AllFreeNovel
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As I stepped out of my car with a gift bag for Alex, I took a deep breath to steady myself. During the trip down, I’d flip-flopped back and forth on whether I should share my news with my family. We were close, my brothers and I, and as their older brother, there wasn’t anything I didn’t share with them, and I wanted them to be open and honest with me as well.
Just as I was about to knock on the front door, Aunt Alice swung it open, her bright brown eyes lighting up her round face. “There’s my favorite nephew!” she exclaimed, pulling me into a tight hug. Alice was my dad’s younger sister and had moved into the house to help him after my mother died.
I laughed, returning her hug and accepting her smacking kiss on my cheek. “You say that to all three of us, Aunt Alice,” I teased, following her into the house.
She grinned mischievously, running a hand through her short, blond hair. “And I mean it with all three of you. Don’t ask me how, but you’re all my favorite.”
The aroma of fried chicken filled the dining room, where my dad and Alex were busy setting up the table. “Hey, Dad,” I greeted him.
“Hey there, Leo.” All three of us Brinkley boys looked like our dad, Jim. Tall and broad, he had a thick midsection that overlapped his belt. Today, I noticed a hint of weariness in his eyes as he enveloped me in a strong one-armed hug. “Glad to see you, son. Hope you’re hungry.”
“You know I am. This looks amazing,” I told him, taking in the table, overflowing with food.
The Brinkleys loved to celebrate with food, and we always ate well when we shared meals together. Unfortunately, our overweight bodies showed it. It was only Alex, the youngest and tallest in the family, who stayed relatively trim, but that had more to do with his relentless football practices than his good eating habits.
“Happy birthday, little brother. Eighteen, a real grown up now,” I laughed, handing him his gift. “For your collection.”
He peered inside, eyes brightening as he spotted the album—Nirvana’s Nevermind. “Ah, look at this. Classic. Thanks, Leo.”
“Gotta educate the youth.” Then I glanced back over at the table, filled with buckets from Cluck’s Chicken Shack—mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, and gravy steaming enticingly. “No salad, huh?” I teased as I reached for a glass of sweet tea.
With a grin, Alex flexed his powerful biceps. “Can’t build this varsity bod on rabbit food.”
I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. “Yeah, yeah, Mr. Linebacker. Speaking of, when is the first home game of the year? I want to be there.”
“You better be,” he grinned back. “It’s next Friday. I’ll send you a text with the schedule.”
A few minutes later, Max arrived with Sasha, his new girlfriend. We all settled around the table, filling our plates. Conversation flowed easily among us brothers, and Aunt Alice popped in here and there with her gentle questions, wanting to know all about our lives—Alex getting ready for senior year, Max working as an intern with an accounting firm, and getting to know Sasha better.
As we dug into our meal, Max turned to me. “So, Leo, how was the camping trip?”
I grinned, recalling the rain-soaked adventure. “It was actually pretty eventful. River was low, but the show was amazing. Lots of shooting stars—at least until the rain hit. We got caught in a sudden downpour and ended up stuck in the car for hours.”
Max chuckled. “Oh no. But you guys still had a good time?”
I nodded, a soft smile spreading across my face. “Yeah, it was great. But, um, there’s something I wanted to tell you all.” All eyes turned to me, and I took a deep breath. There wasn’t any way I was going to hide this, not from my brothers. “Ben and I... we’re dating now.”
There was a moment of silence as everyone processed the information, maybe waiting to see who’d respond first. Aunt Alice’s eyes took in the surprised look from everyone at the table, then looked over at me. “Oh, honey, that’s—wow. Ben is such a great guy.”
Then my brothers seemed to shake off their startled expressions. Alex leaned over to clap me on the back. “Nice one, bro! Ben’s cool. I’m happy for you.”
Max gave me a thumbs up from across the table, then turned to Sasha. “Ben and Leo have been best friends forever.” He looked back over at me. “I’m glad things are working out for you guys. Gotta admit, I did not see that coming.”
“Neither did we,” I said with a laugh, and then recounted the story of Mangle, and how an AI dating app told us that we were perfect matches.
But my dad remained silent, his gaze fixed on his plate.
My heart sank at his lack of response.
Finally, Dad spoke up, his tone measured. “Well, that’s... something.” He quickly changed the subject, asking about an upcoming shipment at the hardware store and whether anyone could help him next weekend.
A mixture of disappointment and hurt washed over me. I had hoped for more from my dad, but maybe it had been too much to hope that everyone in the family would be supportive.
After dinner, I offered to help Dad with the dishes, standing at the sink and drying the plates as he handed them to me. I cast furtive glances at my dad, the tension between us palpable.
Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet. “So, uh, how’s Leigh doing these days?”
I exhaled slowly, realizing where this conversation was heading. “Dad, Leigh and I broke up months ago. We’re not in touch anymore,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.
