Beats of the Heart - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Miles had always expected the worst from people; however, the women in the villa broke all expectations he held. The moment he entered, they swarmed and cooed over him. They asked him enough questions to make his mind spin.
They made him sit at the table with him and poured him a glass of wine. Before he knew it, he had cards sitting in front of him. He was paired with Delma and played against two women who introduced themselves as Rose and Judith.
Both women were pristine. They dressed well but comfortably. Rose's white hair was permed, and she was fond of pearls. Judith's hair was cut into a sharp bob but dyed a soft lavender. She wore a pantsuit with her nails done and wore minimal jewelry. She was elegant, and in any other circumstance, Miles would have avoided them. Yet, he found himself enjoying his time with them.
"So, Miles, what do you do?" Rose asked.
"I work in the music industry." He gave a vague answer.
"Oh? Judith's nephew does something like that." Rose replied with a smile.
Miles returned the smile at the equally vague reply. There were a thousand different ways someone could work with music.
"It's a tough business to break into. My company is small, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
"What does your partner think about it?" Judith asked with a glint in her eyes.
"Partner? It's just me at the company. I did hire my kid brother to help, but that's it."
Delma laughed and nudged him. "Romantic partner, darling."
Miles flushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, nothing like that."
He felt the room still, and the women at other tables and the seating area turned to him.
"Oh, dear. You threw him to the wolves, Judith." Rose chuckled behind a hand.
The chatter started again, bombarding him with random tidbits about the children in their family.
"My granddaughter is quite lovely..."
"My niece runs a wedding planning agency..."
"My daughter is a little older but owns a luxury clothing line..."
Miles coughed and held up a hand. "Sorry, ladies. I should specify that I am... um... attracted to men."
Several women sighed heavily and returned to the tables, but many remained. Miles' orientation didn't deter the others.
"Well, my grandson is a catch..."
"Mine will be taking over the business..."
"My Charles enjoys spending his time traveling..."
Judith clicked her tongue and silenced the women. "You're overwhelming the poor young man. I'm sure he has plans for his own love life."
"You just don't meet such a good young man," Rose said with a wink thrown his way. "It's a shame that my family tends to have daughters, not sons. I would snatch him up in a heartbeat."
Miles was surprised by the response and gave Delma a questioning look.
"Don't worry, my dear. We're not hopeless prudes who judge someone's sexual preference. Half of us experimented—"
"I do not need to know the rest of that sentence." Miles covered his ears with a groan.
Delma tittered, reached out to pull down his hands, and squeezed lightly. "Miles deserves nothing but the best, so I am sure he is taking his time deciding on who he will spend the rest of his life with."
Miles lightly laughed. "Sure, we'll go with that answer."
Ignoring the disaster of his last date, he couldn't establish a connection that made a relationship worthwhile. The men he met were good-looking but lacked a personality. Or they were too insecure. Or they wanted more than he could give. They would hate the hours he put into work. They would scoff at his passion for his music. They would become frustrated by how his conversations gravitated to his art.
In the end, he never saw a future with anyone. After many one-night stands, a string of fuck buddies, and hookups, he gave up.
The women had calmed down and picked up their previous games or conversations. Judith was musing over the cards with a smirk.
"You know, Miles," she started, "My nephew is single and very interested in men."
Miles was sipping on his wine when he started coughing.
"He's a little older than you but quite the looker. He doesn't bring any of his dates around the house often, but the few he has are not exactly people I am fond of." She continued. "Perhaps you would like to meet him?"
Miles shook his head quickly. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm holding off on dating for a while."
Several women gasped as if he had said something scandalous.
Rose tutted. "You're still young and should be exploring."
Miles laughed. "Bless you for calling me young. Living with my 18-year-old brother was proving otherwise." He took a long drink from his wine glass because he needed alcohol to discuss anything about his love life with these women. "Nevertheless, I think it's a good time for me to help settle my brother into his college life and focus on my business. Dating will eventually come when the right man comes along."
"I suppose that's a sensible stance." Judith shrugged, but the corner of her lips still curled up. "I appreciate a young man with a good head on his shoulders. I hope to see you here more often."
Miles toasted her with his half-empty wine glass. "I will be happy to attend if you extend an invite."
Judith bloomed into a full smile. "How delightful. Once in a while, I also host a small gathering of friends. Delma is always invited, but I hope to see you as well."
Miles could tell by the reactions of the others that this invitation was a bigger deal than Judith let on. He had no idea which family came from and suddenly felt the pressure building. What would his father do if he attended a party he was not privy to?
"Um... I don't think Larry would..." Miles hesitated.
"My son is a twit," Delma huffed. "There's no need to hesitate about something like his opinion. Besides, he is most definitely not invited."
Miles faltered for a moment and then laughed. "Then I'll make myself available."
When Miles returned home, he wasn't surprised that Courtney and Rob had come over. Danny had mentioned that they had some important tests and had been cramming.
Miles stumbled in and fell onto the couch with a groan. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples gingerly.
"Um... Miles?" Danny called out tentatively. "Did everything turn out alright?"
Miles sighed. "I suppose... somehow, I have become a staple member of Nan's bridge club."
Danny snorted, trying to cover his laugh, but couldn't hold back. He slapped his hand on the table several times and shook his shoulder as if this was the best joke he had heard.
"I'm taking you with me next time," Miles threatened.
Danny choked back his laugh and wiped the stray tears from his eyes. "I doubt they would invite me back. I'm lousy at card games and don't have half your charm."
"I'm an asshole. My bad attitude leaves no room for charm." Miles grumbled. "Still, that didn't stop them from trying to hook me up with their grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. It was pandemonium... and so many fucking questions."
"Just say you're with someone next time," Courtney suggested.
Miles chuckled. "Our Nan would never let that slide. She would insist on meeting him immediately and then overwhelm him with questions. She would see through my lie like a glass door."
"You can't be too sure about that."
Miles shook his head. "I have only known her for 7 or 8 years, but that woman sees right through me. She knows when I'm bullshitting. Believe me. I've tried."
"It's true. It's uncanny how easily she calls people out. It's why our father refuses to be around her. He hates that she doesn't care about perception and his reputation. She will drag him through the mud in front of everyone." Danny said with a sigh.
Miles grinned. "She verbally laid him out four years ago, which was simply poetic. I swear that woman has a gift when it comes to insults."
Miles got back up from the couch and smiled weakly at the group. "I need to nap after all of that if I want to finish some work tonight. Are you all good for tonight? Do you need anything before I head down?"
Danny shook his head. "We're all set here."
Miles nodded and made his way downstairs to his room. He stripped off his clothes, pulled on sweatpants, and collapsed on his bed. He could always thrive on stage playing his music. However, social settings were daunting. He dreaded meetings of any sort and typically avoided any get-togethers. Still, he had trouble refusing anyone he cared for.
He covered his eyes with his arms and fell asleep.
It didn't seem to be more than an hour when he woke up to the sound of his fire alarm and shouting from upstairs. His body jolted to attention, and he rushed upstairs, nearly tripping on his way up.
He saw Danny and the others yelling in the kitchen as one of the frying pans was on fire.
"Water! Get water!" Courtney yelled.
However, Rob was quick to stop Danny from going to the sink. "Not water! You need something to smother it!" Rob grabbed a bag of flour and held it out to Danny.
Danny was panicking, but he still grabbed the flour and was about to pour it on the fire, but Miles caught his arm.
"Get back!" He yelled and turned off the burner.
He ripped open a cabinet next to the stove, grabbed a bag of baking soda, and dumped it on the fire. He waited a moment and watched the fire start to smother out. Then he pulled out a cookie sheet, slid it over the pan, and stepped back.
Danny was standing still, his eyes downcast. He held one of his hands tightly, and Miles could tell he was shaking.
Miles stepped toward him but faltered when he saw Danny flinch.
"I'm sorry, Miles. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." He said quietly. His voice was the meekest he had ever heard. There was genuine fear—not because of the fire, but because he was scared of Miles' reaction.
Miles slowly reached out and carefully took Danny's hands. Danny was still shaking but allowed Miles to lift and inspect his hands. Miles frowned when he saw the glaring red burn on his palm. He led Danny to the sink and ran the burn under the cold water. Courtney and Rob rushed to open the windows and doors to let the house air out and rejoined them in the kitchen. However, they didn't say a word until the screeching noise of the smoke detector finally stopped.
Danny tried to hold back his tears, but they started slipping down his face. Miles sighed and wiped them with his thumb.
"I got you, Danny. You're okay." He looked at the other two huddled on the other side of the island. "Are you two okay? No burns?"
They shook their heads.
"Still, check to make sure you don't have any wounds. Your adrenaline is amped right now, and you may not be aware of the pain." Miles explained and was satisfied when they started to check their hands and arms.
"I'm sorry," Danny tried to apologize again. "I'll... I'll pay for any damages."
"I don't care about the damages," Miles said softly. "You could burn this place to the ground, and I wouldn't mind as long as you're okay."
Danny snapped his eyes up to Miles. There was a flood of emotions breaching through his watery gaze. "But... I really messed up."
"It was a grease fire. That's it. It happens to all of us. Lord knows how many pots and pans I ruined in my cooking attempts." Miles chuckled lightly and wrapped Danny in a hug. "This shit sometimes happens, kiddo. It's scary as hell but not the end of the world. I'm not going to get mad at you, and I'm not going to kick you out."
Danny shuddered and leaned into Miles. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely positive. I kind of like having you around. I'm not going to freak out over something so little."
"But... it was a fire..."
"It was. Fires are temperamental bitches, and it could have been worse. But this fire wasn't that bad. We put it out. Take this time to learn something from it."
"Like what?" Danny asked with his head tucked against Miles' chest.
"Maybe avoid cooking?"
Danny laughed and wiped his fresh tears. "Yeah, I think I'm okay with that."
Miles ruffled his hair. "I'm joking. Don't let it discourage you. However, getting you three fire safety courses would be a good idea. Learn about how to handle these situations and how to use a fire extinguisher."
Rob was holding Courtney, and she tilted her head curiously. "All of us?" She asked.
"Absolutely. I heard you telling them to put water on the fire. The grease fire." Miles said with a helpless look. "That can make the grease splash and spread the fire. Also, flour is combustible. So please, for the love of god, get baking soda in your apartment."
They laughed nervously and nodded.
Miles pulled Danny's hand from the water and inspected it. "I'm going to put a cold compress on this for a bit."
Miles sighed lightly as he reached into the freezer and pulled a compress out. He set it on Danny's palm. However, he could still tell that Danny's anxiety stemmed from something other than the fire.
Miles steered him to the couch, made him sit down, and knelt in front of him.
"Tell me what's eating you, kiddo?" He asked quietly. Courtney and Rob quickly noticed the situation and moved upstairs to give them some space.
Danny bit his lip. "It's just... if I did something like that at home... Dad would..." His voice tapered off.
Miles felt a heat of rage burn through him. "Did he hurt you? Did he ever fucking touch you?"
Danny shook his head quickly. "No. He would yell... a lot... but he hasn't hit me or anything. He didn't like loud noises or accidents like this. He would get mean because it could ruin his image."
"What would he tell you, Danny?"
Danny gave a half-shrug and avoided looking at Miles. "Nothing major. Name-calling. Putting me down... he made me feel... worthless more than anything."
"Listen to me, Danny. I know Larry is your dad, but I will break his jaw if I ever hear him speak to you like that." Miles' voice was steady. This wasn't a statement made out of anger but a fact.
"No, Miles. I was probably too sensitive and overreacted." Danny said quietly.
"No. Don't justify his actions, and don't invalidate your feelings. Larry intimidated you and bullied you. Instead of teaching you, he berated you. He was in the wrong." Miles sighed. "I yelled at you because I was scared you would hurt yourself. But if that triggered anything, I am sorry. I never want you to think I will lash out at you or treat you less than you deserve."
Danny shuddered, and his head dropped, his tears falling freely. "I don't want to go back to him, Miles. I can't live there ever again. I'm finally starting to feel... human... like I can do something with my life. Even confident. I don't want him to strip that away."
Miles sat beside him and held him tightly, letting the smaller boy sob in his embrace. "This is your home, Danny. Always. I'll never kick you out or chase you away. You're my brother, and I'm going to protect you."
It was a promise he forever imprinted in his heart. He was going to protect Danny.