Zio
When I hita wall with rehearsing my presentation, I decided the best thing I could do was take a break and call my brother. Rigby had helped reassure me about my interest in Armand, but Luca was who I turned to when I needed guidance.
Luca answered with a friendly smile and a small wave. He was everything I wasn’t: handsome, confident, and successful. With his gray eyes, sharp features, well-trimmed scruff, and fashionable sense of style, he had men and women falling all over themselves to be with him. He preferred hookups to serious relationships since he never stayed in a place long enough to fall in love. I envied his ability to enjoy casual partners, which had never been an option for me, thanks to my anxiety. While we were close, he rarely talked about his bisexuality or his love life. Whether that was because he didn’t have one or he didn’t consider it was worth discussing was up for debate. It never seemed important until now.
“Hey, Luca. I hope it’s okay that I’m calling.”
“I’m never too busy for you.” Even though I was always a mess compared to how composed he was, he never made me feel bad about asking for some of his time. “I was hoping you’d reach out to tell me how your trip was going.”
“It’s been amazing! I can’t thank you enough for this incredible suite.” I moved my laptop in a slow circle to show off the surrounding area and gorgeous ocean view.
He gave an impressed whistle. “Damn, even by Luxurian standards, that’s impressive. I’ll have to find an excuse to get out there someday.”
I put my computer back to focus on talking to him. “Hopefully, it’ll be sooner rather than later. It’s been too long since you’ve taken a vacation. You know I worry about you working so hard. It’s not good for you.”
“That’s rich coming from the grad student who works nonstop,” he teased. “Wintervale is so beautiful; working there will be the same as taking a vacation.”
My brother was a consultant who often traveled for work. He was about to start a new project there. He’d be helping a boutique-style Luxurian Suites Hotel expand to a second ski resort location.
“If you’re relaxing at your apartment, why are you wearing a suit?”
“Because I had a quick conference call. I’m professional on top, but I’ve got pajama pants on since I’m in vacation mode.” He brought his knee up into view to show me his teal flannel pajama bottoms.
I chuckled at my brother’s idea of chilling. “Well, I guess that’s better than nothing.”
He waved it away. “I’d much rather hear about your trip. From the pictures, it seems you’re enjoying yourself.”
I bit my lower lip as I hesitated to accept the opening he gave me. “Yeah, it’s been amazing. A lot has happened, even though it’s only been a few days. I was hoping I could talk to you about something, actually.”
“About your new friend?”
I had been very careful to keep details about Armand off social media, so there was no way my brother could know about him. Luca was friendly with Rigby, but I couldn’t imagine my best friend betraying my confidence. I played dumb instead. “Huh?”
“You’ve obviously met someone while you’re there.”
“What do you mean I’ve ‘obviously’ met somebody?”
He stroked the scruff on his chin as he explained himself. “You’ve shared several pictures of yourself, but they aren’t selfies. You’re too anxious to ask a random tourist to use your phone to snap a photo of you. Plus, you won’t prop it up on a fence with the auto timer in case it falls over with a gust of wind or someone steals it. Somebody else clearly took the pictures you posted, which means you’re sightseeing with somebody and not alone.”
My jaw dropped at his insightful analysis, but it shouldn’t have surprised me. He was the king of being observant; no detail was too tiny to escape his notice.
“You haven’t been to the conference yet, and I doubt anyone else attending it is staying at the Luxurian Suites Resort. The Oahu Ocean View Hotel is closer to the university and cheap enough that normal grad students can afford to stay there. That means you met this person on your flight or at the resort.” His piercing gray gaze saw straight through me, despite the screens and ocean between us. “You’ve either become friends with this person, or you’re having a vacation fling with them. Am I wrong?”
I shook my head, reeling from his accuracy.
“If it was just a friend, you wouldn’t need to talk to me about it, and you would have been more open about their presence in your posts. That means your issue is a romantic entanglement because you’ve never been the type to have meaningless flings.”
I sagged back in the office chair with a heavy sigh, running my hand through my hair with a huff. “Damn, it’s been a while since you’ve Sherlocked me.” That was what I called it when he pieced together minor observations to form the bigger picture with his keen insights. “You missed your calling as a detective. There’s no crime you couldn’t solve with that mind of yours.”
He grinned at my reaction. “I can never resist a good puzzle.”
I had to laugh at that. “Yeah, I know.”
His expression turned sympathetic. “Did you catch a case of the feels for someone who’s only supposed to be fun?”
“God, I sure as hell hope not.” The thought caused me to groan. “No, it’s more confusing than that.”
He was silent as he tried to figure out my issue. “Has she introduced you to some new kink you didn’t know you liked?”
