10 - Like

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Ian sat at his desk and rolled his eyes as Henry recounted his work drama. He kept his mouth shut even though he thought Henry sounded ill prepared.

"You should have seen her eat the chocolate."

Ian's vision wasn't overly kind for the chocoholic. To be fair, Henry's only description was every synonym for annoying and a large bust. He imagined more large body parts, but who was he to judge? He had gone soft since his injury.

"I'm working through lunch. I have a follow up with my surgeon and physical therapy."

"Good luck with that. I'll go, but we should go out sometime since you can't climb."

"I'm taking my cousin climbing on Saturday morning. She's a beginner."

Henry smiled. "Cousin. Maybe I'll see you."

Ian didn't bother to correct him. Henry would see his mistake immediately. He chuckled and would feel guilty if he hadn't already told him Brooke was a kid.

The follow up with his surgeon went well. The pain had lessened, which was expected. He felt ready to go back to commuting by subway. His physical therapist agreed he was progressing and his reward was longer on the stationary bike.

"So, can I do an easy climb?"

"Let's not push it. I'm glad you want to get back on the horse."

Ian couldn't imagine not climbing. Being single, he never had to compromise his pastime. Although he might like to skip a climb to stay in bed. As he rode, he thought of his mother. She went from her arse of a husband to her boss without being alone for a year. It was easy to feel envious of the companionship between Anita and Kurt. Meanwhile, his father was dating after years of being single. Ian suspected he saw women, but it was the first time he had canceled plans because of a woman and he had canceled two brunches. The coming weekend was because they were going to Nantucket to see friends. Andrew Gillespie wasn't the houseguest for a weekend type. His mother thought nothing of visiting her sister-in-law or the Sumners in Newport. She had other friends who invited them to The Hamptons.

Ian's life was content on his own, but the idea of having someone special in a crowd had a certain appeal. Instead, he had plans with Brooke on Saturday.

Feeling restless, he ubered from his appointment to the condo he thought of at home.

With his father away for the weekend, he went to play the piano. It amazed him how much he loved to play when he wasn't forced to practice every day. As he walked up the steps, he felt the nostalgia for home. If he ever shared his feeling with his mother, she would feel hurt. Using his key, he let himself in, but was surprised not to hear the beeping of the alarm system. Once he breached the door, he should have had thirty seconds to enter the code.

Ian stopped short as a woman walked into the kitchen without seeing him. He stood in the entryway, suddenly feeling like an intruder.

"Dad!"

His father rounded the corner in shorts with wet hair. "Ian? This is a surprise."

"I thought you were away. I wanted to play."

"We're not leaving yet, since we plan to avoid the traffic and stay in Hyannis overnight. We have a ferry reservation for the morning."

"I didn't mean to intrude. I can go."

He smiled. "Come meet Margot."

He followed his dad into the kitchen. A woman closer to his dad's age than his own stood dunking from a cup with a tea bag. When did Andrew stock tea in his pantry? She looked up and smiled.

"Margot, Ian stopped by. This is my son."

She smiled wider. "You look like brothers."

Andrew laughed. "You should see us with my brother. He fits right in the middle." Ian was always close to his uncle, ten years older than him.

She stepped forward. "It's nice to meet Andrew's son. He talks about you all the time."

Ian blushed. "Thanks. He mentioned violin."

Andrew said, "She's first chair."

Ian smiled at his father's face. He had never seen the look before, but he identified it. He was in love. Ian felt quivering in his gut. It was hard to identify the cause. When his mother first started with Kurt, he felt forgotten. Ian wasn't twelve anymore. He had been equally jealous of Olivia, who took to their stepfather immediately. His sister had needed a father, but Ian hadn't. Plus, he already had a stepfather and was still celebrating that the jerk was gone.

Deep down he knew he took his cues from his dad and seeing him happy and single had left a mark. Ian hadn't expected him to look happier, as his father intimately rested his hand on Margot's hip. She was a pretty woman with dark hair. Her height was average, but her blue eyes stood out on her pretty face.

"Do you have children?" Might as well know what he was dealing with.

"No. It was never in the cards. I was married, but we divorced five years ago. My ex found a woman who could give him children."

And she was forthright. Andrew pulled her to his side. "I don't want another at my age. I'll share my niece, she's a handful, and if my son ever settles down."

"Who said I want kids? I enjoy being single like my dad."

Andrew shook his head. "I was waiting for the right woman."

Margot teased, "I was right there in the violin section all along."

Ian felt like he stepped into an alternate universe. Who was the man in front of him?

"I'm gonna go to the piano."

Music was his escape. Once his fingers hit the keys, he was lost. As he played the last note, he heard clapping.

"You're talented like your father."

"He's incredible, I'm just..."

Andrew cut him off. "You could have been successful, but I'm proud of you for choosing another passion and building your career. Even if I don't understand it."

Growing up, he loved the moments he spent beside his father on the piano bench. As an adult, he knew his father could have ignored the fact he impregnated a girl he hardly knew as a nineteen-year-old kid. Instead, he stepped up to be a father. He traveled to New York to see him as an infant until Ian could travel on his own. He was one of those unaccompanied minors for years.

Andrew cleared his throat. "We should head out."

Margot nodded. "I'm so glad you stopped by. A planned meeting might have been awkward. You are everything your dad described."

He felt ten again. Once the door shut behind them, Ian looked around his silent home. Things were changing. He felt it.

The following morning, he was half dressed when his buzzer sounded. He pressed the intercom and lock release. "Come on up."

He put a tee shirt on over his head and sat down to put on his socks.

Brooke burst through the door. "I'm so excited!"

He smiled at his aunt and uncle. Rose stepped forward. "Ian, it's been too long. How's the knee?"

"It's coming along. I met Margot last night."

Dave chuckled. "I never thought I would see the day, but my brother is in love."

Rose looked at him. "Next, it'll be your turn."

He didn't argue, because his aunt would dig her heels in. It took a strong woman to be a successful surgeon.

"You ready to climb, kid?" She jumped up and down. "What's the plan?"

Dave shrugged. "How long do you want her?"

"After lunch. If I could walk, I'd keep her longer, but I'm a dud these days."

The couple looked at each other and smiled. Rose worked a lot, so Ian was happy to give them a few hours on their own. He grew up with so few couples as role models, his paternal grandparents who moved to Florida. His uncle and aunt married when he was in college, and his mother had a strong marriage to Kurt.

Rose rubbed her hands together. "Spill. Tell me about Margot."

"She seems nice. It's weird to see him. He never dated."

"When you were around. My brother has dated plenty, but they got serious fast. That's not like him."

"She told me she can't have kids, so that's a relief."

"You should have the next baby in the family." Rose rubbed his arm.

"I'm not sure that's my future."

"Come on! Stop talking. Let's go." Brooke pulled on his shirt.

"Okay, okay. Let's go squirt." He grabbed his cousin's hand.

Outside his building, they waved and his aunt and uncle walked away, while he led Brooke to the front to cross the street. Unconsciously, he glanced at the basement apartment. The windows were too small to see past the metal security bars. Did it feel like a prison?

"Come on. We can walk." Brooke pulled his hand as the crosswalk flashed. She was an experienced city dweller, just as he had been as a kid.

As he expected, Henry was at the rock gym. He was talking to two girls when he led Brooke towards the beginner wall. Ian had given her shoes for her birthday. He wished he could change into his shoes, but there was no reason.

Henry walked over with a puzzled look. "Ian, who is this?"

He smiled. "My cousin, Brooke. This is my friend Henry."

She reached out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Henry shook her hand with a smirk. "I thought cousin meant cousin."

"Cousin means my uncle's child. Right, kid?"

"Right. Let's go." Brooke tugged at him.

Henry shook his head. "I'll be over there." He pointed to the expert walls where Ian hurt his knee.

"Okay, let's do this."

Ian stood and coached Brooke through her climbs. After a few, she stood with her hands on her hips. "Can I try on my own?"

He smiled. "You're ready."

Ian learned to climb at the after-school program he went to. Once he started, he was hooked. He and Seamus climbed in college, but he didn't join a rock gym and start taking it seriously until after he started his career.

Brooke scaled the wall without him coaching. "When I can climb again, we can move up to the intermediate wall."

She hopped up and down. "Really? You're the greatest!"

Later, they sat at a counter at a sandwich shop. He relented, and she ate an ice cream sundae for lunch. His defense was his uncle had allowed him to have cake for dinner when he was about her age.

Brooke took a large, gooey bite and smiled. "Why were you talking about babies?"

"If Uncle Andrew marries his girlfriend, he's too old for babies." His skin itched at the thought of his dad marrying. He enjoyed being the two bachelors.

"Married? He has you, but he's not married."

The girl was too smart. "He broke the rules."

"Oh. You need to get married. I need more cousins."

He could argue any child of his would not be her cousin. "I'm not dating."

"I like Sebastian. Do you have a girl you like?"

His first response was no, but then he thought of his neighbor in the basement. His smile gave him away.

"You need to ask her out." She looked very serious.

To Ian, it sounded easier than it was. He hated to give her a chance to reject him.

If you like please vote ⭐️


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net