Page 59 of Necessary Space

Colin nodded and pushed the up button for the elevator.

“But I have a date with the neighbor tonight, apparently. So we’ll see if he’s up for showing me some sights. Any suggestions as to where we should start?” I asked.

“Let him choose. Things are still new with the two of you, right?”

The elevator doors slid open and we stepped inside, joined by a couple people getting off the floor before us.

“Very,” I confirmed.

“Tell him what you want and then let him choose. I bet it would be very telling about what’s important to a person by giving them free reign over the city. It kind of forces them to rank the sights by level of importance.”

I snorted, rolling my eyes as the elevator stopped to let the other passengers off. The doors slid back closed and carried us to our floor.

“How do you figure?” I walked with Colin toward his desk so we could continue the conversation before returning to actual work.

“I mean, is he going to do something trite or grandiose? Like, is he going to try and show off by taking you to Yamashiro?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“It’s a fancy restaurant that costs a lot of money and has a view worth writing home about,” he said.

“That sounds nice enough.”

It sounded very much like something Miles would do, what with all that ego and that arrogance. He’d want to be the best at everything. He’d want to stand out. To make the lasting mark.

I want to hand write thank you notes to every man you’ve ever been with, for saving this for me.

His words rang loud in my ears and I swallowed, looking down at Colin as he got settled at his desk, jacket discarded over the back of his chair.

“What if he wasn’t that kind of man?” I asked.

“You’ll have to tell me, Hendrix.”

“Right.” I tapped my hand against the top of his cubicle and set off toward my office on the other end of the floor. I navigated my way through the maze of desks until I reached the back wall, frowning when I found my office door cracked open. It wasn’t a big deal, but I was certain I’d closed it. With the tip of my shoe, I kicked the door open, a familiar figure silhouetted against the setting afternoon sun. The building had amazing light, but the windows were tinted and UV protected to stave off some of the brightness. The effect cast my little brother in an array of shadows that bounced off the light wash of his jeans and the subtle shine of his black boots.

“These windows are shit,” Wesley said, his back to me.

“What are you doing here?”

He threw a smirk over his shoulder. “I told you I wanted to see the California sun.”

“And I told you spring break.”

“And I told you sooner.” Wesley shoved his hands in his pocket and turned to face me. His shirt had a faded Brixton U logo on the front of it. “One day you’ll learn to listen to me when I talk, Henny. I’m not a kid anymore.”

I scrubbed a hand down my face, sizing him up. It had only been a few months since I’d seen him, but it looked like Wesley had doubled in size, taller than me by far but not as broad.

“I know you’re not.” I pushed the office door closed, giving us some privacy. “When did you get into town?”

“Obviously just now. I took a cab to your office because I realized I didn’t have your home address. You’re really a neglectful brother, you know.”

“You’re a menace.” I pulled my phone and keys out of my pocket, texting him the address to the house. Spinning the house key loose from the rest of the ring, I waited until he checked his screen and smirked.

“There’s the dutiful older brother I’ve always wanted.”

I flicked the loose house key at his face and sighed. “Go to the house and I’ll be home after work. How long are you in town for?”

Still in my hand, my phone vibrated.