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CHAPTER FORTY

GARY

The rest of the dinner went pretty easily.

Jayden decided he liked the truth about how we got together.

Not the part about me getting harassed and Easton needing to step in to protect me, but he said sharing notes in class, being in a project together and getting together after that was a cute story, and it would satisfy his parents.

He then covered the basics that Easton never bothered with, like the names of his family members and how many siblings they had.

I’d never remember all the names of their spouses and the other family members that Jayden said would be important to remember, but Easton didn’t look worried.

We had a plan for me to join Easton’s family for the holidays and announce the engagement while we were there.

It still made me nervous, and I didn’t like the idea of lying to these people just to help me with a family issue, but Easton wasn’t backing down on his plan.

Any time I suggested we dial it back, he doubled down.

His protective instincts rivaled the caveman thing, and he wasn’t willing to stop until Brienna backed off for good.

Which was how I ended up here. In Easton’s closet that now sported my entire wardrobe, because it got tedious going back and forth to pick up something I’d forgotten in my dorm.

Finals were over, I managed to pass them by the skin of my teeth.

We spent the next week celebrating with our friends, hanging out, smoking, and just relaxing.

I’d never done nothing before, and it was kind of awesome.

But Christmas was in a few days, and the stress was back.

We were heading to Easton’s parents’ place in a couple hours. And I had nothing to wear.

I whimpered.

“Come on. It can’t be that bad,” Angel called from our room. He was there for moral support and to help me pick out the best outfits I had for meeting Easton’s family. His fashion sense was way better than mine.

“There’s nothing,” I whined. It was bad enough meeting the parents. I would’ve been nervous about that no matter the situation. But there was too much riding on this. And they were so out of my league, it wasn’t even funny.

Angel appeared beside me and nudged me out of the way when he noticed my pout. “Go sit down. I’ll pick some things out. And if we can’t find anything, we’ll go shopping.”

“We have to leave in a few hours!” I argued, trudging out of the closet like I was being put on death row.

“That’s what you get for leaving it to the last minute,” he carped. “Fashion takes time.”

“You’re mean,” I whined again. He just cackled. He enjoyed my pain too much. Easton wasn’t the only one who was evil in our little friend group.

“Here. Try these on. They’re pretty basic, but you’re not meeting the president. They honestly won’t care about your clothes.”

He set out a few outfits for me and nudged me to put one on. I reached for the hem of my shirt and hesitated. Easton was out with Coach right now, helping him with some last-minute donations. If he came home and found me changing in front of Angel, he’d lose his mind.

“Can you turn around and close your eyes?”

Angel raised an eyebrow at me. “You do know you’re not my type, right?”

I nodded. “I know. I’m not built like a lumberjack. But you’re my friend, and I don’t want you to die if Easton comes home early and sees me half naked in a bedroom with you.”

Angel snorted, but did as I asked, spinning around and putting his hands over his eyes. “They’re called bears, not lumberjacks. And they’re hot.”

Eh. To each their own. My type happened to be tattoos, piercings, and lithe muscles so tight you wanted to lick them.

I really needed to not think about that right now.

If I thought changing with Angel watching was bad, me having an erection while Angel was within fifteen feet of me would be so much worse.

Angel was pretty, but just like how he saw me, he wasn’t my type.

Not that it would matter to Easton. I told him more than once that we were only friends, but he was still possessive.

And I still couldn’t make myself hate the caveman thing. I loved it. It made me feel wanted.

Angel spun around just as I finished buttoning the shirt, his hands still over his eyes. “Are you done yet?” He peeked through his fingers and relaxed, propping his hands on his hips as he looked me over. He nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. That works.”

I tugged at the pale pink button up. I almost never wore this shirt.

Brienna mocked me for it, saying I might as well be a girl because I loved the color.

It wasn’t worth the stress. And at school, I didn’t like to draw attention to myself.

It was paired with dark wash jeans and seemed too simplistic, in my opinion.

“Should I tuck it in at least?”

“No!” He slapped my hand away before I could even attempt it. “It looks better untucked. Don’t ruin it. This outfit is perfect. Try the next one.”

The next two outfits were similar. I only owned one pair of slacks, so it was jeans and button ups for the most part. I whined and complained, but Angel said they weren’t that uptight, and it would be fine.

“Ew. Who bought you this? It’s awful.” He came out of the closet holding a knit vest that a family member made me. It was hideous, but I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of clothes. I usually hid it under something to keep me warm in the winter.

“My great aunt made that. I don’t wear it much.”

He wrinkled his nose in displeasure. “The actual time frame should be never. You should never wear this. I’m throwing it out.”

“No!” I launched to my feet from where I’d been slumped at the foot of the bed, fretting over every outfit Angel picked. I snatched the vest from him and balled it up, shoving it into a drawer in the closet.

Angel leaned against the door frame and raised an eyebrow at me. “Is it sentimental? Because that’s the only reason I can think for you to want to keep that.”

I shook my head, quietly murmuring, “It’s warm,” before I shoved the drawer closed again. I felt my cheeks burn, and the closet suddenly felt suffocating. But when I tried to slip past Angel to get away, he caught my wrist to stop me.

“Gary…” He tipped his head to get me to look at him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” He pressed his lips together and let out a sigh. “I was there once. Digging for change in couch cushions just to make ends meet. I never would’ve gotten into art school without help.”

I knew that. None of my friends had it easy with money.

Coach barely made ends meet as a teacher and had to supplement as Easton’s manager.

Chuckles couldn’t live off his income alone and slept on Smiley’s couch most days.

Smiley couldn’t have a normal job and relied on disability.

If anyone would understand, it was them. I just didn’t like to admit it.

“My family stopped buying me clothes when I was fifteen,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

“They said they had to save for Brienna to go to college, and after that all their money went to her tuition and to cover her lifestyle. If I wanted clothes, I had to get them myself. I saved as much as I could from before, but I had a growth spurt at seventeen and had to replace a lot.”

Angel raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his face, and I huffed out a laugh. “Shut up. I was your height before. I’m way taller now.”

He gasped, mock offended, and shoved me, but he didn’t chase me when I dodged away. That was an Easton move. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed next to me and put his hand on my shoulder supportively so I was brave enough to continue.

“Replacing my clothes was expensive, even if I went to a thrift store to do it. I learned to layer so I wouldn’t have to replace big things like coats, and I took good care of my stuff so I wouldn’t have to do it again very often.

With how often Brienna demanded money for me and how much my parents charged me in rent, I couldn’t afford to get more.

I know the vest is ugly, but it’s warm. I wear it under my clothes when it's cold out. It helps.”

Angel sighed. “Well, I’m not going to make you get rid of it before you’re ready, but you don’t have to worry about your sister stealing from you anymore.

Over my dead body will I let her get away with it again.

I’m pretty sure Easton would say the same thing.

So don’t keep holding yourself back, waiting for her to demand it.

We’ll help you figure things out. How much do you make at your current job? ”

“Eight dollars an hour. I can only work about twenty-eight hours a week, though, because I have a scholarship, and I need to get good grades to keep it. I work early mornings before my classes start six days a week.”

“That’s not even minimum wage!” he protested.

I tipped my head with a frown. “Pretty sure minimum wage is seven dollars and fifty cents, isn’t it?”

“No. They changed that this summer. Why would they pay you so little?”

It wasn’t the highest paying job I ever got, but the hours were perfect, and it was convenient.

I’d need something better during the summer.

I couldn’t afford to go back to my parents’ house.

They were making me pay the entire mortgage in the end, and I needed to save for housing next year.

I’d rather get a crappy studio apartment and save what I could, but I couldn’t afford that on what I was making now.

“The owner thinks I should be getting supplemental income from tips. They don’t realize college kids don’t tip well.

It works for now, but I’ll need to figure out something different this summer.

I can’t go back home and hope to save money.

I’ll need an apartment once Easton decides we’re going back to being friends. ”

Angel waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about that. If you need a place to stay, you can stay with me. Let’s finish picking out your outfits. I’ll figure out a better job for you over break. Maybe a distraction will break this stupid art block I’ve got going on.”

Grateful just to have a friend to talk about this stuff with, I threw my arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

He only startled for a second before hugging me back tightly.

He didn’t pull away immediately, giving me what I needed in the moment, but eventually he whispered, “If you think changing near me is bad, how bad do you think it’d be if he found us like this sitting on the bed. ”

I jerked away, whipping my head over my shoulder to check if Easton was home. I did not want to be the reason my friend got hurt.

Angel burst out laughing. “Relax. He won’t actually care. He’s just growly because we’re besties, and it makes him feel threatened. He knows I’d never do anything with you.”

“Let’s not test that theory,” I hedged. Easton wasn’t always logical. He embodied chaos, and if he was in a mood, he’d lash out at everyone. Except me.