Page 26 of Chasing After You

Hayes said, “They’re hardly brothers, pet.” There was a pang in my chest. “I’m just saying. Josh was more of a live-in nanny than a brother. No blood relation either, plus the adoption was dissolved, so there’s literally nothing tying them together.”

“It’s okay, Ollie, they’re right.”

“Even if they are right, they shouldn’t be assholes about it,” he grunted, glaring at his partners.

“Okay,” I began, addressing the twins. “So if I have nothing to offer him and can’t even be considered his brother, what would be the reason for him to go this far? Be honest, I mean it. I don’t care if it’s hurtful. I just want to understand.”

“There are a lot of possibilities. Given that it doesn’t sound like he had a good relationship with his parents, maybe he imprinted on you like a duck with its mother. You know how a duckling will attach itself to the first animal it sees as it comes out of its egg? Could be a cat, a person, a chicken, anything,” Hayes said.

“But he’s not a duck?” I asked, confused.

Hayes chuckled, shaking his head. “No, he’s not. Still, it’s a frequent enough occurrence that should be considered.”

Hudson chimed in, “Or maybe he wants to fuck you.”

I spluttered, “W-what?”

Oliver choked on the sip of water he’d taken.

Hayes tilted his head in thought, smirking. “That could be it.”

“No! There’s no way!”

“But—”

I cut him off. “No! We’re brothers! He couldn’t want that!”

Hudson smiled slowly. “We’ve already established that you’re not truly brothers.”

I whined, “No.”

Oliver reached over to squeeze my hand in his, trying not to laugh but failing miserably. “It’s okay, Josh. No one’s saying youhaveto sleep with him. They’re just throwing out possibilities. Poorly. Rudely. Inappropriately. You have to understand that they’re horny little psychos.”

Hudson put a hand to his chest, gasping in fake outrage. “Us?”

Hayes just grinned unapologetically, sipping from his coffee.

I buried my face in my hands. “God. I came here for help. Not… not whatever this is.”

Hudson leaned against the counter with that irritating, smug calmness of his. “Wearehelping. You’re the one in denial.”

“I’m not in denial,” I mumbled into my palms.

“You’re definitely in something,” Hayes said. “And it’s probably a dangerous, unresolved emotional attachment that’s been festering for almost a decade.”

I looked up, glaring weakly. I muttered, “I hate both of you. He’s my little brother. I’m not a creep.”

“Sure,” Hudson said with a shrug. “Maybe you’re not. But it certainly seems like he is. So, Josh, top or bottom? Or maybe you’re verse?”

“Hey—”

Oliver stepped in between us. “Okay, okay, enough. This isn’t a joke. Josh is scared. And if Dorian really is as smart and resourceful as you say, then we need to think about this seriously. If Dorian poses a real threat to him, regardless of whether or not he wants to fuck, we need to figure out how to deal with it. If Josh gets hurt because you two just want to joke around instead of helping, I swear I won’t let your dicks anywhere near me for a long fucking time.”

That sobered the room just enough to calm the pounding in my ears. The twins looked angry.

“Look,” I said. “I just… I don’t know what to do, or what he wants, what I want—anything. I think I need to meet him.” I nodded slowly, the weight of it finally pressing into me. “He was just a kid when I left. But now he’s… this whole person. And I don’t know him anymore. I think… even if it does end up hurting me, I need to see him and talk to him. Sitting here, scared, isn’t going to help; it’ll just make the anxiety worse.”

“Alright. What do you want from us?” Hudson asked.