11 Days

WHO'S HE?

“Is he single?” Maven elbowed my side after she brought back empty plates from the table she was waiting. She waved the happy couple goodbye with a huge smile and then elbowed me again when I didn’t look up from the numbers I was doing on my notepad.

“Can you give me a second?” I sighed annoyed at her insistence. And then I replayed her words in my head. “Who are you asking about?”

“Your brother! I know Echo isn’t any more so…”

“He’s eighteen.”

“So, he’s no longer green!”

I didn't know whether to be outraged or worried or curious about seeing Maven so interested in Matt. After breakfast he had stayed at the diner to offer a hand to Joey as he found a place to work but my boss offered him a job almost instantly as a general assistant. Basically, he would run errands and deliver orders, carry heavy things and clean up the diner if he had nothing else to do. Right now, Matt was cleaning tables. "Can you stop staring at my brother ... like that?" But did she stop? No.

“He’s just so…”

“Hey!” I smacked her arm. “How old are you anyway?”

“I’m twenty-three.”

“You’re practically a grandma and you’re after my brother’s tender bones. Please sink your cougar teeth somewhere else.” Now it was her turn to smack me back. “Look, just get to know him first and see if it’s worth drooling over him or not.”

“Oh? I have green light then.”

“No, no, no.” I quickly corrected. “Just get to know him before you try to do anything.”

She seemed to be considering it and when she grinned, I knew she would be stomping on my request anyway. “It’s almost time for your lunch break and your man is nowhere in sight.”

“He’s not my man” yet, “and he texted me, he said he’s busy at the shelter and Sam’s working him like a donkey.” I pushed away from the bar then flicked her nose. “We will have dinner at my place tonight and I will introduce him to Matt.” Before Maven could ask me any more questions I ran into the kitchen and stood next to Tony who was busy shaking his hips to the rhythm from the music on his phone. "Hi handsome." I said playfully as I joined his little dance.

“Hello gorgeous, what brings you back here?”

“I was wondering if you could fix something for three people. You know, something that I can just serve on a plate and pretend like I cooked it.”

He grinned mischievously and winked his eye at me. “Salad with coconut chicken and garlic bread good for you?”  Then he stopped dancing and thought more of my request. “And for dessert?”

I shook my head, waving him off. “Just bake some brownies but those are for me.”

“Deal.” He winked again and went back to his dance while he busied himself with making burger patties.  

As night fell, Matt and I drove to my apartment in Joey's truck and rushed to serve Tony's salad before Echo arrived. Seeing my brother in a place that had only been mine for so long was strange, I still wasn't quite used to Echo spending time here with me either so having both of them inside my little sanctuary would be quite interesting. As Matt set the table, I sat on the couch in the living room and watched him walk around the table. He felt my eyes following him and looked up. "What is it?" he asked shyly before coming to sit with me.

I shrugged, “I just can’t believe you’re here.”

There was a warmth dancing all across his face, so tender and almost palpable it made my heart ache. “Maybe I should have come sooner.” He glanced to the front door and then back at me. “I shouldn’t have let you leave like that.”

“Don’t do that, don’t go down that guilt road. It was my choice.”

“Steve was furious when he found out, you know? You should have done better, he said. You should have tied her to the bed.” He chuckled low under his breath at the memory. “But he should have been there for you, instead he was too busy working and swimming in his millions to come check on his sister.”

Steve had always been like this. He stayed away from all kinds of drama because for him it did not have any kind of benefit or value in his life. Thirty years ago, my father was careless and from his little slip my brother Steve was born; Dad never married my older brother's mother and left her when he met Mom. They were married shortly after meeting and I was conceived during the honeymoon. One day Dad received a call, and our life took an unexpected turn. A few days later my brother Steve came to live with us; I was ten and he was sixteen, Matt was eight. It turned out that the mother of our new older brother died of an overdose and no family member wanted to take care of him, so they sent him to live with us. The first months were difficult but as time went by, we got used to Steve and he let himself be loved by his new family. Unfortunately for us, he left when it was time to go to college and we only saw him on holidays; When he got a job at a big-name law firm, he stopped coming home but took care of our education, clothing, and whatever else we needed. Steve and Matt had always had a kind of special bond, so it didn't totally surprise me that they were both involved in keeping an eye on me.

We heard the knock on the door and Matt stood up to open the door. When he did, a very surprised Echo he faced my smiling brother. "Hello, handsome. What can I do for you?" Echo gaped at Matt and then his eyes fell on the number on my door. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw him so confused.

He followed the sound of my voice and raised his brows. “Come on in, Matt go get the wine.” I scrambled up then shuffled rather lazily to Echo’s side after he closed the door behind him. My arms threw themselves around his neck, everything my body did when he was around coming in automatic motions. “Rough day?” his eyes narrowed, dangerously so. Then I took Echo by the hand and led him to the table where Matt was pouring wine for the three of us, "Echo, this is my brother Matt." The serious expression of my silent lover changed dramatically, which made me feel strange. "Matt, he's the someone I told you about." 

“Nice to meet you, Echo.” Both men shook hands for a couple of seconds then Matt motioned for us to sit as he prepared the plates. “So, what do you do here in Quiet Gate?”

Echo bit his lip and turned to me, rather apologetically. “He works at the shelter.”

Matt handed us the plates then rolled his eyes at me. “He can answer on his own, no need for you to save the day.”

“He doesn’t speak, you idiot.”

Matt widened his eyes as he sat down and to my surprise he signed as he spoke. “You’re deaf?”

Both Echo and I gasped, looked at each other and he replied, No.

“He can hear you just fine.” I frowned at Matt whose grin was huge now, something was amusing him, and I still had no idea what. “When did you learn ASL?”

“The school made it optional and I wanted the extra credit. It was that or another history class, which I hate, and I found myself practicing even at home. I’m rather fluent.”

I couldn't help but feel some envy as I wasn't fluent at all and still depended on Echo mouthing each word. It was strange, seeing them both talk placidly during dinner and while we drank wine; I wasn't even a factor in the conversation and in a way, I liked that as they both seemed to like each other. When the three of us began to yawn and our eyes to feel heavy, Echo announced his leave and because I did not want to spend this night without stealing a kiss from him, I came up with the excuse to direct him back to his apartment; Matt teased me a bit with that but I ignored him as best I could. When we were both in Echo’s apartment, he wasted no time in devouring my lips, stealing my breath away every time he darted his tongue into my mouth.

“I need to go back now.” I muttered between kisses. “Before he comes looking for me.”

Echo tore away from me as if It was too much for him to take. He stepped back then started to undress right in front of me. See you tomorrow. He signed once he was gloriously naked.

“No huh! You can’t just get naked and send me off!”

Why not?

“Because that’s rude and you should be polite and spend some quality time with me.”

I don’t think so.

“Fine, I’ll see you at the shelter.” When he gave me a confused look something in my head made a click. “I’ll have Matt drive me there in the morning, his house is very close to the shelter so he can just drop me off there.”

I see. Good night, love.

“Love?” I asked a little out of breath. He nodded giving me one of those smiles that let me see those beautiful dimples that I liked so much and then he turned and disappeared from my sight leaving me completely flushed and in need of him.