On The Rocks

Yes I did. Hunter and I never did get to talk about Brody, because after he fucked me silly this morning, we both had to get ready to go to work. I stewed about my dilemma all day and realized that what I really needed was another woman’s advice. So I called Casey, invited her for a girl’s night out, and here I am.

Swallowing the creamy, coconutty goodness, I look at her seriously. “Will it freak you out if I talk to you about Hunter?”

“You’re not going to talk about sex with Hunter, are you?”

“No way. That’s sacrosanct.”

“It’s what?”

“Sacrosanct… you know.”

“No, I don’t know, or I wouldn’t ask.”

“Sacrosanct… like… you know, sacrosanct.”

“Oh my God,” Casey says while laughing. “You’re spouting words you don’t even know what they mean.”

“I do too know what it means. I just can’t express it right now but I’m sure it applies in this situation,” I say, leaning forward for another icy sip of coconut love. “Besides, we’re agreed we’re not talking about it, so moving on.”

“Okay, moving on,” Casey agrees. “So what’s up, pup?”

“I’m in love with your brother,” I tell her, mentally bracing for her reaction.

“Holy shit! That’s huge,” she says with excitement, literally bouncing up and down in her chair while clapping her hands. “When are you going to tell him?”

“I already did.”

“What did he do?” she asks with trepidation.

“He told me he loved me too. Well, he told me first and then I reciprocated.”

“Fucking right on, Hunter,” Casey exclaims with a fist pump. Waving her hand in the air, she catches a waitress’ attention. “Two more Pina Coladas. We’re celebrating!”

“So… do you think it’s weird?” I ask her softly.

“No way, Gabby. I mean… it was weird when I thought you were just banging my brother, but I can definitely see you two in love. Oh my God. We’ll be real sisters when you get married.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa there. No one’s talking marriage,” I say firmly, pulling another dose of liquor up my straw.

Casey doesn’t even hear me, and then lets out a huge squeal. “Holy fuck me standing… you know what this means, right?”

“What?” I ask, excited, and yet fearful to hear her answer.

“It means Hunter will stay here. He won’t go back on tour.”

Averting my eyes down to my glass, I think carefully on how I’m going to continue this line of discussion with Casey. It’s the exact thing I wanted to talk to her about when I suggested having a girl’s night out, and she just gave me the opening. However, I need to be careful because Casey is on Team Get Hunter To Stay, and I’m now a floater, not sure which team I’m on.

“So… you want him to stay, huh?”

“Of course, silly. My brother has essentially been gone for the last ten years. I love having him home, and I don’t want him to leave again.”

“Yeah… but, this is a shot he probably shouldn’t pass up,” I point out. “It could set him financially, and he still has a lot of career ahead of him.”

“I know,” Casey says with a shrug of her shoulders. “And if he goes, I’ll support him. But that doesn’t mean I want him to go. You don’t want him to go either, right?”

“Of course I don’t… I mean, I do… but I don’t. You know?”

“No.”

“I mean… I want him to be happy, and if surfing is what makes him happy, then he needs to do that.”

“Agreed,” Casey states emphatically. “But there’s something else, so spill.”

“It’s just… I’m going to be miserable if he goes, but there’s no way I can ever push him to stay. In fact, I’m feeling like I need to push him to go, so he won’t have any regrets.”

“That’s natural to feel that way, girl.”

“Yeah… but… I overheard him talking with Brody this morning, and he specifically said he’s thinking about not going because of me. I can’t let him do that.”

“You said there’s no way you could ever push him to stay, right?”