To Call My Life My Own

“Goodnight Cammy, Goodnight Mack,” Willem murmured.

He waited until the twins had sleepily replied before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. When he re-entered the kitchen, Lucy had already poured them a large glass of wine each. She’s a good best friend.

“So…are you gonna tell me why you’ve been avoiding me today?” Willem asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No?” Lucy offered.

Willem sighed. It was true then. Lucy had been avoiding him. He’d noticed right from breakfast that Lucy was talking more to his sisters than him, but it was when he tried to talk to her alone after lunch that she made excuses to do something else. And at least he knew the truth now. But why?

“I’ll take my wine back,” Willem warned.

“Not the wine!” Lucy squeaked.

“Then ‘fess up, Lu!” Willem exasperated.

“But…”

She trailed off, biting her bottom lip. Willem narrowed his eyes.

“But what?” he prompted.

“But you’ll be mad at me!” Lucy pouted.

Seriously?

“What did you do?” Willem sighed.

Lucy hesitated, but Willem stared her down until she gave in.

“Fine! I spoke to Noah. About, y’know, what happened the other night,” she admitted.

What the fuck?! She went behind his back like that?!

“Hey, woah, calm down,” Lucy protested.

“Calm down? Why the fuck should I calm down, Lu? You knew I was embarrassed and yet you gossiped with him about it anyway?” Willem seethed.

How could she do this to him?

“Hey, it wasn’t gossiping. I just wanted to find out what really happened, and from his point of view. He said you said you thought he was cute when he blushed. He also said that you ran. And he looked really dejected by it,”

“Dejected?”

Noah was upset?

“Yeah. I think he actually likes you, Will. Just like you like him,” Lucy nodded.

Shit.

Well that wasn’t what he was expecting to hear.

Willem took a long gulp of his wine, before raising his head to look at his best friend.

“Why would he like me?” Willem whispered.

Lucy frowned.

“Because you’re gorgeous, the best big brother ever and a sweetheart? You always make sure to have a conversation with him not at him, and you don’t treat him like he’s stupid for only have a high school education?” Lucy offered.

“But he doesn’t even know me,” Willem protested.

“He’s seen you every Saturday morning for the last three years and knows about your mom and how you raise the twins. That counts as something,” Lucy pointed out.

Willem chewed his bottom lip, processing her words. What Lucy said couldn’t be true, right? Noah, the most adorable boy he’d ever met, couldn’t like him, right?

“Just think about it, Will. Noah’s a sweet boy. He might be good for you,” Lucy said softly.

“I don’t deserve someone like him,” Willem muttered.

What could he possibly give someone as pure and as sweet as Noah? Bitterness? The responsibility of childcare? Grouchy mornings? Yeah, he was a real catch.

“Honey, you deserve everything this world has to give. You’ve given up your life for the twins – maybe it’s time to take a little bit of that life back,” Lucy said firmly.

“But…”

“No buts. Unless it’s his butt. Drink your wine and just think about it, please?” Lucy interrupted.

Willem sighed but nodded, knowing better than to argue. More wine could only help, right?

As the bottle slowly got emptier, and Lucy’s rambles required less and less input from him, Willem drifted into his own thoughts, thoughts about Noah. The sweet, shy, blushing, dimple-cheeked bakery boy who somehow managed to become an integral part of his life without even trying. Noah was part of his sister’s life as well as his already…so would it really be such a bad thing to make that part a little bigger?

Could he really take that chance?