5

Liliana

Three months later

Julian and I parked at the senior home, and I noticed Alistair's car already there.

"I didn't know Alistair was coming today," I said.

"Didn't I tell you?" Julian replied. "It was his idea, actually."

We planned to take our grandfathers to the park for lunch and some time outdoors. Dave's memory had been slowly declining over the past three months since his birthday. While my grandpa's memory remained intact, seeing Dave's health decline was tough on him too. We hoped the outing would lift their spirits.

Julian had called me right after his grandfather's party, and we'd been seeing each other ever since.

Love had never been easy for me. After a series of men who cheated, lied, or had anger issues, I decided to take a break from dating.

I tried not to let those experiences make me think all men were bad or that something was wrong with me. Maybe I was just unlucky in love.

So when I discovered Alistair was married, I wasn't surprised. Meeting Julian, however, made me feel like my luck was finally changing.

I just hoped dishonesty and infidelity weren't family traits.

Julian was affectionate and fun-loving, always the center of attention wherever we went.

I enjoyed his company, but I wasn't sure if he was the one for me yet. We were still in the early stages of getting to know each other.

As I joined Julian outside, he wrapped his arm around me and kissed my temple. We headed towards the entrance, and through the glass doors, I saw Alistair. He looked deep in thought, perhaps upset about something.

Since I started dating Julian, I'd glimpsed Alistair a few times but never had a chance to speak to him alone. I didn't have much to say to him after our initial meeting, and I hoped I wouldn't have to see him again.

It made things awkward with Julian. I hadn't mentioned giving Alistair my phone number. Bringing up Alistair's past as a cheater and liar wasn't a conversation I wanted to have with Julian, so I avoided the topic altogether.

Yet every time I saw Alistair, there was a lingering attraction between us that I couldn't deny, and it seemed like he felt it too from the way he looked at me.

It was frustrating. His presence stirred up feelings in me that I didn't want because they were always followed by guilt. I had to remind myself that I was with Julian now.

Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the park by the lake where ducks swam peacefully. Our grandfathers sat at a picnic table near some benches, with my grandpa joking about catching a duck to cook over a campfire because he was so hungry.

I chuckled and kissed my grandpa's head. "Let's spare the ducks, Grandpa. Lunch is right over there." I pointed to a nearby food truck. "Tell me what you want, and I'll go order."

"I'll come with to help carry," Alistair offered, falling into step beside me as we headed towards the food truck.

I glanced around, hoping to spot Julian so I wouldn't have to be alone with Alistair.

Julian was off in the distance, engrossed in a phone call again. Lately, he'd been distracted, often stepping away to take calls or reply to messages.

"You don't have to," I said to Alistair, hoping he'd understand the hint.

Alistair nodded with a gentle smile that made my stomach flutter. I disliked how my body reacted to him.

"Thanks," I replied, feeling a bit awkward.

Just having him walk beside me brought back memories of the night we first met, standing so close between our cars.

The attraction was undeniable. Somehow, he had become even more attractive in the past few months, though there was a hint of tiredness around his eyes.

After placing our order, Alistair and I sat down on a nearby bench to wait. He rested his hand on his thigh—a thigh that looked great in his faded denim jeans—and I found myself staring at it for a moment before realizing why it bothered me.

He wasn't wearing his wedding ring anymore. There was still a mark on his finger where it had been, the skin slightly lighter, as if he had only recently taken it off.

Alistair noticed me looking at his hand and raised it, slowly moving his fingers while gazing at it.

"I wonder how long this mark will last," he said with a soft laugh. "I guess five years is a long time to have it hidden from the sun." He rubbed the lighter ring of skin, as if trying to erase the difference.

"Five years, huh?" I murmured, feeling a bit numb.

I had never asked Julian about Alistair's wife, and he had never volunteered any information.

"Yeah. The divorce will be finalized before we reach six," he said quietly.

"Oh. Divorce."

"What happened?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed.

He sighed. "It was a long time coming. The divorce process was already underway three months ago, when we met. I just hadn't taken my ring off yet."

My stomach tightened, and my chest felt heavy.

He was already in the process of divorcing when we met? So we could have—

"Alistair, Julian seems really into you," he said. "And you seem into him too."

I didn't know how to respond. I was still processing the revelation that Alistair was going through a divorce when we first met.

And now he was talking about his brother's feelings for me.

"Julian is a great guy," I said, forcing a smile.

Alistair nodded, studying me.

"So things are going well?" His gaze was intense, and I tried not to show how much his dark eyes affected me.

My thoughts raced. How were things with Julian? They were good, right?

"Pretty well, I guess," I replied, trying to smile genuinely. "He's fun to be around."

"He sure is," Alistair said, his tone not quite approving. "Lots of fun."

I knew Julian didn't visit Dave as often as Alistair did. And Julian drank more than I had expected when we started dating. He had missed some dates with me because he went out with coworkers from the dealership, celebrating this or that, and ended up too intoxicated to do anything. Julian could be unreliable at times, but he had a good heart.

Julian's voice cut through our conversation, pulling our attention.

"There you guys are! Let's eat by the pond." He gestured eagerly, prompting Alistair to meet my gaze for a moment before rising to fetch food and drinks.

I followed, my heart racing. Guilt lingered, along with my unshakable attraction to Alistair.

We settled on the grass near the pond. When Alistair casually sat beside me, I felt a prickling awareness of his proximity.

I tried to focus on eating, nodding along to the conversation swirling around us.

"You alright? You seem quiet," Julian observed, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine," I replied a bit too cheerfully. "Just zoning out, I guess."

Avoiding Alistair's gaze, I sensed his eyes on me. Julian frowned briefly but let it pass, returning to the group's chatter.

Being near Alistair felt like tempting fate, especially now that he was divorced. But I couldn't resist the pull, no matter how hard I fought it.

After our park conversation, I tried to act normal as we spent the afternoon exploring downtown.

Our grandfathers wanted to shop a bit, so we retrieved Dave's wheelchair from the car and leisurely strolled through the bustling streets of the main business district.

The sidewalks buzzed with people enjoying the pleasant weather. Julian was frequently stopped by acquaintances, delaying our progress as he networked and discussed potential career moves.

Once, he disappeared for twenty minutes, catching up with us later to share that the Mercedes dealership was trying to poach him from Audi due to his stellar sales figures.

As he discussed opportunities, Alistair nodded and offered support. But as Julian emphasized potential earnings, Alistair glanced at me and rolled his eyes.

We both laughed softly and tried to pretend we were amused about something else.

Julian stopped to talk to someone again and waved us on. I gave up on the idea that he’d be actually spending time with us.

I tried not to let my irritation show.

Julian had done his own thing all day. I also noticed that Alistair hadn’t left my side. And I didn’t miss how every time Julian got close to me or showed me some attention, Alistair got quiet, sometimes even glaring at him.

Alistair fell into step beside me, hands tucked casually in his pockets.

"Gorgeous today," he commented.

I snuck a glance in his direction to see him gazing at me.

He cleared his throat, “It’s a nice day for walking around.”

I felt my face heat up as I nodded. "Yeah, perfect day for exploring the city," I managed to reply breezily.

I admired hisbroad shouldersand the way his shirt clung to his muscular frame.

Stop ogling him. You're with Julian.

As we squeezed past the large tour group getting out of a bus, Alistair gently nudged me towards the buildings, away from the busy street. His arm brush against my back, and my body shuddered at the touch.

Before I knew it, he was walking on the street side while I was closer to the buildings, shielded from the traffic.

I glanced up at him, but he just continued chatting casually with his broad frame angled slightly towards me.

It was a simple gesture, but I appreciated how thoughtful he was without making a big show of it. I couldn't remember the last time a man had taken such care to make sure I felt safe.

He was still carrying the bag of things my grandpa bought at the drugstore after taking it from my hand when I needed to retie my shoe. I’d gone to take it back, but he’d waved me off.

He kept stepping up when Julian didn’t even seem to notice. Or care. The difference between them was painfully obvious.

Two brothers couldn’t be any more different than they were. I’d been right in my first impressions of both of them. Alistair was the storm to Julian’s sunshiny day. The steady rock to Julian’s airy, fluffy clouds.

And I felt so guilty for wanting the brother who seemed intent on quietly caring for me in all the small ways that mattered.

We approached a new art gallery my grandpa wanted to go into. After Grandpa pushed Dave into the gallery, Alistair held the door for me to walk in.

“More of that chivalry, huh?” I said. “You can’t blame it on my hands being full this time.”

“You caught me,” he said with a broad smile as I walked through the doorway and glanced back at him.

It reminded me of the last time he had held the door open for me.

Stop it.What the hell was wrong with me?

Later, when we were going through the gallery, Julian finally joined us. Dave needed to use the bathroom, so Julian and Alistair went with him in case he needed help getting out of his wheelchair.

For the first time, Grandpa and I were alone, looking at a sculpture of something . . . lumpy.

“What is that supposed to be?” he asked, squinting at the title card.

I read it out loud. “Deconstruction of Emotional Resistance.”

“What the fuck?” he said softly, the pitch going up at the end. I laughed a little too loudly, but his sentiment matching mine perfectly caught me off guard.

“I have no idea, Grandpa.”

"He's not exactly a Michelangelo masterpiece," he whispered, and we both chuckled. He took my hand and held it as we slowly wandered through more perplexing artworks.

"Liliana, it's amusing watching both of your admirers vying for your attention," he remarked playfully, though his eyes held a hint of seriousness.

I scoffed. "What? You know I'm with Julian, right?"

"I know. And he's buzzing around like a bee, hoping you'll notice how popular and in-demand he is."

Was that really Julian's intention? I was starting to think he was just self-centered and a bit rude. But I kept my thoughts to myself.

"He's a busy guy," I replied instead.

"Maybe he doesn't realize his brother is stepping in, doing all the things he should be doing," Grandpa said, smiling at me before squinting at a monochromatic painting. "It's quite entertaining. Except it's not so fun to see Alistair so moody sometimes, especially when he thinks Julian is neglecting you."

"You must be getting bored making up these stories," I teased him. "They're just brothers, and you know how brothers can be. Nothing more to it."

He gave me a skeptical look. "I know sibling rivalry when I see it." Then he squeezed my hand and raised his eyebrows. "But both Dave and I wonder if you're with the right one."

The guys returned just in time, sparing me from responding. Julian wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek. I smiled at him, only to catch Alistair glaring at me when I glanced back.