Crescendo

Chapter 2

Soundtrack for this chapter:
Hey Brother—Avicii
Wake Me Up When September Ends—Green Day
Sign of the Times—Harry Styles

2

Theo

When my alarm started buzzing at seven, I expected to turn over and find the girl who came home with me curled up on the opposite side of my bed; I expected her to be sleeping peacefully, her brown hair having fallen into her face. But when I turned over, Jules was gone.

"Fuck." It came out low and guttural.

Before checking to see if she'd left her number somewhere, I reached my arms above my head for a long stretch, feeling the familiar pull on the left side of my torso. So much for that promise of you'll be good as new.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, propelled myself up, and walked over to my desk. The Celtics shirt she'd worn was neatly folded on top of it, and somehow, that didn't surprise me. I looked for any sign of her having left a way for me to contact her, but there was nothing. She took her first one night stand far too literally.

With a sigh, I threw open the door and made my way down the stairs. In the kitchen, Danny was already working his way through a bowl of cereal. I set the coffee pot to brew a fresh cup and sat opposite of him. Save for the ink on my right arm, looking at him was like looking into a mirror.

"Morning," he managed out through spoonfuls of milk and whole grains.

"Morning."

He looked up at me. "What's eating you?"

"Nothing."

"Don't make me use twin telepathy."

"Dan, please. Not in the mood."

"It's that girl from Midtown, isn't it? Sour you couldn't bring her home?"

That earned him a smirk. "I did bring her here."

"And gone this morning? Hm...guess we're not identical in every way."

I shoved up from the table to grab my cup of coffee. "Fuck off, Dan."

"Listen, if you can't seal the deal—"

"What would Marnie say if she heard you talking like this?"

"Marnie's my girlfriend. I'd never talk of her like a piece of ass."

"She wasn't some piece of ass. You know I don't bring girls back like that."

"Have you considered that maybe, to her, you were?"

I didn't respond as I poured a steady stream of milk into my coffee and then rejoined him at the table.

"You gonna eat breakfast?" he asked.

"No. I need to be at the station in thirty minutes. Aiden still asleep?"

"Don't think he came back last night. Kid's still stuck in college mode. Went bar hopping after your set. I dipped out when I saw you sidle up next to that girl."

"Jules. Her name is Jules. And Aiden's only a few months out of school, Danny. Think of what you were doing then. He's the youngest of five. Going to take him a while to grow up."

"I guess. I'll only really complain if he starts bringing the parties here. We're too old for that shit."

"We're not even thirty. Besides, you're the one with a girlfriend. You and Marnie could easily get a place of your own and settle down."