My Best Friends Brother

Chapter 3

JOSH’S P.O.V.

Running his hands through his dark chocolate hair, I can’t stop fucking looking at him.

Like fuck is that Milo. He’s so... big.

As he stretches I can see the tattoos that coat his biceps peeking out from under the edges of his sleeves. Okay, Al told me he’d changed over the years but there’s hardly anything recognisable about the boy I once knew anymore. His jawline is so strong he could shatter rocks with it, his arms are more toned than mine and where the fuck did he get jeans that fit like that?

The large exhale of breath draws me back into the room and I look to Charlie, who might as well be waving a lace fan and clutching his pearls with how he’s looking at this man.

Milo notices, turning and smiling at him before offering one of his exceptionally large hands.

“Hey, Milo Thompson.”

Holy crap! When did his voice start sounding like that? It’s so fucking deep. I swear to fuck it hasn’t been that long since I saw him last... how could he have changed this much?

Charlie tries to smile back but he’s having to hold in the saliva that’s threatening to drool its way onto the floor at the sight of the fit human before him.

“Charlie Hanson-Li... So, you know Josh from somewhere?”

Charlie has that predator look he usually only gets after his third cocktail at happy hour and I know I need to get him the fuck out of here before he eats Milo whole, so I interrupt.

“This is Aleah’s little brother, he’s just trying to talk me into supervising his high school’s basketball training camp.”

Milo actually looks a bit put out. Guess I’d fucking hate it if people still referred to me as a ‘little brother’. Fuck, I need to remember he’s like nineteen now, he’s not a kid.

“Oh, I love your sister!” Charlie claims as he walks towards the door and gestures for Milo to take a seat in front of my desk. “I’d better get back to work... I hope everything works out with your camp sweetheart. I love a good camp, my wonderfully Christian parents paid for a lot of them for me.. although locking me up with a hundred other questioning teenage boys at a camp with no parents didn’t have the desired effect they were hoping for. Still queer dear.”

Milo genuinely chuckles as he sits, so close now I catch the scent of his strong aftershave. He turns to Charlie and I can’t stop myself breathing in deeply, fuck he smells good.

Then he shoots a wink at the babbling queen that would put even Brie’s flirting skills to shame, before turning back to look at me intensely with those soul splitting eyes of his.

Thank god I’m momentarily distracted by Charlie before I turn into a pathetic mess. The moment the door closed behind him and he knew Milo couldn’t see, he faked fainting onto Katie from accounting with his tongue hanging out like a dog on heat as he stared at the boy sitting in front of me, before prancing his way back to his office with an extra spring in his step.

I swear Han deserves a medal for putting up with him for so long, how he married that man is beyond me.

Milo leans down into his backpack and pulls out some papers.

“Look man, you don’t have to do this. I know you’ve got shit to do and Aleah has a way of making you feel like you can’t say no but you really don’t have to. I’m sure being stuck with a high school basketball team is your idea of hell. I’m only a year older than most of them and they do my nut in, I bet you’ll want to kill them all by the end.”

Words Josh, use your fucking words. You never get like this around guys, even if they do look like they've just walked off a Time Square billboard... It’s just Milo...

“Yeah, I kind of hated teenagers even when I was a teenager. I’m sure it’ll be fine though man, I’ll have Coach drill them if they piss me off too bad.” Milo attempts to laugh but he becomes suddenly distracted by something behind me. I can see the flicker of an uncertain emotion in his eyes, so pause. “Everything okay?”

His head shoots back to me, a small smile turning up the corners of his lips.

“Yeah, sorry, it’s just... You still have it...” I’m not quite sure what he’s talking about until I turn around, following his eye-line until it lands on the glass case containing a basketball signed by my favourite player. It’s been in every office I’ve had, it’s so much a piece of the furniture that I don’t notice it’s there sometimes. I’d almost forgotten it was actually Milo that gave it to me.

He was always a good kid, I know he’s been in some shit lately but I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I never did get him a tidy present after he got me this, I think it was the last Christmas we all spent together so I never really had the chance. Fuck, I really can’t say no to this supervision shit now can I?

“Of course I still have it, it’s still the best present anyone has ever got me man. Not that it’s actually had any competition. Last year Brie got me whisky that she’d already taken a glass out of.”

Milo chuckles loudly. “Yeah, she got me a new hoop for outside but didn’t check the size and it ended up being one of those toddler ones, it was so small even Heather couldn’t use it.”

Yep, that’s our girl. I love her to death but she’s bloody useless sometimes. The only person she buys tidy presents for is Steve and all of those are either something he can rip off her or something that fucking vibrates.

“Okay, so when is the camp and what do you need me to do?”

Milo smiles, and for the first time since he sat down I can see a sliver of the kid I knew in his eyes. He slides the pages across the desk but I can’t see anything but that smile. He’s really nothing like Jayce, Jayce’s features are soft and welcoming. Milo’s are strong and intense, like he’s lived a hundred lifetimes that have filled him with wisdom far beyond his years.

“Josh? Did you hear me?”

Oh fuck.

“Sorry, totally spaced then. Say it again.”

There’s a small smirk on his face before he leans back in his chair, stretching so high with a casual yawn that the bottom of his t-shirt rides up and I can just make out the exposed V line inside his hips.

Okay that’s enough Josh... This is bordering on perving. That’s Milo for fucks sake.

“I was saying that you don’t have to do much, you’d get your own room and that, Coach will need help with the drills but you could probably do the minimal because there will be two other Dads there I think. It’s mostly keeping the guys out of trouble but I’ll tell them not to fuck around so don’t worry about it.”

All his words hold such authority. Even if I didn’t know already, I would have figured out he was Captain of the team just from the way he talks about them. “There’s going to be scouts there from L.S.U so I won’t have them fucking my chances up anyway.”

L.S.U. It was kind of my dream to go there too but then everything happened with Harley and I just couldn’t stand to be that far from everybody. I didn’t even want to go to college, I hardly left my room after he was killed, but my mum wasn’t having any of it. She knew she had to make me get out even if I didn’t want to. Now I thank fuck I did because the day I arrived on campus I saw Aleah. My life wouldn’t be the same without those girls.

“L.S.U. huh? That’s amazing Miles, know what you want to major in yet? They’ve got an amazing astronomy department there, you’re into the stars and all that right?”

He freezes for a moment and I can see him fighting something back, before his body relaxes, a mask slipping into place as he begins to laugh manically.

“Jesus Josh, I grew out of all that shit when I was twelve. Look, just call Coach if you want to check anything. This is all the information and you just need to sign it of you’re okay to go. There’s another one there if you want to travel on the bus but I assumed you’d want to take your own car so you could escape if you want to.”

Well he ain’t wrong. “Yeah, I like you Milo but I wouldn’t get on that bus for anything. Are you going on or do you need me to give you a lift?”

He smirks. “I’m a big boy Josh, I can take care of myself.” Yep.. I can see that. “Just read these and sign them if you want to do it but I totally get if you can’t. I can see your busy with your life now and I don’t want them all to make you feel like you have to, I know what it’s like to be at the mercy of Aleah and Brie when they want something.”

Of all the people in this world, he probably does.

Pulling my pen from the pot on my desk, I flip the pages and scan through quickly to make sure I can’t be sued if one of these little fuckers bangs a cheerleader on my watch, before signing on the line and attempting to hand them back to him.

“Just letting you know I haven’t played in years and I wasn’t even very fucking good back then.”

I wait for the laugh but when I look up I see Milo is already distracted by his phone and smiling at the screen.

This is going to be my life for a week isn’t it? Trying to make gen z pay attention to shit that isn’t coming at them through a screen.

I slide the papers back across the desk and catch the time on my watch. Shit, I’m meeting that dickhead from the Gearson project in five minutes.

“Sorry mate, I’ve got to get to a meeting. Are you good to get back? Do you have your car or...?” Oh fuck. Of course he doesn’t have his fucking car Josh, he doesn’t have his fucking licence anymore.

Milo shuffles uncomfortably in his seat, I know everyone’s given him a lot of shit for what he did but it’s only because he scared the crap out of them all. He could’ve fucking died driving with that much alcohol in his system. It’s not like any of them ever made a mistake though is it... He’s probably sick of hearing it. Fuck.

Leaning over, he attempts to snatch up the papers but I stop him with my hand placed on top of his.

“I’m sorry Miles, I swear that wasn’t a fucking dig, I forgot. I know that stuff hasn’t been easy for you, and people bringing it up all the time doesn’t make it better. I won’t say shit about it again, I swear.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, looking down at the desk. It takes me a second to realise my hand is still on his, not that he’s attempted to move it. His hand is bigger than mine which is something I’m not used to, I’m not exactly a small guy.

I try to show him I’m being sincere, running my finger over the back of his palm. His skin is so soft for a boy that is constantly using his hands to play sport, they’re warm too. Bringing his eyes up to face mine; I realise I’ve definitely been touching him for too long, so pull back. He’s not a child anymore, I can’t just touch him like that.

He slowly takes his hand from the desk, placing the pages into his bag and zipping it closed without even looking back at me. I’ve probably freaked him the fuck out, it’s not like we’re mates anymore. I’m not even sure we were, he was just Jayce’s little brother and I felt quite protective of him. In that house I could see how cold it was for him in his brothers shadow so I always tried to make the effort to speak to him and take an interest in his life, it’s not like that now though.

“No, it’s cool man. My mate Eli is outside anyway, we’ve got practice over at the court on the Southside. Thanks for coming on this thing, I’ll keep the guys in line and there’s shit to do around there so make it like a holiday or something, a holiday with twenty annoying add-on’s.”

He laughs and I join him, grasping the folder off my desk before walking out with him to the front. I’m actually fucking shorter than him and I’m not sure how okay I am with that.

Stopping by reception I’m not quite sure what the way to go is here, I can’t exactly fucking hug him anymore so I just extend my hand, which he takes and shakes firmly. Damn, he’s strong too.

Shooting a wink at the blushing receptionist first, he turns and walks towards the elevator.

“Well I hate to see a boy like that go but hell if he isn’t a sight to watch walk away!”

Turning back, Charlie is lent up against the wall of the conference room, his glare firmly glued to Milo’s ass.

Rolling my eyes, I shove the folder into his chest and almost knock him in through the door.

Although, again, he’s not fucking wrong...

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