Only For Him

Chapter 1-2

“First, don’t expect me to start to dress like you,” Barnaby told his brother a short time later.

His brother had chosen a hoity-toity steakhouse for dinner. Since Barnaby had been a vegetarian for years and he was pretty sure his brother knew that, he was not amused.

He glared at the menu. Barnaby was very close to telling Calvin he was an asshole. Wouldn’t be the first time. Though they had been close as kids, now they were hardly the closest of brothers. Calvin was always busy and the last time he’d seen his brother was months ago. Calvin had come by the law firm under the pretense of taking him to lunch, but Barnaby suspected it had been to see if Calvin deemed it worthy of him working there. Like he needed his brother’s approval.

“I’m going to have the filet, what about you?” Calvin asked.

“I guess I’ll have a salad.”

“That’s it?”

He sighed. “I don’t eat meat.”

Calvin lowered his menu and set it on the table. “You’re still doing that?”

“Yes.”

“They have chicken and a fish dish,” Calvin offered.

“Uh-huh. Which of those would be a vegetable?”

Calvin shrugged. “Sorry, didn’t think about it. I guess I thought it was a phase you were going through.”

“It’s not.” Barnaby studied his brother, scowling.

“Apparently.”

“Aren’t you a doctor?”

“So?”

“Well, what about ‘all red meat is bad for you’ stuff?”

“Moderation, B. Everything in moderation.” Calvin smiled. “As for dressing like me, most of the time I wear scrubs. But it wouldn’t hurt for you to wear a nice suit once in a while. You work at a law firm.”

“I’m not a lawyer and most of the staff dresses casual unless there’s a trial or something.”

His brother studied him without speaking for quite some time. Just as Barnaby wondered if he would wilt under his brother’s withering regard, the waitress came to take their order. As he’d indicated, Calvin ordered a steak, rare, and he ordered a green salad.

“Why don’t you tell me about the man you’re interested in,” Calvin said shortly after the waitress walked away.

Barnaby shrugged. “Not much to tell. He works at the law firm.”

“Wait. Is he one of the lawyers?”

Barnaby felt himself blush, which he hated, damn fair skin. “Yes.”

Calvin rolled his eyes. “Please tell me you aren’t in love with your boss.”

“Travis? No. Don’t get me wrong, he’s nice enough to look at, but I don’t do the boss-secretary thing.” Barnaby stuck the straw of his Diet Coke in his mouth and took a sip. “Besides, he’s in a relationship with someone else from work.”

His brother grimaced. “I can’t imagine how inappropriate that place must be. And they work in the legal field.” He shook his head. “Let me tell you, not in a million years would I get involved with someone else from the hospital.”

Barnaby wanted to say he doubted his brother would get involved with anyone considering Calvin likely had a hollow chest, but he sort of did want his brother’s help, and he definitely did not want Calvin to get pissed and leave him with the restaurant bill. Insulting Calvin, no matter how much the asshole might deserve it, wasn’t the mature thing to do.

“Okay, so who is the guy you’re in love with?” Calvin asked after ending his tirade.

“I’m not in love with him. I find him attractive and wanted to maybe see where it could go, if he might be interested in me.” s**t, how pathetically lame had that sounded?

“Who?”

“Nathan Llewellyn.”

“So it’s one of the other partners, huh? Is that the African American guy or the nerd?”

Barnaby bristled. “He is not a nerd.”

Calvin smirked. “Doesn’t he wear big thick Buddy Holly kind of glasses?”

“So what? Are you going to help me or insult me and my choice of a guy?”

“Okay, don’t overdramatize. I think it’s cute.”

“I swear to f*****g—”

Calvin held up his hands. “Calm down, B.”

The waitress came by with their dinners and set them down. She asked them about refills and then once more disappeared from their table.

His brother cut a big piece of bloody red steak and popped it into his mouth. Barnaby fought the queasiness in his stomach. And the urge to punch his stupid brother in the smug face.

“You aren’t going to want to hear this, but I think if you want to get that guy, you’re going to have to resort to being more like him,” Calvin said. “The makeup is…interesting, but your nerd strikes me as the type who wouldn’t find it particularly appealing. He might even find it embarrassing.”

“What? What’s embarrassing about a little eyeliner, blush, and lip gloss?”

“Nothing if it’s on a woman. But lots of gay men don’t like it.”

Of course Calvin didn’t say it, but Barnaby heard the including me in his brother’s tone.

“Anyway, I suspect your nerd is one of those who don’t.”

“He’s not a nerd,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Eat your rabbit food,” Calvin said, waving his fork. “I’m telling you that you need to ditch the makeup. Flatten down your hair, too. Spiky hair is so video game character. I’d dye it back to its original color also.”

Barnaby’s jaw dropped open. “If I change my hair, stop wearing makeup, and wear dress pants and a tie, I won’t look like me anymore. In fact, I’ll look like you.”

Calvin smiled. “Exactly.” He shrugged. “What have you got to lose? If it doesn’t work to get your nerd’s attention, you can go back to the way you usually are. If you have to.”

“Well—”

“Look, you asked my advice. If you don’t want to take it, don’t. But if you really want to get this guy to notice you, isn’t it worth it?”

Barnaby pushed aside the depression threatening at the idea of having to change so much about himself. But maybe Calvin was right. He certainly hadn’t interested Nathan the way he was. “All right, I’ll do it. But only for him.”