Kyle woke up the next morning and found himself stretched out on Justin's couch. He glanced at the clock on the cable box and realized it was almost ten o'clock. He jumped up from the couch and went into the kitchen, looking for his brother.
Justin sat at the table, reading the newspaper and sipping at a cup of coffee. He looked up when Kyle entered the room. "Morning, sleepy," he smiled. "Sit down and have some breakfast. I went out and got us some doughnuts this morning."
Kyle plopped down in the seat across from Justin and reached to the center of the table for a doughnut.
"Want some orange juice?" Justin asked as he got up and reached for the refrigerator. He didn't wait for Kyle to respond before he went and poured him a glass anyway.
"Thanks," Kyle said when Justin set the glass in front of him. "Justin, there's something I need to tell you. I probably should have told you last night, but we didn't get much of a chance to talk about anything before…"
"You fell asleep," Justin finished for him. "It's okay."
"No, it's not okay, because there was something you needed to know."
Justin sat back down and his seat as he looked across the table at his brother. "What is it?"
"I did what Evie told me to do," Kyle went on. "I said what she wanted me to say, and it didn't go how she hoped. Instead of realizing that their daughter isn't who they thought she was, they just hated me."
Justin put his hand to his head and sighed. "Kyle…"
"You don't know what her parents are like, Justin. They said things that made me want to break her dad's nose!" He paused, looking at his brother with wide eyes. "They said you had no manners."
"Kyle, I do know what her parents are like. I've met them more than once, and let's just say they're very honest about their feelings. What else did you say to them?"
Kyle lowered his head, looking down at his doughnut. "You don't want to know," he told Justin. "Trust me, you really, really don't want to know."
"God… I told you not to get involved!"
"I know!" Kyle protested. "But you didn't see her face… Justin, she wants so badly for them to respect her own choices. She can't do anything on her own without getting criticized."
"It's okay," Justin assured him. "I'll talk to Adelyn about it and make sure she knows what's going on. Maybe she can even talk to her parents about you."
"No, she can't do that. Let's just say I didn't make the best impression on her parents, and she really doesn't want to know about it."
"Kyle, they're probably going to tell her anyway. You should have thought about that before you did it."
"I did think about it, Justin, I really did… but Evie's so convincing! And I felt bad for her. I've always had you and Nicki supporting me… well, most of the time, but they don't let her make any of her own decisions. I'm sorry, Justin… I really am, it's just that I didn't know what else to do."
"It's okay. We'll figure something out. Let's just try and forget about this. Hey, I found something that we can do today if you don't have any homework."
Kyle looked up at him. "What?"
"We'll grab Phil and the three of us can go and get fitted for our tuxes for the wedding. Adelyn's been bugging me to get it done for a few weeks, so I thought I'd surprise her and go while she's at work."
Kyle smiled back at Justin's hopeful grin. "Okay," he agreed. "You call Phil, and I'll take a shower."
Kyle walked into the store behind Phil and Justin. After being greeted by the salesman, Justin went into the back part of the store to be fitted first, while Phil and Kyle sat down to wait. The silence was almost unbearable. Kyle turned his head slightly in Phil's direction.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday," he said. "I know you weren't trying to be mean or anything, I was just upset. So, I'm sorry."
Phil actually smiled. "It's okay. You were right. I don't have the right to just step into your life and pretend that I'm all of a sudden your big brother."
"You are my big brother," Kyle pointed out. "And I'm glad you're trying. No one was going to change my mind yesterday. If Justin couldn't, then why did you think you would be able to?"
"Because Justin's mentality about the subject is… how can I put this… warped. He thinks that just because she's a pretty girl, that makes it okay for you to give into her. It's not, Kyle. You can get yourself into a hell of a lot of trouble if you said yes to every pretty girl that came your way."
"I know," Kyle groaned. "I'm not stupid. If you want to know the truth I haven't been with anyone else besides Evie. I'm not sleeping around, Phil, so you can stop worrying about me."
"You're a lot like Justin," Phil observed as he turned his head toward Kyle. "Only less annoying. All I want is for you to take care of yourself. Sex should be something with someone special, not just some random girl you meet."
"Evie is special," Kyle insisted. "And she's not a random girl. I care about her."
"But does she care about you, Kyle, or is she only using you?"
Kyle thought about how she had begged him to stay last night. He remembered the tears in her eyes when she thought he might leave her alone. But did she want him or did she even care who was holding her in his arms? "I don't know," he admitted sadly. "I know she likes me, but…"
"But what?" Phil prompted.
"I don't know if she feels the same way I do."
"Maybe you should ask her?"
"No," Kyle said quickly, looking his brother right in the eyes. "Justin told me not to do that. He says I should wait until I'm sure."
"No offense to Justin, but he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. If you want this girl you have to tell her how you feel before it's too late. What if she thinks that you don't like her so she moves on?"
Kyle sighed. "I guess Justin thinks that maybe I'm not sure about my feelings… maybe I just think I love her because of… well, you know. He thinks I should wait a few days. And what if she doesn't feel the same way? Then I'll just end up making a fool out of myself. I'll have to see her for wedding stuff and all, and that'll be just… uncomfortable if nothing else."
"Okay, so maybe Justin has a point there," Phil admitted. "A small point, but a point none the less. Waiting a few days couldn't hurt anything, could it? Justin told you to wait?" he asked, looking confused. "Call the psych ward. I think my brother's on crack."
Kyle chuckled, just as Justin came out looking incredibly formal in his tux. "What do you think?" he asked the two of them as he held out his arms for them to see. "Will Adelyn approve?"
Kyle nodded and Phil stared. "I don't know what it is about that tux, Justin," Phil said. "But you look like you were made to wear it." He paused. "And hey! You've already got the shoes to match! You've got a whole damn closet full of them."
Justin only grinned. "You know you're only bitter because your feet are smaller than mine, and you can't borrow a pair. And you know what they say about small feet."
Phil held up his hands. "Okay, okay, enough. I won't pick on your shoes anymore." He put his hand on Kyle's back and gave him a shove. "Your turn, little brother," he said as Kyle got up from the chair and went past Justin with the salesman.
Justin turned around and looked at himself in the mirror. The last time he'd been wearing something so formal was at his senior prom. The only difference was that at the senior prom, he was only committing a night. Now he was committing his life. He jumped when he saw Phil behind him, looking over his shoulder.
"Cold feet already?" Phil wanted to know.
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Read my mind. It's creepy."
"I wasn't reading your mind. It was that look on your face."
"What look?"
"The one where your eyebrows go up and your eyes widen," Phil told him. "It's the look of fear, dear brother."
"I wasn't making that look!"
"Yes, you were," Phil insisted. "I saw it."
"No, you didn't. Are you forgetting that I was looking at myself in the mirror? I would have noticed if I had made that face!"
Phil laughed. "You weren't paying attention. Don't argue with me, Justin. You admitted that I was right, and you are feeling a little scared about the wedding, so why don't you just drop it?"
"Me?" Justin asked, turning toward Phil. "Drop something? Are you nuts?"
"You've already called me crazy before, so yes, maybe I am. And you shouldn't be afraid. You love Adelyn. I can tell you do."
"Of course I love her," Justin confirmed. "I've never loved anyone like I love her. Hell, I really don't think I was ever even in love before she came along. She means the world to me."
"Then what's the problem?"
"I don't know. It's always been just me... trying to get by, trying to make a living. I've never shared my life with anyone before. The only person I've ever really taken care of is Kyle, but that was so different." He walked over to the line of chairs and sat down, looking his white cuffs over. "My sleeves are a little long," he mumbled.
Phil sat next to him. "I'd be lying if I told you that I thought it would be easy," he sighed.
"To what?" Justin asked, looking up at him. "Shorten my sleeves?"
"No, moron. Marriage."
"Are you thinking of proposing to Lalie or something?" Justin wanted to know.
Phil shrugged. "I don't know. I've thought about it. I'm just not sure if it's the right time. She's been through a lot with moving all over the country, her grandma passing away. I don't want to traumatize the girl.
"I doubt proposing would traumatize her," Justin chuckled. "Only you would say something like that."
"What do you mean?" Phil demanded.
"Here you are accusing me of being afraid, but you, Phil, are terrified out of your skull. I know you love her," he said, looking his brother right in the eyes. "When she left that one time, you went insane. I was actually afraid for your life! You love her so much that it terrifies you. You're afraid that if you move too quickly, you'll scare her away."
"While we're on the topic of accusing," Phil grumbled. "Who's reading who's mind now?"
The expression on Phil's face was pained. "Am I really that obvious?" he asked. "Do you think she knows?"
"Do I think she knows if you're absolutely head over heals in love with her? I'm sure she knows! If I can tell, I'm sure she can." Justin paused. "Isn't that a good thing?"
Phil looked straight ahead at the mirrors opposite of them. "It's not if it scares her away." he mumbled
"It won't, Phil," Justin assured him, meeting his eyes in the mirror. "You just need to look her in the eyes and say, 'Lalie, I love you more than life itself. If you were ever to leave me, I don't think I'd be able to go on without you.'"
Phil laughed. "I don't want to guilt her into staying with me."
"Lalie," Justin said, starting over. "I love you more than life itself. I'm not the same man without you... and because I'm so incredibly pathetic without you on my arm, I demand that you stay with me forever."
"Gee, Justin, I didn't know you felt that way."
Justin and Phil looked toward the door and saw Lalie standing there with her hands on her hips, giving them a knowing smile. With his face red from embarrassment, Phil stood up. He started to say something, but everything came out in a stutter. Justin stood up and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Maybe you should just forget you heard that," he said. "I honestly can't think of a cover for that one without causing my brother a heart attack."
Lalie was grinning at them, and if Justin didn't know any better, he would have thought Phil would pass out then and there. He really was terrified to show how much he cared.
Kyle came out of the back in his tux and tugged at the ends of his curls. "I think I should cut my hair before the wedding," he said, looking at everyone. "Hey, Lalie. What are you doing here?"
Lalie walked up to the three brothers. "I was out getting lunch and decided to stop by to see how things were going. I wanted to see Phil in his tux."
"I'm next," Phil grinned.
"My God," she said, looking at Justin and Kyle. "I hope Adelyn doesn't get confused and marry Kyle instead. You two look like twins in those suits."
Phil watched both Justin and Kyle grin at her. The salesman leaned closer to him.
"Sir, would you like to get started?"
Phil nodded as he wrapped his fingers around Lalie's arm. "Want to come with?"
She leaned up close to his hear, pressing her fingers into his shoulder. "You know I like to watch you undress," she whispered.
Phil blushed, but grinned at her anyway. "I'll be back in a little bit," he told his brothers and then the two of them followed the salesman to the back.
"I'm going to go get a few sizes that I think will fit you," the salesman said as they walked into a room that had many coats and pants hanging everywhere in plastic. Next to three big mirrors, sat a metal desk with pins and tape measurers scattered on top of it. The second the man was out of sight, Lalie pushed Phil into the side of the desk and pressed up against him.
"What was Justin talking about when I walked in, Phil?" she wanted to know.
"We were just talking," Phil told her. "And the topic of... well, you came up. He was only teasing me. You know how Justin is."
She backed away from him, yet didn't remove her hand from behind his neck. "Then how come you looked so... rattled when you saw me?"
"I was just surprised," he said quickly as he pushed her farther away. "He'll be back any second, Lalie."
As if on cue, the salesman emerged with several garments for Phil to try on. "Try this first," he said, holding out a set to Phil. "Then come out, and I'll see if that's the right length."
Phil took the clothing from him and went into the fitting room on the other side of the large mirrors. He glanced back at Lalie, knowing that their conversation wasn't over yet. When he closed the door, he gulped. It was his own damn fault. If he could only be more adamant when he was trying to lie...
He put the tux on as quick as he could, but couldn't get the bow tie on right for anything. He opened the door and held it up. "This thing is impossible," he said, giving Lalie and the salesman a slight smile.
Lalie moved over to him and took it from his hands. "Let me help you, honey," she said as she put the band beneath his collar. "You look so handsome," she whispered, tying the bow at his neck and then smoothing down his collar.
"More handsome than Justin?" he asked as he gave her a smile.
She leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "Ten times more handsome than Justin," she assured him.
Phil caught the salesman rolling his eyes behind Lalie, and gently pushed her away. "Thanks," he mumbled.
Chapter 12
Keeping the Peace
Family: Timberlake
Non-Nsync Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
Email Me (irishgirl982@yahoo.com)