Page 109 of C is for Comfort

She responds with a grudging smile and carries on eating. I finish my own breakfast and then send a text to Spence.

Corey:It’s okay for you to spend the night here tomorrow, Daddy.

Spence:I’m looking forward to it, sweet boy.

So am I. It feels like a big step forward in our relationship. A good and exciting one. I can’t wait.

* * *

It’s Thursday evening. Lexi is in bed, and Blake and I are watching TV. Although it would be more accurate to say we’re sitting on the sofa with the TV on. I’m reading over the house brochure Blake and Lexi brought home today for the hundredth time, and Blake is staring at his phone, occasionally sending a message.

The house is gorgeous, it’s close to Lexi’s school, it has the pink bedroom she so desperately wants, and I can afford it. But it only has two bedrooms. I wasn’t expecting Blake to turn around and tell me he wasn’t going to keep living with me, but it’s hard to be upset when I can see how much he’s hurting over his decision. Not that he wants to talk to me about it. But that’s Blake. Once he makes a decision, he sticks to it. I know it’s the right decision. I will sleep a lot easier, knowing that paying the rent and bills doesn’t rely on him having lots of modelling gigs or his ability to save when he does. But he’s my brother. I love him and can’t stand the thought of him living in some cheap, crumby bed-sit all alone.

My phone rings.

“It’s Mum,” I tell Blake when he glances up at me. I go and sit at the table so I’m less likely to disturb him before answering the call. “Hi,” I say brightly.

“Corey. Are you okay?”

I frown. “Uh, yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

“We saw Archie today.”

Ah yes, it was Archie and Hamish’s big ‘meet the parents’ lunch today. I should have probably expected a call from Mum and Dad, although I’m not sure why they’re calling me first rather than Blake.

“Blake’s here. Do you want me to put you on speakerphone so you can speak to us both?”

“Not yet. I wanted to speak to you first to make sure you’re okay about Archie moving out.”

“He said you were going to have to find somewhere else to live,” Dad says.

Apparently, they havemeon speakerphone.

“Yes. It’s no big deal.”

“Is Lexi okay with it?” Mum asks.

“She will be if I find somewhere with a pink bedroom.”

Mum laughs. “I’m not sure how easy that will be.”

“Actually, Blake found a great place today, with a pink bedroom. We’re going to go look at it on Saturday.”

“That’s wonderful, but are you sure it’s a good idea for you to live with Blake?”

I narrow my eyes and run my fingertip back and forth over the table. “Yes, why wouldn’t it be?”

Maybe Blake won’t end up living with us, but I’m sure as hell not going to bad-mouth him to our parents. They never give him enough credit.

“What if he lets you down financially?” Dad asks. “We love Blake, but we all know he’s not got a great deal of money sense or a stable job.”

I grit my teeth. “He wouldn’t let Lexi or me down. I’d love to live with Blake.” Except we won’t be. I sigh. There’s no sense putting off telling them about his decision. They’re going to find out sooner or later anyway. “But he’s not going to move in with us.” I don’t want to say, ‘he doesn’t want to’, because I know he does. That’s why his decision is hurting him so much.

I wish he’d talk to me. It’s like he’s pulled away from me in the space of an afternoon. He’s bottling his hurt up instead of letting it out. I understand why he’d do that around Lexi, but he doesn’t need to now she’s in bed. It’s not the first time Blake has gone quiet on me. He did the same thing at university. Only then we weren’t in the same house, let alone the same room.

Blake glances up, making eye contact with me. I smile, needing him to know I’ve got his back. I’m not sure how much he’s overheard of my side of the conversation, hopefully not enough to realise what Mum and Dad have said.

“He has?” Mum asks, clearly shocked.