SOUL TIES (The Sánchez Brothers Series, Book 1)

CHAPTER 20 : ANDRE

After an excruciatingly tiring week of helping José secure the deal with Subpark Co, I was finally on the flight back home. I'd never been so disoriented my whole life, José had to snap his fingers to get back to the present more than once during the week. It was like I'd turned into my younger brother, Mario, who was always silent and never attentive. Unlike with Mario, I knew why I wasn't concentrating. A certain dark haired, 5'11, always frowning woman came to mind.

Deborah Rodriguez.

Only heaven knew how many times I'd repeated the name in my head during the week, cos I lost count around the hundredth time. If I didn't know better, I'd have concluded that she'd put a hex on me. The last time I felt similar was when I was dating my highschool sweetheart, Amanda. Amanda was probably my first love, first kiss, first time for pretty much everything, so hers was very understandable. Miss Rodriguez's though? I'd only taken her on just one date and we didn't even share as little as a hug, unless the piggyback ride I gave her when she was semi drunk counted. 

A grunt escaped me as I tried to stretch my aching back, sitting in a plane for 5 hours could do that to anyone. It seems like my noise attracted the attention of my elder brother and he gave me a glance before turning back to whatever he was doing on his laptop. Thinking I'd lost him, I let out a sigh and was about to sink back into my 'Miss Rodriguez' daydream when José's voice pulled me back. 

"You good, man?" I raised my brows at the randomness of his enquiry. "You've been a little, uhm-, weird." He backtracked at the funny look I threw him. "Maybe not weird. Let's just say different. What's up with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He turned in his seat to allow him scrutinize me better. " Well, I know what I'm talking about. You were always distracted back in Paris, Andre. Every single time, you were staring in space and I caught you smile a couple times." I blinked incredulously, I did that? Wow, that woman had fucked up my brain more than I expected. "I know what I saw, Vidal. And every single time I suggested anything about fucking women, you got really mad and defensive."

I gave him a wary look, what the fuck was he driving at? "Okay?"

José let out a deep sigh that I was almost certain the pilot at the front felt. "You know I love you, right?" I felt my right brow quirk in question. "And I'm your older bro, I'd never judge you. No matter what you tell me, I'm very willing to accept you."

The tender look on his chiselled face made me frown. "What are you saying, man?"

"There's no need for you to be ashamed, Vidal. We're family, I'll accept you and I'm very sure every other person would too. I don't think anyone in our family is homophobic."

My eyes widened on realization. "Homophobic??!! Wait, you think I'm gay?"

He shrugged nonchalantly and glanced at his laptop for a nanosecond. "Ain't nothing wrong with clapping a man's cheeks."

My mouth fell open before a loud guffaw burst out of it. "Right now, you sound like the gay one. What the fuck was that? Clapping a man's cheeks? Maybe you've clapped a man's cheeks before." His awkward laugh to my joke was hella suspicious and my eyes widened again. "Oh my God, you have, haven't you?"

"It was one time, Vidal."

I gawked at him like a fool. Trust José to shock you beyond belief. "One time?"

He chuckled softly before commencing his narration. "Yeah, one time in college. I was fucking women every fucking night then, man. Sometimes, twice with multiple people. Threesomes, foursomes, orgies, you name it, I was doing them all. I started getting bored and was looking for new experiences. You know, something that'd bring that first time spark, plus I was kinda curious. I met some guy one night and just did it. And yeah, that's it."