Who You Say I Am (A Jai Courtney Fanfic)

Chapter 55-Meg

Meg

We get back home and shake off the snow before stepping in.  I'm freezing but I had fun.  I think Jai did, too.  We walk into the back door and Mikey is sitting at the island eating his omelette and a muffin. 
"You're up.  Hi, Mikey," I say smiling. 
"Megan.  Mr Courtney," he nods to us.  He doesn't sound very happy.  I wonder what happened. 
"Call me Jai, please.  You make me feel old," Jai laughs. 
"You're double my age," he shrugs. 
"You're eighteen?" Jai asks. 
"Close enough," he says dismissively. 
"How do you know his age?" I question taking my boots off.  Jai follows. 
"The internet," he says with his mouth half full of food.  We hang up the coats and gear. 
"Mikey," I say gently.  "Did you not get enough sleep?"
"Nope, I slept fine," he tells me. 
"Jai is a guest here.  You're being rude," I say to him.  He's acting like a spoiled brat. 
"Sorry," he apologizes. 
"No worries," Jai replies.
"Did you take your vitamins?" I ask. 
"Yes, Mom," he rolls his eyes. 
"Why are you being so mean, Mikey?" I ask hurt. 
"Sorry.  I don't know.  I'm just surprised is all," he says shaking his head. 
I turn to Jai.  "Do you want to shower or change?  Whatever you want.  I'm going to switch the laundry and chat with my brother," I tell him.  "I'll be up afterwards."
"No worries," he tells me. 
I watch him walk away and turn to my brother. 
"What is going on?" I ask him sitting down. 
"You tell me," he insists. 
I sigh and explain what happened with Jai—everything.  He purses his lips and nods. 
"Do you like him?" he asks.
"That's irrelevant," I state. 
"No it's not," he says. 
"He's an unbeliever," I tell him.  "So, it doesn't matter how I feel.  Nothing will ever come of this.  We'll just be friends.  Hopefully I can be a positive influence on him.  Maybe someday that'll change."
"So... is he a good friend?" he asks. 
"The best friend I've ever had," I frown. 
He nods.  "What happened with Spencer?  Mom won't tell me anything," he says.  "All I know is that I'm to stay away from him.  Dad agrees, too."
"They didn't tell you?" I ask dumbfounded. 
He shakes his head.  "They said it was your business and you could tell me.  I texted you but you said you arrived and everything was fine."
"Oh," I say realizing why he sent me that text.  "Okay... so, I called the wedding off with Spencer."
"Because of him?" he asks motioning to Jai. 
"No," I shake my head.  "I broke up with Spencer before I left for Jamaica.  I met Jai the day after I arrived.  I actually saw him at the airport," I pause having to admit this to my brother.  "I walked in on Spencer and his ex in my apartment.  They were on my marital bed having unwed relations."
"What?" he asks in shock.  He actually gets up and paces.  "He was messing around?  That's why you left?"
I nod. 
"Over the first few days of the trip, Spencer kind of admitted that this wasn't the only time.  He also wasn't planning on stopping after the wedding.  He threatened me and apparently mom and dad, too.  We all have restraining orders out on him."
"This is cray.  He was like my bruh.  I don't understand how all of that could've happened," he says shaking his head. 
"I guess his mom said he's always been like this.  Gale from the inner city church told me a story about his behavior before.  He even made rude comments about her over the phone to me and referred to a receptionist at my hotel as a peasant," I divulge. 
"At your hotel?" he says confused. 
"He showed up.  Jai recorded him on his phone.  He was going to drag me home but Jai hid me.  I overheard conversations as he talked to his dad and his ex and he's a complete hypocrite," I admit. 
"I feel heartbroken about this," he says.  "I also feel bad about that just now.  I thought some celebrity walked in and took you away from him.  I didn't get it.  Nobody tells me anything but you and when you disappeared, I didn't know what to think."
I hug my brother.  He's lost Spencer, too.  It's just new and a shock.  "Tell mom to let you see the videos.  I said so.  I've got the first three messages from my phone.  Two are pretty awful."
He nods that he wants to hear them.  He puts a hand over his mouth as he listens.  "That's not my brother," he says shaking his head.  "I'm sorry, Meg.  I've got to get out of here."  He rises and walks to the front door.  He grabs his keys and coat before slamming the door. 
Jai rushes into the kitchen a moment later.  "Everything okay?" he asks. 
"I don't know what to say," I shake my head running my fingers through my hair.  He slides into the seat beside me and pushes Mikey's plate away.  He caresses my face and I explain what just happened, how my parents told him nothing, how he made assumptions and he's sorry.  I played the voicemails from my phone and he stormed off.  "He and Spencer were close.  I didn't even think of him.  I thought he knew but they didn't tell him and I left in such a rush.  He called him his brother."
"I don't understand.  Does he still want you to go back to that?" he asks confused. 
"No, I think he's more broken-hearted about this than even I am.  Imagine if your closest friend betrayed you, threatened your sister and your parents.  How would you feel?" I say. 
"They were mates?" he asks but he's nodding. 
"He didn't mean to be rude to you.  He's just kind of socially awkward," I shrug.  "He feels really bad.  I think he's both heartbroken and embarrassed by his behavior.  He made assumptions and he regrets it."
"No worries, love," he says softly.  He holds my cheeks and kisses my forehead.  I reach out and hug him.  He sighs shakily holding me back. 
We eventually go switch the laundry and I rinse off in the shower and change.  I know I told him that we shouldn't sweat but it's been two years since I've done that and I don't have the strength I used to. 
I step out to see Jai sitting at my desk.  "What are you doing?" I ask. 
"Looking at your books," he says. 
"Which one?" I inquire. 
He shows me the first Divergent book. 
"I thought you read it," I comment surprised. 
"I kind of skimmed it," he shrugs.  "And I only skimmed the second until my character's death."
"You didn't miss much in the third one.  It had potential... but then it completely fizzled out, got shot and exploded and got its ashes buried in a hole," I say sarcastically. 
"What do you think she should've done?" he asks.  "The third movie was kind of out there... a bit weird and not really relating to the first two."
"Yeah, I would've made a lot more changes, starting with the first book.  She had this incredible world she created that already had destruction.  She could've built it better, made changes.  She obliterated it.  It just was such a downer," I say. 
"You sound to me like you've already made these changes," he teases accusingly. 
"What?" I question in a high pitched voice. 
"You have, haven't you?" he says.  I don't respond.  "I knew you were a dag," he grins. 
"A dog?" I laugh. 
"A dag, you know?  A geek, a nerd," he says. 
"So what if I am?" I shrug.  "I told you that on like our second real conversation."
"You read fanfics, don't you?" he teases. 
"So what if I do?" I say dumping my dry clothes on my bed and throwing my wet ones in my hamper. 
"So reading isn't the embarrassment," he nods.  "You write them, don't you?"
"I don't want to have this conversation," I say turning around and bolting down the stairs. 
He follows behind me. 
"Are you hungry?  I'm hungry.  Let's go get lunch," I quickly suggest grabbing my keys and coat.  I toss him his.