ll never pull the wool over Fletcher’s eyes now. “Are we that obvious?”
He blows out a breath as if he wasn’t expecting me to admit it this easily. “Not to the others. But I know you better, and you’ve been off. Or maybe you’ve been happy. It’s always hard to tell with you and we shared a birth canal.”
My face screws up in disgust. “Gross, dude, that’s Mom you’re talking about.”
Fletcher rolls his eyes. “Anyway, am I right? Has it been going on since the wedding?”
“It happened once before that, but she made me swear I wouldn’t tell anyone or she’d cut my balls off.”
He chuckles. “Sounds like Penelope. And it’s … it’s good?”
We used to talk about hooking up with girls all the time as teenagers. But as adults, not so much. “I’m not telling you that.”
“Come on, throw the man who’s been celibate for almost two years a bone.”
That has my jaw dropping to the floor again. “Two years? Fletch, how are you even alive? You need to get some pussy, stat.”
He shrugs. “They say you should try not to form romantic attachments during the first year of sobriety. I was so busy trying not to drink or snort that it wasn’t even an option to keep a love interest. And then I guess … I just kept it going. Forrest, there were times I did things with women when I was under the influence that … I don’t even remember it. I’m lucky my dick is even still attached to my body, much less disease free. I figure that the next woman I take up with will be the one I settle down with.”
I feel like I’ve been transported to the twilight zone, that’s how fucking weird it is for my twin to say the words woman and settle down in the same sentence.
“Well … the sex is fucking great. Best I’ve ever had, obviously, or I wouldn’t keep going back.” I shrug, throwing him the bone he wants because shit … I’d die if I went two years without sex.
“And obviously because you’ve had a crush on Penny since we were kids,” he says as if it’s the truest fact on earth.
“Pssh, I’m not a child, Fletch. This isn’t some unrequited bang session