"How's Brian?"
☆

There is a noticeable silence in the penthouse suite. Jack takes another sip from his glass as he watches Dexter pull up his jeans.  The atmosphere felt strange. As if things needed to be said but neither being able to find the right words, or more like, knowing exactly what to say but choosing not to say it. "Thanks Dex… for, y'know."  Jack says, watching as Dexter now does up his belt and reaches for his jacket. 

"Like I said, I'm good at my Job." He replies, as he pulls the jacket up his arms. 

"Are you sure this was just a regular job to you?" Jack dares to ask. It was a risk, but he felt something more in the moment they had just shared and knew he would probably forgive all if Dexter would just admit that he felt something more. 

Dexter now turns to face him. Jack had that look of hopeful innocence about him. But no good would come from giving in to it.  "Don't ask for me again Jack. This was a one off." He then turns to head for the door, leaving reopened wounds in his wake. 

Jack stands up a little straighter on hearing the disregard of what they just did. He finds his hand tightening around his glass. Any tighter, it would shatter in his palm.  "How's Brian?" He calls out. This was sure to anger Dexter, if nothing else. Why he wanted to anger a man who already was a volatile individual Jack didn't really know, maybe he liked to see it.

The question seems to work as no sooner had they been spoken, Dexter is turning and heading straight for Jack. He takes both hands to Jack's t-shirt and grabs at the material "Don't mention his name." He hisses. 

Jack's heart begins to beat faster at the sudden reaction from Dexter. He swallows hard as he looks into Dexter's eyes, so full of fire. "Touch a nerve did I? Jealous maybe?"

Dexter pushes Jack so hard, he nearly falls back over the couch. "You fucking wish. Not everything is about your cock sucking mouth Jack." 

Jack doesn't respond. Dexter again takes a step back, before adding, "Don't call me." Jack watches the penthouse door slam closed behind him. Now silence remains. Jack takes a hand to his mouth, rubbing his emerging stubble in wonder. What had happened between Dexter and his brother?

***

He hadn't even got halfway up the driveway to his old family home, when Jack's mum was already opening the door and stepping out. He parks up next to his dad's estate, applies the hand break and switches off the engine. As he steps out of the company BMW, his mother is wrapping her arms around him, almost crushing the token bouquet of flowers he had brought for her. 

"Oh Jack, my boy. Let me give you a hug." She says as she helps herself.

"Do I have a choice?" He laughs through the tight hold. He is finally released as they both make their way inside. Jack feels that heart warming familiarity as he steps inside. He looks at the flowers in his hand. Holding them out to his mother. "Here mum." 

She takes them happily as she ushers Jack into the front room. "Go sit while I put the kettle on. We can have a good chat before your dad and brother get back from football." Jack smiles back at his mother as she heads out to the kitchen. It was probably more likely that she would be doing the chatting and he would be doing the listening, but he didn't mind that. His mother had been his only friend through some of the worst years of his life and had not turned her back on him since that day when he had come home from Dexter's, broken into pieces. He had fallen into her arms in tears and it was then he had told her everything, well a censored version at least.  It hadn't even been planned to come out the way it did, but sometimes fate moves in mysterious ways and Jack wished he had been more open sooner.

She soon emerges with two mugs of tea, giving one to Jack and as she sits on the sofa next to him. "So how is L.A?" She questions, excitedly.

"Hot." Jack says with a laugh.

"It's done something to your hair, it's not so Auben." She comments, looking up at his hair and raising a hand to ruffle it with her fingers. "I hope they're not working you too hard over there, I don't want you getting heat stroke." 

"I work in an airconditioned office, mum, it's fine." He replies, trying to dodge the hair intrusion.  "And you know I love my work, so it's ok." 

"Well all this work doesn't suit you. Remember to have some Jack time too. I worry about you over there all alone." She says, looking at him with sorrowful eyes. 

"I have fun too mum, I promise." Jack reassues, but not the type he wanted to tell with his mother about. 

"Well as long as you do." She pats Jack on his leg before adding. "I blame Dexter for your lack of friends. He was a nasty piece of work, he knocked your confidence. I still see his mother around sometimes. She should be ashamed." Jack can see his own mother tensing up at the words. 

"Mum, she wasn't responsible for his actions." Jack emits a laugh. "Just as you're not responsible for mine." 

"Maybe not now, but as children, we are your first educators." 

"Why are you bringing Dexter up anyway mum?" Jack asks a little nervously. Surely she didn't know about last night. 

"Well they got what they deserved didn't they." She says, nodding at Jack as if he knew all about it.

"Mum, I don't know what you're talking about?" Jack says looking at his mother confused. 

"What do you mean? I told you!" She says, her voice a little raised at the notion. 

"You've told me nothing about Dexter. I swear!" Jack insists. She had probably told everyone else but him. She spoke to a lot of people on the daily.

"I'm sure I had." She now looks at Jack confused. "Well…"