Tuct Side - 26. Chapter 20

Neil Morterero stepped out of a white SUV, his ever-present scowl in place, along with Jorge, a very familiar-looking man, and a dark-haired, pale-complexioned woman West has never seen before. She was quite the gorgeous, outstanding figure, her light blue dress sparkling from all the rhinestones. Her ruby lips curled into a small, appreciative smile as the man West quickly deduced to be Javier Rabellino took her by the hand and closed her door for her.

Javier, the football coach at Humberston and Neil’s older cousin, was just as handsome as his picture depicted. Black hair slicked back, a form-fitting tuxedo, sunglasses, and multiple tattoos that ran down his neck and across what little he could see of his chest. Of course, his face would look similar to Jorge’s, who owned the black-tie form.

However, it was not enough to draw his attention away from the best-looking one of the bunch. It was utterly strange to see someone as huge and brooding as Neil dressed up in a tux. The suit did nothing to hinder his well-built figure. The black and white clashed formidably well with his untouched hair and pale skin. And those lightning blue eyes, the only other color on him, stood out so clear, they only made them shine brighter despite it being the middle of the day.

“Jus?”

West reluctantly pulled his sight from his alluring rival to find Justin’s mom leading the main couple of the day toward them. One was familiar while the other was brand new.

“White, blond… well, basically, you, but Christian.”

“Blond, popular, and just about good with everyone he met.

Justin and Theresa were not kidding when they compared the two. Malachi Withers could have pretended to be West’s older brother, and nobody would have been any the wiser. The only big differences were his greater height, the black studs in his ears, and the beginnings of what might be a stream of tattoos on his left hand, the probable rest covered by his tux.

“Hey, Cyn!”

Cynthia Shoemaker strode forward past her fiancé and Jenna, widening her arms for a hug. Justin immediately took the initiative, eagerly jumping into his cousin’s arms and lifting her off the ground.

“Hey, all of you!” Cynthia spoke as Justin put her down. “Sorry for being a stranger. I haven’t seen you guys in years.”

In all honesty, she didn’t look that much different from when they were kids. It was just unusual to see her dolled up in womanly clothing. Her white gown was made for royalty, cascading down to her high heels that she had no trouble walking in. Her brown hair, usually always straight no matter the occasion, was curled, pearled up, and tied up in a bun.

Hazel eyes glittered with joy and a hint of sadness, believing the radio silence was all her fault. However, West was not in the least angry with her, and it seemed Kaspar and Finn were far from bitter as well, the three of them not waiting for Justin to back up as they enveloped her in a tight group hug.

“Malachi,” Jenna called out from somewhere behind them. “Come meet a few of Justin’s friends. Cynthia’s known them since she was a teenager, I believe. Just because she was a girl didn’t mean she wasn’t one of the boys.”

“It’s been a while, Cynthie,” West beamed at her. “Oh. Congrats on the whole marriage thing, by the way.”

Cynthia returned the expression, studying each boy from head to toe. “Well, you guys certainly got bigger.”

Kaspar scoffed. “So did you. In that dress and all.”

“Hey, watch it,” Malachi stepped forward, the words – blessed with a New York accent – devoid of anger judging from the amused smile on his face. “That’s my future wife you’re talking to.”

West stuck a hand out to him. “You must be the husband-to-be. I’m West Kuttner, this is my cousin, Kaspar Dedekind, and my friend Finn Casbald. And I’m sure you already met Justin. Cynthie’s our favorite cousin of his.”

Malachi shook it and nodded. “Yeah, I know th’ feeling. She’s my favorite, too. And I know all about you kids. Not only are you boys famous around here, but you’re also one of her favorite bedtime stories.”

“You think about us in bed?” Justin narrowed his eyes at her cousin, a teasing grin on his face.

“Justin!” his mom gave him a reprimanding look, but he only ignored it.

His dad, though, seemed to find it funny, spinning his head away from his wife to hold in a bout of laughter.

Cynthia playfully smacked her cousin’s arm. “Not like that. Just sharing memories whenever they pop in the ol’ noggin.”

“At least you haven’t forgotten about us,” Finn said.

“Never. As long as Big-mouth here is there to talk my ear off every week.”

Justin winked. “It’s in the job description, baby.”

The couple then spoke of how they met. One Saturday afternoon, Cynthia had run out of gas somewhere in Idaho City and was about to call one of her parents when Malachi appeared out of nowhere. At least, that was what it felt like. Turned out, she had stopped right in front of the church he owned.

West recalled a time before he and his boys entered junior high when he asked Cynthia what high school was like.

“The girls were too catty for my liking and the guys thought I was a lesbian, but that didn’t stop them from panting after me like dogs,” she had responded.

Given that, he thought it would be impossible for any man to charm their way into Cynthia’s heart, but apparently, she’d never met anybody like Malachi before. The man had a way with words, which came with the package of being a pastor. It did take a few weeks but get under her skin he did. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t the average woman, finding no entertainment in shopping or makeup. It was her strong but relaxed personality that did it for him.

Eventually, Jorge, Neil, and the others joined in the conversation, the former giving loud greetings to everyone and congratulating the to-be-wedded couple. This time, West couldn’t stop himself from taking glances at his adversary. He was being a bit obvious about it, but he blamed it on the boy who had no business being that… beautiful. The woman next to him got her appreciative looks, but it was nothing compared to the constant head-turner that was Neil Morterero.

The noirette was silent as the others chatted, looking more frustrated as time went on. At one point, West caught him side-eyeing him, taking in the blond before frowning even more and looking away.

“I wish there was more time t’ talk but we’ve got a wedding to get to,” Malachi peeked at his phone. “Talk to ya guys more during the reception?”

“Damn,” Jorge’s shoulders slumped. “We just got here, bro.”

“Sorry, man. I put a ring on my girl for a reason.”

Cynthia waved everybody farewell, and Malachi shook the boys’ hands before heading off. Jorge followed them to the car, speaking to them as they walked away. Something overcame West at that moment, unsatisfied with just ogling Neil from a distance.

He took a few steps toward him and brightened his smile. “Hey, Neil.”

Neil’s responding deep, gruff sigh was expected, but his eyes were… softer than usual. “Flower Boy.”

West felt his face flush. “I didn’t, uh, expect you to show up here.”

“Well, the reason why we’re has just left, so we’re dippin’ out,” he went to step back but was stopped by Javier placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh, don’t be like that, cous,” his tone was as upbeat as his brother’s. “We can stay for just a few. Besides, I’d like to meet your new, Patriot friends. You are friends, right.”

“We have each other’s phone numbers,” West answered cheekily before Neil could reply, earning a furious glare from the latter.

Though, he remained silent.

“Still counts,” Javier shrugged before palming his chest. “My name’s Javier Rabellino. I’m Mr. Impatience’s cousin. Jorge, over there, is my little shit brother. But we’re all one, big lovin’ family, I swear.”

West nodded and turned to look at the woman, who has yet to say a word, standing in the background beside Neil. “And who’s this?”

The woman suddenly flinched at being addressed directly, her shoulders tensing.

“Oh, this” Javier backpedaled, wrapping an arm around the lady, “is my beautiful girl, Valeria.”

Valeria’s face went red as her eyes found interest in the grass. West took in the couple. They were opposites, that was for sure. Valeria was certainly a timid one, but it was as if her boyfriend genuinely forgot she was there. She was essentially a trophy girl.

“He’s right. You look stunning in that dress, Miss.”

She smiled lightly, shaking the blond’s hand in gratitude. “Thank you.”

“So, how do you-” Justin went to ask her but was cut off by Javier.

“I bet you guys can’t wait for the season t’ start. Our dude here can’t wait either,” he pointed a thumb at Neil. “The Jiving Four combined with Neil Morterero will bring you guys to the championship for the next three years, I bet.”

“I’m not disagreeing here.” West peered at his rival, whose face darkened.

“Well, he’ll need to keep up if he’s gonna roll with us,” Kaspar quipped, eyes tapered to irritated slits.

Neil returned the glower. “I think I can do that just fine. Just ask your boy here.”

Javier laughed heartily, oblivious to the growing tension. “Trust me. You’ll be askin’ him to join when you see what he’s made of. They’ll be callin’ you the Jiving Five from now on.”

“Meh. Doesn’t flow too well,” Kaspar shook his head.

Justin hummed in agreement. “Yeah, sounds a bit weird.”

“What? You gotta admit it sounds catchy.”

“The whole thing sounds corny as shit, anyway,” Neil scoffed as he turned away from them. “Let’s go. I gotta date t’ catch.”

Javier’s eyebrows lifted. “You gotta girl now? I thought you were done with that Nora chick.”

“We weren’t datin’ in the first place! She’s-”

Neil shut his mouth, remembering he had an audience. West almost encouraged him to continue, wanting to know more about his relationship with the girl. They were around each other most of the time whenever he saw them in school, but there was barely any evidence to suggest that they were dating, which is what West and his teammates thought as well. Nora was like a balm to Neil’s rage, an anchor to pull him back from the depths of his dark moods. It was a surprise to West to discover that that actually made him a bit jealous.

He needed to ask Finn about it more.

“Forget it,” the noirette shook his head and stomped off. “Let’s just go!”

At that moment, Jorge returned from wherever he was, staring at his passing cousin in confusion. “Woah, what? Are we leavin’ already?”

Javier shrugged, smirking at the retreating boy. “Kid has a date. A girl, probably. You know how tight he is with th’ girls.”

West watched in awe as Jorge’s typically laidback expression twisted up into a brief sneer, indignation coming off him in waves. “It better be a girl. Shit, we just got here.”

The blond could only imagine his face looked like that when he spat at Neil’s mother earlier today. Everyone had an ugly side, but some belonged less to a person than others.

“Can never say no to your boy, can you? Come on, Val,” Javier led her toward the SUV, waving at the others goodbye.

Jorge sighed, his crossness seeping out with the exhalation. “Sorry ‘bout that, Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker. Let’s speak more at the reception, yeah?”

The Shoemakers had been so quiet West honestly thought they had slipped away unnoticed. Instead, they had been watching the interaction between the boys and the Rabellinos closely. Who knew what they grasped from it?

“Oh, um,” Jenna stammered. “Yes, we’ll be delighted to.”

Jorge turned his gaze to the boys as he walked backward. “You guys, too. We’re all becomin’ one big family here!”

“Awesome,” Kaspar muttered

West ignored him and waved. “See you guys later!”

Surprisingly, but to the blond’s delight, Neil gave him one last once over before they drove off.

West: Ur cousin’s pretty cool

West: Javier I mean

West: Not tht Jorge isn’t cool

West: Wen do we meet the girlfriend?

Neil: That wut he told u?

West: Not a girl?

Neil: Nobody im gonna b fuckin