It wasn’t quite the conversation Avery had ever expected to have with his brother. James, who had just turned fourteen and was in the midst of his first term at Eton, had been unusually quiet for the first week that Avery and his boys had been at home. No one seemed to think much of it; James was a quiet boy by nature, the shyer version of Avery (their looks were so similar that strangers often mistook them for twins, despite the fact that James was slimmer and shorter—though not by much). He was a spectacular pianist, a beautiful painter, and incredibly patient. Perhaps his personality was the result of having two louder siblings and being smack in the middle, but most people agreed that it was just James’ way.
Despite his shy demeanor, James and Avery were close. One evening after dinner, James tugged on his brother’s sleeve. “Can I speak with you for a moment?” he asked, his voice so quiet he might have been attempting not to have been heard at all. Avery nodded and followed him up the stairs and to his room.
“I’ve got something to tell you, but I don’t quite know how to say it,” he said, twisting his slender fingers together.
“What’s up?” Avery asked him, sitting down on James’ bed. Eton had been cruel to Avery, but James was not thrown into it with an older, more dangerous boy, was he? He wasn’t entirely worried, but Avery had been through more than his brother probably knew, and would be there for him no matter the situation.
“There’s a boy—a boy at school.”
“You aren’t being bullied, are you?”
“No! No, it’s nothing like that. It’s the opposite, actually.” Avery studied James’ face, watched his darker skin turn pink. And then he knew—well, he didn’t know, but he had a very good idea.
“You fancy him?”
James looked at his brother as if this admission would cost him the position on the cricket team, but he nodded.
“Does he know?”
James nodded again and walked closer, sitting down on the bed. This time, he dropped his voice to a whisper and clasped his hands together. “He kissed me.”
Avery’s eyes widened, lighting up immediately. “Did you kiss him back?” Again, James nodded.
“Why are you so upset? He didn’t run off after, did he?”
“Oh, no! See—that’s the thing. We’re… Like you and… and Jake and Jack. Together. A boyfriend.” At the word ‘boyfriend’, James had turned so delightfully pink that he appeared to glow. Avery was glowing, too, but for entirely different reasons.
“That’s lovely! Does Mum know? When did it happen? Why are you so embarrassed?”
But James was shaking his head, his ice blue eyes wide. “No. I don’t know.”
“Aren’t you happy?”
Ah, there it went. James grinned. “More than ever! Well, I miss him...”
Avery gave him a playful shove. “Stop being such a pansy and go tell Mum! She’ll send out engraved announcements.”
James look horrified.
“Only joking! Mum won’t tell anyone if you don’t want her to. You know she won’t care that you’re gay—look at me! If anything, she’ll pray for Bess to be gay, too.”
His brother looked so painfully nervous that Avery almost winced. “I’ll go with,” he volunteered, whispering to keep the confidentiality.
“You will?”
“’Course! It’s my duty as your older brother.”
Standing up, Avery grabbed James’ hand and pulled him to his feet. Their height difference was so subtle that Avery knew he was going to be overshadowed by the time the term was up. It was a slightly daunting thought, but he could handle it. He was just glad that his brother was finally opening himself up, even if it was slightly disconcerting that he was reluctant to do so. Baby steps.
“Your boyfriend isn’t going to go off and break your heart, is he?” Avery asked, continuing his duty.
“No! Never. He promised me.”
“You asked?”
“I don’t fancy being beaten about like you were,” James said, smirking.
“Thanks.” Avery slung an arm around his shoulders. “Still fancy Jack?”
James turned white. Oh, it was the beginning of a beautiful new brotherhood.