Page 98 of The Dance

As the waitress put our drinks on the table, my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out of my jeans. “Fuck, Mom and Dad won’t stop calling me.” I tossed the phone on the table in front of me, not ready to hear the wrath of my mother.

“I’m sure they’re just worried about you. They just want to make sure you made it okay,” Spencer said.

“They don’t know I’m here,” I admitted.

“What the fuck, Blake? You left and didn’t tell them? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Brandon asked with a raised voice, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Look, we already established I left without thinking. We don’t need to keep rehashing it.” I got it. I showed up unannounced, but they had to know I was impulsive. I wasn’t the golden boy like Brandon, so why were they surprised I would show up without telling anyone? At least I went to visit him instead of disappearing without a trace.

“Jesus Christ, Blake,” Brandon shouted, reaching into his jeans for his phone. People turned around to stare at us.

“What are you doing?” I questioned. “Telling Mommy and Daddy on me? You do know I’m a grown man.”

“I’m just telling them you’re here. I don’t want them to keep worrying about your ass.”

Brandon held his phone up to his ear as I pounded my whiskey and Coke. Once it was consumed, I got the attention of the waitress and ordered another.

“Hey, Dad,” Brandon said into the phone. I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I know. He’s here.”

“I need the little boy’s room.” I slid off the stool and grabbed my phone.

As I walked toward the restroom, something told me I needed to give Stacey a heads-up about what I’d said. Just inside the door, I texted Stacey:

Just a heads up that I’m in San Francisco. You might hear from Spencer. Told her we are complicated. Hope you’re having fun being on the road. Proud of you Sexy Dancer ??

After I took a quick leak, I went back to the table. Brandon ended the call, and Spencer asked, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, they’re just pissed he didn’t tell them. Mom has been freaking out all day because Stacey called the house looking for this jackass,” he said, lightly shoving my shoulder.

Stacey had called my parents? What the fuck? Right on cue, my cell buzzed with a text.

Stacey: Your mom called freaking out. I called her back because I didn’t know what else to do. Told her I didn’t know where you were. Hope that was okay.

Me: It’s fine. Everyone just needs to chill the fuck out.

I set my phone down on the table. “Whatever. All’s right with the world again. Everyone can calm down now that they know where I am.”

“Don’t be an ass, Blake. They love you and care about you,” Brandon said, sipping his beer.

“Whatever. Let’s just drop it,” I pleaded, taking a sip of the new drink the waitress brought while I was in the restroom.

We sat in awkward silence, and there was definitely tension in the air as I drank my second drink. I needed more alcohol to get through the day, so when the waitress brought our lunch order, I ordered another whiskey and Coke.

“So, what do you want to see first?” Spencer asked.

I thought for a few moments and then answered, “I’ve always wanted to check out Alcatraz.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. I’ve never been.”

“Neither have I,” Brandon stated, smiling at Spencer.

“Then it’s settled,” she said. “After we eat, we can head over and check out the tour times.”

I’d never been a third wheel before, but I liked Spencer, and spending time with my brother was what I didn’t know I needed.

Or that over the next few weeks, I would become envious of what they shared.

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