Categories > Original > Romance > I Always Knew I Was Different
Brady
"Hey, Addie! Are you here?" I call into her empty house. "I forgot my keys!"
Damn. Oh well, I might as well grab some food while I'm here.
I wander into the kitchen and open the fridge. Why are her parents such health nuts? There's nothing but fruits and vegetables. This sucks.
I close the door and turn around to see a boy standing in front of me. No, a man.
I start and nearly shout, "Who the fuck are you???"
The stranger holds up his hands in surrender and says, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I live here, or well I used to. I'm Addie's brother. And really I think I'm the one who should be asking, 'Who the fuck are you?'"
"Oh, God, you scared the living shit out of me! I'm sorry, I'm Addie's best friend Brady," I say. "So you're Addie's brother, huh? I thought you were supposed to be in Europe somewhere studying art or something."
"I was but I'm back for the holidays," he says, casually running a hand through his slightly curly auburn hair.
That's when I begin to really look at him. A casual smirk plays around his lips...a little full for a boy's. But hey, I'm not complaining! He gazes at me with deep, hazel-green eyes. He and Addie have the same eyes... My eyes travel down his body, taking in the cardigan and jeans he's wearing with a white v-neck and blue Converse. God, he's gorgeous...
"--and that's how that happened," he finishes with a smile and soft laugh. It takes me a second to realize he's been talking this whole time that I've been drooling over him.
"Huh?" I ask stupidly.
"You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?" he says with a chuckle. "Addie always told me that you got distracted very easily."
"Hey, what can I say? You're just too handsome." Oh my God. Did I really just say that?? I'm such an idiot, dumbass, douchebag! Addie never said her brother was gay! Dammit! Straight until proven gay, Brady! Straight until proven gay!
To my relief he laughs and I think I see a little flush of pink color his pale cheeks. But I could be imagining that.
"Well, aren't you the charmer?" he says with a half-grin, showing a dimple in his right cheek. "Hey, Addie's out right now, she had to go get something from the store but you're welcome to crash here until she get's back. But I'm sorry to say that I won't be joining you because I have to go visit my friends. They're expecting me. I've been away for quite a while. See ya! It was nice to meet you." He grins and starts toward the door and opens it. A breeze of cold air ruffles my hair and chills my nose. He turns back towards me with his hand on the doorframe. "I'm Adrian by the way." He smiles at me, his eyes sparkling, and walks out into the December evening.
Jesus Freaking God. He was totally into me. I happily start dancing through the house. "I'm going to have a sexy man!" I sing loudly and off-key.
"Brady Markum, why don't you sing us a selection from the classic musical, West Side Story!" I say in my annoying talk-show host voice.
"Just what I was thinking!" I say overenthusiastically. "Adrian! I just met a boy named Adrian! Adrian!" I sing in my best Tony voice.
"I feel like tap-dancing!" I run to the kitchen where the hardwood flooring is and I start doing timesteps. It's my favorite pasttime. "Stomp, hop! Fallap step, stomp, hop! Fallap, step stomp, hop!" I laugh giddily and throw my head back.
"What the hell are you doing?"
I immediately stop in the middle of a windmill and absently scratch the back of my neck. "Sorry, uh...I was just happy," I say lamely.
"So you tap-dance and sing in the middle of my kitchen?" Addie asks, giggling.
"Yeah..." I say. I can feel my ears going red.
She shakes her head at me and sets a grocery bag on the counter. "So guess who I met today?" I say to her in a sing-song voice.
"Who?" she asks, preoccupied with unloading the groceries.
"Your brother: Adrian. Why didn't you tell me he was a total hottie?" I whine. "He's gorgeous! And not trying to break anything to you but I was getting some pretty strong vibes.
Addie sets down the cans in her hand ubruptly. "That's cool," she says in an oddly strained voice.
"Addie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing!" she says in her fake cheerful voice. She spins around to face me and she has a horribly fake smile plastered on her face.
"Addie, come here," I say with my arms outstretched. She walks slowly with her eyes downcast and wraps her arms around me. "Hey, don't worry," I murmur soothingly into her hair. "Your brother will never replace you. If I hook up with him we'll still hang out all the time. I promise."
"What?" she says, pulling away from me angrily. "Hook up with him?? First of all, I didn't even know my brother was gay and second of all what do you think he is?? Some kind of whore that you can use??"
"Woah, Addie, that's not what I meant. Not at all. I'm so--"
"Get out! I don't want you here!" she screams pushing me toward the door. "And stay away from Adrian!!" She pushes me out the door and slams the door behind me.
"Wait! Addie!!! I need your keys for my house! I forgot mine! Addie!" I plead, banging my fist against the door. The window beside the door abruptly opens and a pair of keys sail through it and onto the grass.
"There's your fucking keys, dumbass!" Addie shouts and slams the window.
I pick up my keys, completely bewildered at her outburst. What the hell? She's never done anything like that before...I guess her brother is definitely off limits. I walk back to my car shaking my head, amazed at what just happened.
"Hey, Addie! Are you here?" I call into her empty house. "I forgot my keys!"
Damn. Oh well, I might as well grab some food while I'm here.
I wander into the kitchen and open the fridge. Why are her parents such health nuts? There's nothing but fruits and vegetables. This sucks.
I close the door and turn around to see a boy standing in front of me. No, a man.
I start and nearly shout, "Who the fuck are you???"
The stranger holds up his hands in surrender and says, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I live here, or well I used to. I'm Addie's brother. And really I think I'm the one who should be asking, 'Who the fuck are you?'"
"Oh, God, you scared the living shit out of me! I'm sorry, I'm Addie's best friend Brady," I say. "So you're Addie's brother, huh? I thought you were supposed to be in Europe somewhere studying art or something."
"I was but I'm back for the holidays," he says, casually running a hand through his slightly curly auburn hair.
That's when I begin to really look at him. A casual smirk plays around his lips...a little full for a boy's. But hey, I'm not complaining! He gazes at me with deep, hazel-green eyes. He and Addie have the same eyes... My eyes travel down his body, taking in the cardigan and jeans he's wearing with a white v-neck and blue Converse. God, he's gorgeous...
"--and that's how that happened," he finishes with a smile and soft laugh. It takes me a second to realize he's been talking this whole time that I've been drooling over him.
"Huh?" I ask stupidly.
"You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?" he says with a chuckle. "Addie always told me that you got distracted very easily."
"Hey, what can I say? You're just too handsome." Oh my God. Did I really just say that?? I'm such an idiot, dumbass, douchebag! Addie never said her brother was gay! Dammit! Straight until proven gay, Brady! Straight until proven gay!
To my relief he laughs and I think I see a little flush of pink color his pale cheeks. But I could be imagining that.
"Well, aren't you the charmer?" he says with a half-grin, showing a dimple in his right cheek. "Hey, Addie's out right now, she had to go get something from the store but you're welcome to crash here until she get's back. But I'm sorry to say that I won't be joining you because I have to go visit my friends. They're expecting me. I've been away for quite a while. See ya! It was nice to meet you." He grins and starts toward the door and opens it. A breeze of cold air ruffles my hair and chills my nose. He turns back towards me with his hand on the doorframe. "I'm Adrian by the way." He smiles at me, his eyes sparkling, and walks out into the December evening.
Jesus Freaking God. He was totally into me. I happily start dancing through the house. "I'm going to have a sexy man!" I sing loudly and off-key.
"Brady Markum, why don't you sing us a selection from the classic musical, West Side Story!" I say in my annoying talk-show host voice.
"Just what I was thinking!" I say overenthusiastically. "Adrian! I just met a boy named Adrian! Adrian!" I sing in my best Tony voice.
"I feel like tap-dancing!" I run to the kitchen where the hardwood flooring is and I start doing timesteps. It's my favorite pasttime. "Stomp, hop! Fallap step, stomp, hop! Fallap, step stomp, hop!" I laugh giddily and throw my head back.
"What the hell are you doing?"
I immediately stop in the middle of a windmill and absently scratch the back of my neck. "Sorry, uh...I was just happy," I say lamely.
"So you tap-dance and sing in the middle of my kitchen?" Addie asks, giggling.
"Yeah..." I say. I can feel my ears going red.
She shakes her head at me and sets a grocery bag on the counter. "So guess who I met today?" I say to her in a sing-song voice.
"Who?" she asks, preoccupied with unloading the groceries.
"Your brother: Adrian. Why didn't you tell me he was a total hottie?" I whine. "He's gorgeous! And not trying to break anything to you but I was getting some pretty strong vibes.
Addie sets down the cans in her hand ubruptly. "That's cool," she says in an oddly strained voice.
"Addie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing!" she says in her fake cheerful voice. She spins around to face me and she has a horribly fake smile plastered on her face.
"Addie, come here," I say with my arms outstretched. She walks slowly with her eyes downcast and wraps her arms around me. "Hey, don't worry," I murmur soothingly into her hair. "Your brother will never replace you. If I hook up with him we'll still hang out all the time. I promise."
"What?" she says, pulling away from me angrily. "Hook up with him?? First of all, I didn't even know my brother was gay and second of all what do you think he is?? Some kind of whore that you can use??"
"Woah, Addie, that's not what I meant. Not at all. I'm so--"
"Get out! I don't want you here!" she screams pushing me toward the door. "And stay away from Adrian!!" She pushes me out the door and slams the door behind me.
"Wait! Addie!!! I need your keys for my house! I forgot mine! Addie!" I plead, banging my fist against the door. The window beside the door abruptly opens and a pair of keys sail through it and onto the grass.
"There's your fucking keys, dumbass!" Addie shouts and slams the window.
I pick up my keys, completely bewildered at her outburst. What the hell? She's never done anything like that before...I guess her brother is definitely off limits. I walk back to my car shaking my head, amazed at what just happened.
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