Do Not Respond

by M R Field

  The shock on my face obviously registers, as his grin softens. He almost looks sheepish with his shoulders pushing up slightly hiding his neck.

  “I’m kidding.” His hands are still raised as he sits forward in the chair. “I came into a quiet office and was about to leave, but then heard some not-so-quiet whispering. As soon as I heard ‘shagged,’ I almost hightailed out of here. A man can only hold down so much upchuck.”

  “Thanks, pal.” Cole’s voice drips in sarcasm as he shakes his head. Parker continues to make himself at home at his brother’s desk, opening a few desk drawers. His brow raises in elation as he pulls out a few envelopes.

  “Aha!” He taps his other hand with them. “You kept my treasures!”

  “Oh, shit.” Cole covers his eyes with his hand, shaking his head in embarrassment.

  Parker flicks one open, and a trail of glitter falls out onto his lap, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. He pulls out a postcard of a very topless woman. “I thought long and hard about what to write on these.”

  “What are those?” I step forward, not fazed in the slightest that there’s a naked woman on it. I do live with Piper, after all. She has a pretty raunchy calendar in her room. Each to their own and all that jazz.

  “These are mementos from places I travelled. I got a kick out of sending them to Cole to his work. Notice how the handwriting on the envelope isn’t mine?”

  “I knew it was you, jackarse. The postage stamp was a dead giveaway. Clients from overseas generally email, and they do not send me porno cards with glitter.”

  A frown lines Parker’s face. “Damn it. Looks like I need to step up my game. Was hoping to distract you.”

  “Or not,” Cole responds, picking up the coffee I left on his desk and taking a sip. “I had enough here distracting me already without your nudie cards. Much better, in fact.” He winks at me over the rim of the cup, and my belly flutters.

  Oh wait. Did he just compliment my boobs in front of his brother? I grimace and walk to my desk to relieve myself of my bags and grab my now lukewarm coffee.

  “What are you doing here, little bro?” Cole tries to pass him to walk to the other side of his desk, and Parker takes the hint to get out of his seat. They tap each other on the arms in a pseudo brother-love hug, before Parker perches himself on the edge of the desk. Cole tosses his barely touched coffee cup into the trash and moves to get his desk sorted, grabbing a tissue to wipe where Parker’s shoes were. You can’t take the OCD out of him, that’s for sure. These brothers hold similarities in their smiles, but they couldn’t be more different.

  “Thought you were staying with Mum.”

  “I was—I mean, I am—but I thought I’d stop in to say hi.” His voice wavers, and I lift my

  finger to point at him and strut over quickly to them.

  “Nuh-uh, mister. Something’s up. I think—.” I squint at him, hoisting my hand on my hip.

  “Let me guess,” Cole interrupts. “Mum tried to set you up with one of her friend’s daughters.”

  Parker grimaces, and I burst out laughing.

  “Cole, man, it was so awkward. They came over for afternoon tea, and then Mum suddenly has a unique rose she needs to show her friend. She left us there, and this girl just twirled her hair, scanned her phone, and ignored me. Least she didn’t jump me like the other one.” He shrugs.

  “Oh, poor Parker,” I coo. “Was your virtue left intact?”

  He shudders. “You have no idea.” Turning his eyes to his brother, he clasps his hands and begs, “Please, Cole. Can I stay with you for the next month? I promise I’ll walk Duke, clean your house, cook food for you. Just don’t make me go back there. She’s on a mission, and there’s no derailing her while I’m there.”

  “Hmm.…” Cole sits in his chair, a pen rolling between his fingers. “I could use your services on a recent project I’m designing. Put your civil engineering degree to use.”

  “I do use it.” He frowns. “In between travelling.”

  “Excellent. You can stay.”

  “Sweet!” Parker fist pumps the air before he moves from the desk to turn back to us. “I’m going to head back to Mum’s and pack my stuff.” He spins and waves above his head as he swaggers to the exit.

  “Wait a minute!” I rush over to my handbag and clumsily put my coffee down as I quickly shoot Piper a text to see if she’d mind if I invite the boys. She hasn’t met Parker before, but I’d love to see her give him some stick. She responds quickly, agreeing with the promise of dumplings being on me. Too easy.

  I put my phone away and stroll back toward Parker, looking to Cole as I get closer. “Piper—my housemate—and I are going to get dumplings. You guys should come.”

  Cole’s eyes run up and down my body, and I rub my lips together to hide a smile. “We’ll Skype Odette, too, while we’re out. Just don’t place any more bets, or you’ll be sleeping with Duke outside.”

  Parker breathes sharply, but then quickly covers it with a very fake cough. Interesting. He faces us but fidgets on the spot. “Will she be at home?”

  His eyes widen.... Is that hope?

  “Yeah, I guess.” I shrug.

  “Sweet.” He runs a hand through his wavy hair and grins. “I hope her housemate, Anja, is there.”

  I give him a wave as I sense Cole walking up behind me. I didn’t even hear him get out of his chair.

  “Oh, Parker…,” Cole calls out as he reaches the door. “You might want to pack your sound-blocking headphones. You’re gonna need them.”

  “Yep, that’s my upchuck reflex coming up….” He coughs. “I’m outta here.”

  Cole chuckles behind me as Parker leaves, swaggering faster than ever before, closing the door behind him and leaving us alone in the office.

  “Have I told you how sexy you are in my shirt?” Cole whispers against my ear.

  “No,” I shudder. “But I think we need to keep it professional, honey.”

  His hand grips my hip as his lips brush my ear. “Well, then. Let’s get back to it. The sooner we start, the sooner we can … finish.”

  We both walk back to our desks to continue working for the day. The silence in the room is almost deafening. Two months ago, I would already have had a few emails sent to myself. Now, I’m just timing how long it is until we can’t take the tension anymore … in an empty office.

  We make it to lunchtime before my lipstick is messed up and a button is missing from his shirt. I’m pretty sure I left an indent of my heels on his perfect behind, too.

  Cole

  “My turn,” Parker pipes up, his beer in hand as he stares down at Piper and Letty. “I have to organise everything around me to be in an even number, I don’t like touching bananas, and I’m secretly a huge Sound of Music fan.”

  Piper turns her head to the side and squints at Parker. He holds her gaze, all while her wine glass rests on the table, and she runs her finger around the rim. She presses her lips together, not breaking eye contact.

  “I don’t think you give two shits about making things even Steven on this table.” She points to the glasses in front of us. “There are five empty glasses, and you haven’t twitched to get rid of one or skull your drink to make it an even six.”

  Parker lifts his beer to his lips, covering his smirk, his eyes never leaving hers. I fold my arms on the table and lean forward to see if my stare can make him crack. Nope, he’s ignoring me now, the bugger. Bet he’d break if I started humming out a tune.…

  “But….” Her lips pop as she sounds the T. “I think after only knowing you for like two hours, you’re a bit weird, so I’m going to say you don’t like touching bananas and love to blast ‘The Hills are Alive’ while possibly twirling in your lounge room.”

  “I don’t blast it, or use up my mum’s curtains to make my own clothing,” Parker argues as he winks at Piper, taking another sip. His confidence doesn’t waver one iota. “I run up and down her stairs, though. She hates it, as it echoes.” He lifts his glass to toast her. “
Thanks for the character analysis. If it’s anything to go by, I think you’re a bit weird, too.”

  He takes a sip after they clink their drinks. I’m glad I left my bike at home and trained in, with the glasses that keep coming across the table.

  Letty laughs beside me, and I lean back to wrap my arm over her shoulders. We are up to our third round of Two Truths and a Lie after finishing dinner. It is approaching closing time, but my brother is breaking the ice with the slightly eccentric Piper. For someone who isn’t overly nice, albeit protective of Letty, she’s spent the last two hours ribbing him, challenging him at every turn, and she looks like she’s enjoying it. She’s even stolen a casual chip off his plate. It has felt more like an interrogation than a “getting to know you” session. When she wasn’t firing questions at me, that is.

  I’m not worried about him feeling offended, though. It’s nice to have the heat taken off me and my “virtue” toward her housemate. Parker can take it just as hard as he can give it. It is rare to find my brother frazzled by anyone. It’s just a shame Piper doesn’t go for guys, as they seem like a cool match. He just has body bits she isn’t interested in.

  “So, you really love that film? No way!” Piper’s eyes widen as her mouth gapes, her glass now resting on the table surface. Her finger traces along the rim, stopping to hang suspended above her wine glass. “I can’t believe that.”

  “Mum used to play the video for us as kids, and while Cole ran away to ride his bike or hit the waves, I sat and watched it. Our neighbours”—his head tilts toward to Letty—“used to come and watch it if they were holidaying next door at the time.”

  “You and Odette used to sing, ‘I am Sixteen’ until you understood what it was about,” I chirp, and watch Parker flinch before he puts his hand on his chest.

  “That actress was fine,” Parker says. “I would’ve copied anything by her.”

  “What’s wrong with bananas?” Piper asks, her wine glass now in her hand, her brow raised at Parker. He shudders at the mention and tilts his beer back, emptying it.

  “I hate fruit in general,” he says, another shudder forcing his shoulders to shake, his glass reaching the table top with a clunk. “I have my own banana.” He points down toward his crotch. “I don’t need another.”

  “Cocky, much?” Piper frowns, shifting in her seat.

  “Always,” he responds, leaning back in the booth without a care in the world. “Fruit’s shit.”

  “Bullshit.” I stroke Letty’s shoulder with my fingers as I face him. “You’ll eat fruit salad.”

  “Okay.” He holds a hand up. “I stand corrected. I hate most fruit in general. Especially if it has a skin. That freaks me out.”

  “You’re a weirdo,” Piper muses, and Parker shrugs.

  “Never claimed to be any different,” he responds, glancing around the room. “Chicks dig it.”

  “Not this one.” Piper scrunches her nose in mock revolt.

  “Or this one.” Letty gestures to herself. “Okay.…” She leans to the side to push her fingers into her bag. “Another drink, or should we Skype Odette?”

  “Skype,” I suggest, rubbing her arm. I know how much Letty misses her sister, which is evident in how quickly she pulls out her phone, eagerly waiting for the others to nod.

  Piper’s phone pings beside her glass, and she lifts it, unlocking the screen to read her message.

  His eyebrow lifts as he sips his beer. “How’s Odette doing over there?” Parker asks Letty, raising his beer to his lips. “Has she secured any puck buddies?”

  “She’s been too overworked to even broach that subject with me.” Letty’s finger swipes across her phone screen.

  Letty pauses from scrolling through her phone to lift her gaze to meet Parker’s. “I would’ve thought while you two had that betting pool going that you might’ve asked. It’s not like you’re shy about anyone else’s love life, Park.”

  I laugh, watching Parker shrug nonchalantly. The cocky bastard.

  “We didn’t have time.” His eyes slide to mine, a mischievous grin forming across his lips. “We were too busy talking about how much of a douche Cole was to you and how we’d wish you guys would get over your sh—.”

  I lean forward and flick his ear, and he flinches back on a yelp. I smile, but inside, my gut is churning in guilt. It’s one thing to know you’ve been a prick, yet another for others to remind you of it. The past scars continue to itch, leaving me feeling raw.

  “Oh, touchy, touchy. You could at least buy me dinner first, you feisty fucker.”

  “Ha, ha.” I lean back and drape my arm over Letty, holding her closer to me. I hope that my touch conveys the warmth that I want her to feel, so she can forget the ice that she was used to for the past few years.

  “Least you have a betting pool going. My conquests keep failing left, right, and centre,” Piper mutters as she stares down at her phone. “Probably what my folks would prefer anyway.…”

  “You okay, hon?” Letty’s eyes lift to her friend, and Piper shrugs.

  “This is Mum trying to invite me over for dinner. We just had another one of those conversations the other day. One where they ask if I’ve seen the light yet, and I tell them that if it isn’t up my lover’s pussy then, no, I haven’t.”

  And with that, Parker spits the beer in his mouth all over the table.

  “Oh, f-f-fuck.” He wheezes, slapping a fist against his chest.

  “Oh, honey.” Piper bats her eyelids. “Did I startle you?” She plucks a napkin from the holder and wipes the spittle off the table near her. “My bad.”

  “I’m never startled,” he jokes, wiping the table down with the cuff of his shirt. “Disappointed in your family, but not startled.”

  “It’s just my mum and siblings. They aren’t all bad.” She scrunches the napkin into a wad. “Just my mum and brother. Single mum upbringing, so she’s worried that my life won’t be successful. She focuses too much on security and being established. My sister is really great. She’s set me up a few times with her single gay friends.” She flicks the wad to near her glass. “I think I’d solve everyone’s problems if I was a lady of leisure up north. I could be in Darwin, relaxing. All tanned, heels, and a kaftan. No bills, as everything would be paid for by my special lady.”

  “You hate heels.” Letty smirks, her eager finger poised, ready to hit the green button and connect with her sister.

  “Yeah, but I could pretend. Block all the bad shit away.”

  “You okay?” Letty repeats, and Piper gives her a wink.

  “Yeah. I’m going to tell her that I can come for dinner, but I’m on a no-carb, no-dairy diet, to piss her off. She’ll struggle with working out what to cook.” She smiles, but her lips are strained.

  A small silence follows, and I clear my throat, adding, “Good plan.”

  “Can I just call my sister already?” Letty pipes up, eager to call her sister. “She’s been so busy lately. I need to see that her arsehole boss hasn’t completely drained her.”

  “Maybe she’s dating him,” Piper suggests, but Letty shakes her head.

  “Nooo,” she drawls. “For starters, he’s her best friend’s brother, and secondly, he’s a big dickhead.”

  “Yeah, dating the boss is, like, totally cliché.’” Parker twirls his finger in the air, and I grab a coaster from the table and flick it at him. Letty’s phone rings as she dials her sister. She raises the screen to her face, and her smile instantly lights up as Odette picks up.

  “Hey lady!” she shrieks, waving at the screen. The screen moves out, and she tilts it so we can all gather around, trying to put our faces into the screen.

  “Hey, everyone!” Odette waves, sitting at a table. Her curls jiggle by her face as she laughs. She adjusts her earphones and continues, “What’s going on?”

  “We’re at the pub!” Letty reaches for her wine glass and holds it up to the screen. “Bet you’re jelly.”

  “It’s freaking seven a.m. here, hon. I think if I was at t
he pub, I’d be looking a lot worse for wear.”

  Letty holds the phone closer to her and curls her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes squint toward the screen. “You don’t look like you’ve even slept.”

  “I haven’t really. It’s been a massive couple of weeks. Got a few more clients to keep track of.”

  “Did that idiot boss put you on babysitting duty again?”

  “It’s not babysitting, it’s career managing.”

  “But—,” Letty tries to interject, but Parker grabs the phone to face it toward him.

  “Hey, sweet cheeks.” He winks at the phone. “I told you to use that haemorrhoid cream that I sent you. The one I sampled on my butt first.”

  “Piss off, nut job.”

  “You miss me. Admit it,” he coos, puckering his lips in an air kiss to the screen. If a stranger were looking in on their exchange, they’d think he was getting his flirt on. But this is how he is with everyone who has boobs. Absolutely shameless.

  “Um, nope.” She laughs along with Parker, but his back sits against the bench seat as if he’s been pushed. His eyes freeze on the screen. He looks like he’s been electrocuted.

  “You all right, mate?” I nudge his side over Letty’s shoulder, but he ignores me.

  “Oh, h-hey.” He stumbles, lifting his other hand in an awkward wave before turning abruptly to us. “Um, I’ll pass you onto your sister. I’m going to get a drink.”

  Letty takes her phone back from him, and I see Anja, Odette’s housemate, standing next to her.

  “Hey guys.” Anja’s rich Canadian drawl sounds, and we greet her back. All except Parker, who’s somehow managed to jump out of the booth and race to the bar faster than a lightning strike. Interesting.

  While Odette has long blonde curls, green eyes, and a creamy complexion, Anja has rich, dark-coloured skin. Her dark eyes and red mouth hold a serious yet mischievous glint. She studied in Melbourne many years ago, when she met Odette, and they lived together.

  I moved my arm from Letty’s shoulder so she could maneuverer her phone in front of us.