The ceiling's pot lights illuminated the condo as Kieran stepped inside. He tossed his keys in the wooden bowl on the simple black table near the door, tucked his boots out of sight, and hung up his leather jacket in the closet alongside the ones Jake had organized by colour. Kieran had half a mind to stick his chestnut one in the middle of the tan collection to piss Jake off but left it on his own side instead. The temporary satisfaction wouldn't outweigh the lecture.

A string of curses echoed from the office, so Kieran took his time wandering through their living room and toward the kitchen. Bags and bags of oranges covered the dark, speckled counter. Were those there earlier tonight? Perhaps Jake was getting into a juice craze or he was testing new features on his most recent app. Kieran shook off the question and filled a glass of cold water from the stainless steel fridge.

He had consumed little alcohol since taking shots with the tall, hot pizza chick at the bar, but he'd drunk enough before meeting her to make it easier to flirt with Brinny, although it had backfired despite their closeness. He smiled, picturing the earlier part of the night.

All the details seared into his memory: the softness of her blond hair between his fingertips, the intoxicating scent of strawberries that wafted from her neck, her gentle caressing hand on his beard. Her lips, so close he could have tasted them. Her crochet crop top driving him wild, his fingers rejoicing against her bare shoulders and stomach as they danced together, and the plunging neckline exciting him every time he glanced down.

Her simple questions had unravelled their connection. 

"What are we doing, Kier?" 

He'd wished it were a coy question, a lead-up to a night he'd longed for as long as they'd known each other, but her eyes searched his like she hadn't been flirting up to this moment.

"What I've wanted to do for two years."

She pulled back. "But what does that mean for us?"

Us. 

His throat choked despite the countless times he'd imagined this conversation. It had been three years since that word had real significance in his life. His throat grew tighter.

Later, he devised half a dozen replies that would have impressed her, but in the moment, he chose, "Let's get a drink, and we'll talk about it. Whiskey sour?"

Her forced smile, the way she'd picked at the skin on her thumb, and that far-off look in her eyes all flashed like warning signs in his memory, but he'd chalked it up to her nerves matching his. She'd also stayed behind. When he returned with their drinks to find her sitting at a tall table, she was texting. He slid her drink to her and took a seat on the tiny, uncomfortable bar stool. 

"So uh... us?" He sipped his Jack and Coke, hoping the alcohol would loosen his tongue.

"It was a stupid question. Forget I asked." 

Her phone buzzed, and Cole's name appeared on the screen. When had she changed it to that from Lying Dick?

"Cole's in the city and wants to talk. So, I'll set you free." She smiled, but it seemed forced. "The club is your oyster, Kier. No shortage of women who want commitment-less fun."  

She'd sipped her drink long enough for a smarter man to challenge her or reel her back in, but it stung too much that she hadn't even waited for his response before agreeing to see an ex who'd treated her like shit. 

"Text me if you need anything."

She shook her head and shuffled off, her flowy, flowered skirt swaying in her wake.

Someday he'd learn, but not today.

While he hadn't found anyone to bring home, he had met Pizza Chick, and she was chill for a person who hated sex or never wanted it or whatever she'd said. As unexpected as she was, he'd enjoyed their conversation and wished it hadn't ended so quickly. 

When the office seemed quiet, Kieran wandered in to find his brother sitting at his L-shaped desk behind his three computer monitors. "Hey, baby bro."

His brother scrunched his nose and typed away without looking up. "You know I want you to call me Jake."

"We want many things in life, but it doesn't mean we get them."

Jake stared at his middle monitor with narrowed eyes then started typing again. "So you were rejected and are taking it out on me."

"Not rejected as much as ditched for a far worse option."

Jake rubbed his short brown hair. "And that surprises you?"

Kieran sat in the older, worn-out office chair and gave it a spin. "I thought tonight would be different." Brinny had invaded his space more, laughed at all his jokes, and danced with him like more than a friend. It had been a while since she'd done that.

"It's basic pattern recognition. Brinny relies on your friendship until the opportunity for a relationship arises. You never offer her that, so she seeks more romantically dependable options."

His brother was right, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

"I'm always there for her. That's better than any boyfriend she's had. And I've heard about them all." He listened, despite hating it, to search for clues of what she liked and avoided.

Jake looked up from the screen. "Why don't you ask her out? You act like her boyfriend, and you're not involved with anyone else. There's no valid reason to keep torturing yourself. by avoiding that conversation."

Kieran wasn't opposed to it, but when the topic arose, he turned into a flustered mess and had to bail or change the subject. He'd hoped the alcohol would help, but Brinny took it the wrong way. "It's not as easy as it sounds."

"I can't say I blame you. She's self-absorbed, and we've lived with those types of people."

That was the closest Jake would get to mentioning the parents they'd moved away from two years ago. They weren't perfect, but Kieran missed them and the days when they had more of a community of cousins, aunts, and uncles too. He considered calling them, but he'd promised his brother otherwise when Jake had offered Kieran a home away from home. It wouldn't help to argue with him now.

"She's not that bad." Most conversations revolved around her, but to be fair, her life was more exciting. When he wasn't with Brinny, Kieran worked full-time for a family-run electrical company and hung out with his brother. Hardly a noteworthy life.

"You'll figure it out. Do you have a minute to test my new update?"

Knowing the drill, Kieran dug through his pocket and surrendered his phone for Jake to install whatever feature of his app it was he'd spent the past few days obsessing over. His latest creation was a nutrition app to help people keep track of the nutrients they were taking in and make better choices when shopping. Jake always mentioned Kieran should follow its advice more closely, but Kieran wasn't about to give up his junk-food binges. Some simple joys in life were worth keeping.

"Thanks. Could you scan each of the oranges in the kitchen to see if the nutritional facts and information match the descriptions on the counter?"

"That sounds like a job for a sober person."

Jake's phone beeped at him, and he sighed and stood. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do it myself."

"Movement reminder?" Kieran teased. "Sucks to be foiled by your creations, doesn't it?"

"At least I can adjust them to meet my needs. Did you put your alcohol consumption into the app?"

Kieran laughed. "Oh yeah, right after each shot."

Jake smiled for a moment before staring at Kieran's smirk and frowning. "My users love the hydration feature. It helps them avoid headaches and hangovers."

"I'm sure your mini-mes adore it. But I'm not your user. I'm your older brother. I'll deal with the consequences tomorrow."

As he left the room, Jake muttered. "So will I."

Kieran followed him to the kitchen as Jake's words slowly soaked in. It would be nice to wake up without a pounding headache. He filled up the glass he'd left on the counter. After he sipped his water, he said, "I met someone you might like at the club tonight."

"I doubt that." Jake turned the lights to their maximum brightness and scanned the naval oranges.

"She was what's the word—not into sex."

"Asexual, celibate?"

"The first one."

Jake glanced up from the phone screen. "Really, and you met her at the bar?"

Kieran finished another sip of water. "She was there with friends. So asexuality is a real thing then?"

Jake snorted. "What? You thought a woman invented an entire identity just to reject you?"

"No, I didn't realize that was possible. She's crushing hard on her friend, but she doesn't care at all if they sleep together. Isn't that weird?"

Jake returned to tap through more features of his app. "I think it's strange that people care more about that than working fulfilling jobs or being remembered through their accomplishments."

"Some of us are born mediocre and need the validation of others to boost our ego."

"You could excel at your job if you committed to it."

Kieran shrugged. It paid the bills and helped Jake with the mortgage, but it wasn't his life's passion. He wasn't sure what that was anymore. Jake immersed himself in his interests, the current one being nutrition and the effects on body and brain performance, and by comparison, Kieran never felt he cared that much about anything.

Jake frowned at his device. "It's still mixing up the Cara Cara and navel oranges."

Kieran saw little difference between the two fruits next to Jake, so he doubted a phone camera could.

"Is it that important?"

"Cara Cara oranges have twenty percent more vitamin C and thirty percent more Vitamin A, which is a significant distinction." Jake sighed.

"I don't think anyone cares as much as you do. Plus, wouldn't someone know what they've bought or be staring at a sign in a store? They could select it from a pop-up."

"That's... not a half-bad idea. Thank you."

Jake ran off, not seeming to care that he still had Kieran's phone in hand. It didn't matter. Brinny wouldn't text him until tomorrow, and no one else expected to hear from him. He picked up a navel orange and tossed it in the air, admiring its glistening skin in the bright LED pot lights.

"Just you and me, Navel. Nothing special, but we're consistently around if nothing else."

After he tore into the orange's skin and popped a slice in his mouth, he sighed. It was as sweet as he needed it to be.