Across the Pond

Chapter 31

Any time I need a good laugh, Brooks Caldwell is my guy. If only he were as sweet as he was gorgeous and funny, he'd be the whole package. Brooks can be an asshole to those that don't know him, but his heart is pure and he means well; he just has a hard time letting his guard down. Nico and I have always wondered what kind of girl it would take to crack Brooks, but we've accepted the fact that we won't have an answer to that question anytime soon. Brooks loves the single life too much to settle down right now.

Like Nico, Brooks will be in New York City next year, but for a different reason. While Nico will be at Columbia, Brooks is taking the year off to help his dad open up a second work office in Manhattan. The Caldwells are also rich, but they come from old money. Brooks' great-grandpa founded one of the top 5 publishing companies in the world. Caldwell Publishing is headquartered in North Carolina, and I actually interned there last summer.

What I love about my friendship with Brooks is that it's its own relationship. I don't need Nico around to hang out with Brooks, and I never felt like I did. While I'm closer to Nico, Brooks is still like a brother to me. He's protective, but also wants me to have my freedom. Nico wants me to have my freedom, too, but his over-protectiveness gets in the way of that sometimes.

When Brooks asked me to come hang by his pool the next weekend, I was worried that Nico might be over, but then I remembered that he's away at freshman orientation.

"One virgin piña colada for the virgin," Brooks jokes as he hands me the fruity beverage. He meets me at the outskirts of the pool where I'm sitting with just my feet dipped into the water.

"Ha-ha, very funny," I scold him and say.

"I'm kidding, B," he says, playfully pushing my shoulder with his.

"Is yours a virgin, too?"

"Do pigs fly?"

I chortle before rolling my eyes. "I don't even know why I asked."

"C'mon, B, you know me better than that." He brings his glass to mine. "Cheers!"

"Cheers," I say, and then take a large gulp of the drink before bringing it in front of my face. "You spiked this, didn't you?"

He shakes his head mid-gulp, pulling his glass away from his mouth. "Fuck no. Nico would kill me if I did."

I can't help but feel annoyed when Brooks mentions Nico. "Can we not talk about Nico? Just for a few minutes."

"Uh-oh," Brooks looks at me cautiously. "Problems in Nicoville?"

"No," I shake my head and state. "I just feel like every time I'm around people, they feel the need to bring him up. I'd like to be my own person for once, if you don't mind."

"You are your own person, B. I guess I'm so used to things being a certain way that I associate you with him. It's my bad."

"Great," I raise my eyebrows and sarcastically say. I might have to ask Brooks to spike my drink after all.

"I can tell you this much, B...that kid Danny most definitely does not associate with you Nico. If he did, he wouldn't even look in your direction."

"I don't get it. Is the rivalry between you guys that bad?"

"The guy's not a good person, B. That's all you need to know." Brooks looks at me and I can tell by the long pause after my question that he's holding back.

"But why? Why isn't he good?"

"Does the 'why' matter?"

No, I guess it doesn't. If Brooks and Nico are telling me that Danny isn't a good guy, then I should trust them and leave it at that. But for some reason, I find myself questioning their judgment.

"Don't hang around him, B," Brooks says when I don't answer him. "Please."

"It's not like I have a choice in the matter. I work with the guy."

"Then keep it at that. Don't make it something more." When I look at Brooks in an uneasy manner, he becomes curious. "You already did, didn't you?"

"What? No! I mean...yes."

"I know that you brought him to Remi's birthday party. Nico told me."

"Yeah...but we also hung out a few times after that," I painfully admit.

"Define 'a few times'."

"Like more than once...or twice," I nervously confess.

Brooks covers his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Damn, B. You're playing with fire. And that's coming from me."

"So what do you propose I do?"

"The next time he asks you out..."

"...yeah?"

"Say no."

"But I don't want to make it weird between us at work."

"The fucker already made it weird by asking you out the first time. Doesn't he know not to mix business with pleasure?"

"Look who's talking! Don't think I don't know about you and that intern Penelope from last summer."

"That doesn't even count. She quit her second week."

"She quit because you ghosted her. It was all over her Instagram."

"We hooked up once...maybe twice, but definitely not more than that."

"Point is...you're not one to talk."

"Point is," he mimics me, "you're ending things with Danny. And if you don't, we both know that Nico will see to it that it happens."

Author Question: Who else is a fan of Brooks?!