Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

surprised?"
    "It wasn't just me!"
    "You're the one that did the little table dance…"
    "At your request."
    "I didn't tell you to take your pants down."
    Sitting up a little straighter, Jimmy gave an indignant huff, "I had more clothes on than the dancers."
    Giggling as she leaned against her brother, "Oh, Jesus, why didn't that end up on YouTube."
    Scott beamed at her, "It did. Someone reported it and it was removed."
    ****
    The next day, Scott and Jimmy stood outside Scott's car, hugging Ruby and making sure she had her boarding pass, her ID, and all the other little things the girl was prone to forget. "Love you, sis." Scott told her, hugging her tightly. "Don't go six months without another visit again. Hate that." His lips were pursed like he was working himself up for a good pout, but he kissed her cheek and held her another minute.
    "Same to you. Come home this summer, don't make Ma come all the way out here again. She misses having you home, okay?"
    "Promise," he whispered, letting her go so Jimmy could give her a little kiss and a good hug too.
    "Take care of my dumb ass brother," she told Jimmy, kissing the man's cheek, "Don't—" Stopping herself from what she was going to say, Ruby hugged Jimmy tighter, "Don't let him get his heart broken."
    "You can count on it." Jimmy smiled at her, giving her one more squeeze before letting her go.
    They stood and watched her for another moment, Scott leaning against the car, pressing against Jimmy's side as the man wrapped an arm around him. All their friends, but Jimmy especially, knew what Ruby meant to Scott, how close he was to her, how much he loved her and how hard it always was when he had to say goodbye to her.
    "Alright, Little Boy Blue. You get to pick the movie tonight, even one of those old black and whites I pretend to hate. And if you're really good and don't cry, I'll stop and get you a lolly on the way home."
    Scott pinched him for that, but he laughed. "I don't want a lollipop, I want—"
    "White chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream. And cuddles. I know."
    "And pizza."
    "I know that too." Jimmy told him, smiling down at Scott before ruffling his hair, "Let me get back into your clown car and we can hit the video store."
    "You got a deal, Bozo." Scott teased, barely dodging Jimmy's hand as it reached out to smack him.
    ****
    "Hurry up, you're gonna miss the beginning!" The room was small enough that Scott really didn't have to yell, but he did anyway, bouncing on the couch a little, a throw blanket over his lap and a pint of ice cream chilling his fingers.
    Pulling the pizza out of the oven and grabbing some napkins and a cutter, Jimmy told him, "Hey, it's not my fault you wanted this fancy Tuscan chicken take and bake shit. I was just gonna order delivery." There was already beer and soda on the coffee table, popcorn and chips. Jimmy teased Scott for being a comfort eater all the time and tonight was no different, "Don't let yourself get fat, baby. I'm taking you to the gym tomorrow."
    "I am not fat . You keep saying that and I'm gonna get a complex. Once a month binging isn't going to hurt me."
    Jimmy opened his mouth to protest that comment but Scott shut him up with a sharp shush as the credits started to play across the screen, Scott looking like he might start to clap when Cary Grant's name flashed across. "Did I tell you he was my first star crush?"
    "No shit? I thought it was Ricky Martin."
    Scott shook his head, setting the ice cream down and reaching for a slice of pizza as Jimmy spread the blanket out over both their laps, "Nah, he was later, like, junior high or so. But Cary Grant… When I was really little, like, I don't know, six or so, Ma would let me stay up on the weekend with her and watch the late show and they always played these old movies. First time I saw Cary Grant I couldn't decide if I wanted to be just like him or kiss him."
    Teasing, "Lucky for me ya got a type, I guess."
    "You, sir, are no Cary Grant." Scott told him sternly, taking a huge bite of his pizza.
    "I'm hurt." Jimmy sniffed, looking playfully affronted.
    "You are not."
    "No, really. That is probably the meanest thing you've ever said to me. No Cary Grant. One of these days I'll show you how Cary Grant I can be."
    "If it's as good as your Bogart, I'm in for a real treat. Or a real laugh, at any rate."
    Jimmy flicked his ear, but he settled down, leaning back to watch the film, knowing it was one of Scott's favorites.
    Scott was glad the movie had started and