Infini (Aerial Ethereal #2)(83)

Standing, I reach out for my ID and watch my brother vanish towards Amour’s globe auditorium.

John doesn’t even reach into his pocket. “Can you sit?”

I take a seat and face him. “But I’m not playing.” I don’t like wasting money gambling.

John nods understandingly, and for once, he’s quiet.

I laugh into a smile.

He scowls. “What?”

“You’re nervous, dude.” I lean back on two legs of my stool. Balancing. “It’s alright. You can talk about Timo. I’m not going to snitch if it’s serious. It can stay between us.”

John glances at his pit boss before shuffling the cards again. “I couldn’t be more opposite from your brother if I actually tried—and I don’t try. Trying is for idealists and romantics.”

I worry this is about Timo’s lack of relationship experience. He mentioned that John only does monogamous relationships, something my little brother knows nothing about. This is his first.

“When I’m stressed, I let it permeate because misery should be felt by all,” John tells me. “It keeps people grounded. Life sucks, don’t enjoy it.”

I almost smile again. His pessimism is somehow engaging, which is why he’s one of the most liked dealers in all of the Masquerade.

John stacks casino chips. “When Timo is stressed, he holds it all in and gambles. He’s been at my table four times just today, and not because he wants to see my face—which I’m sure is part of it, but not all of it.” He flips a red $5 chip between his fingers, and his eyes finally lift to me.

I see his unease. “What are you getting at?”

“His stress originates from Sergei. He’s been going out of his way to keep me separated from your older brother, and he’s been obsessing over the joint birthday party next week.”

Katya and Nikolai. Their birthdays are one day apart, and we’re supposed to celebrate at The Red Death on Saturday, Nik’s favorite nightclub.

Sergei will definitely be there.

So will John.

He adds, “This familial whatever-you-want-to-call-it: dispute, drama, headache—it’s making Timo sick.”

Chewing my gum slower, I fall onto all four legs of the stool and sit forward. Careful not to touch the tabletop. “Look, I know all of this. I don’t give Timo money when he gambles. I don’t rag on him except when he overdoes it.”

His dark brows furrow. “I’m not sure you’re hearing what I’m saying.” He thinks I haven’t comprehended the severity of the situation.

“No, I am,” I say, self-assured. “You’re telling me that my brother has a serious issue. Mind you, it’s taken you a thousand extra words to come to a point I’ve been aware of forever. You’re also going to ask for my help because I’m the closest person to Timo, and you’re not sure how to intervene without overstepping.”

John skims me up and down. Like he’s never truly seen me before. I listen when people talk. It shouldn’t be such a fucking revelation.

I rip open another piece of gum. “You can ask.”

“I’m going to run into Sergei next Saturday. That’s not a question. It’s a fact, and I need to know how I should react.”

I smile while I pop spearmint in my mouth. “You want me to tell you how you should feel?” I shake my head. “Dude, the minute you see Sergei, you’re going to feel what you feel, and there’s no shutting that off.”

“I can program my feelings.”

“If that were true, wouldn’t you be less…?” I gesture at him.

His dark scowl never changes shape. “I like the way I am. I prefer it. The sun is annoying. Smiles are ridiculous, and happiness is for fools.” He says that, but John is also full of contradictions. I never take all of his words at face value.

“Okay, without my opinion, how would you react to Sergei if you saw him right now? I’ll tell you if it’s a good way to go.”

John stares at the ceiling like it has personally accosted him. “Let’s see what I know about Sergei. One”—he counts off his fingers—“he’s the cause of my boyfriend’s daily distress. Which should be enough for me to hate the fuck out of him. But life just has to be more complicated than that. Two: he’s the older brother of Nikolai, who I initially didn’t gel with at all. Do I expect Sergei to be antagonistic or affable towards me? I have no answer.”

I’m about to interject, but John isn’t finished.

“Three”—he raises three fingers—“beneath everything, I see that Timo loves Sergei, but I don’t know how much love is left after what he did.”

I realize that Timo must’ve filled John in on the bad blood. “Is that it?” I wonder.

“I could go to one-hundred, but I’ll stop there for the sake of my own sanity.” He motions to me. “So what is Sergei really like?”

I shake my head with a weak laugh. “A know-it-all. Rigid in thought. If he has an idea, his is the best one. Sometimes it’s like speaking to a brick wall, and not the kind you can knock down.”

“So he’s like Nikolai.”

“No,” I say quickly. “To me, he’s nothing like Nikolai.” I lick my dry lips. “Nik is humble and protective. When Nik clashed with you in the past—it’s because he was guarding Timo. Sergei has no clue…” My throat closes, choked for a second.