After the Climb (River Rain 0.50)

He should be happy for them.

They were back together.

They loved each other.

God, so much.

Corey had never seen that kind of love, except for how Genny’s mom loved her dad.

But with Duncan and Genny young and beautiful, what they had seemed…alive.

Their love seemed like an entity that existed with them, something they tended, something they nourished.

Something that, if it ceased to exist, they would too.

Not literally. They would carry on, but something—something important, maybe integral to them both—would be gone.

But more, hearing Duncan’s hurt, his friend, hurt because of something Corey said…

Jesus.

What was the matter with him?

“Do you need time with yourself, man? Because Gen and I could go,” Duncan offered when Corey again got quiet, and Corey fixed his attention on his friend.

“It’s just, you know…” He tried to find a believable lie. And he went with a half-truth. “Being married, the wedding is great, and the honeymoon is great and then it’s…” he shrugged, “tough.”

Duncan looked confused.

Then again, he and Gen moved right in with each other and they didn’t have that first problem.

“Are you guys fighting or something?” Duncan asked.

Corey returned to the chops, an entree, without thinking, he’d chosen and purchased for Duncan. Pork chops. His favorites. Thick, expensive ones.

He did not do this to shove in Dun’s face that he probably couldn’t afford to go to a proper butcher and get thick chops to grill, but because Duncan loved pork chops.

Corey had done that simply because…

Because…

This was Duncan.

God.

What the fuck was his problem?

“Brother,” Duncan called softly, no longer pissed, it was total concern.

And that was his friend.

Corey was…all he was.

And Duncan was…

All the things Corey wasn’t.

The things that were better.

The things he gave Corey without blinking, without thought.

He’d step in front of a bullet for Corey.

He’d lie, cheat and steal for him.

The only thing he wouldn’t do was give up the woman they both loved.

And why should he?

He’d earned that love by being…Duncan.

He made her happy.

And more, she gave that back.

God, what the fuck was his problem?

Corey looked back at Duncan.

“We’re not fighting. I just…we’re adjusting.”

“She’s a good woman. Like I’ve told you before, I like her,” Dun replied. “But if she’s not for you, I know you just did the whole big thing, but, Cor…”

Dun’s voice grew grave because what he was about to say was important to him, important that he knew his best friend had it, because Duncan wanted it for Corey.

Because his friend loved him.

“Buddy, you need to be happy.”

Corey nodded and said quickly, “It’s not that. I love her. I do.”

And he did.

He really did.

Kind of.

“I just…you know,” Corey went on, “I haven’t had a real good example of how to be…right.” He paused and thought it important to add, “For her.”

Duncan immediately nodded. “Yeah. I hear that.”

He did, and he thought he got it.

But he didn’t.

Sure, Corey’s father wasn’t any kind of role model on how to be a good husband, absolutely not a good parent, and Duncan’s dad wasn’t either.

But it was more.

So much more.

And that was what Corey had in Duncan.

His friend didn’t see any of that shit in Corey.

He saw Corey as Corey wanted to be.

Smart and driven and loyal and funny and loving.

Corey might be those first two things to his bones.

But the last three were just for Duncan.

And Genny.

If he let those go, he’d let go any good that was in him.

Good he gave to his friends.

Good he should be giving his wife.

“We’ll find our way,” Corey assured, lying now even to himself.

“She’s a good woman,” Duncan repeated, staring him straight in the eye. “And she loves you like—”

“Oh…my…God,” Genny cried, both of them so into their conversation, they missed the sliding glass door opening.

She tackled Duncan from behind, wrapping her arms around his middle (and of course his hands went right to hers, where they linked fingers instantly).

She then tipped her head to the side to look at Corey, her golden hair falling in thick waves, her smile aimed Corey’s way was radiant.

And yeah, seeing that, Corey loved his wife.

Kind of.

“What’s taking so long? I’m starved!” Genny declared.

Duncan made a noise, it was low, you almost couldn’t hear it, but Corey paid so much attention to the both of them, he heard it.

As she was who that noise was meant for, Genny heard it too.

She looked up at him, and when she caught Dun looking down on her, her face changed, and Corey could honest to fuck come in his jeans if he looked too long at her face staring up at Duncan with that expression on it.

So he turned his attention away.

They shared one of their many moments.

This one, remembering precisely how she’d worked up such an appetite.

And how much they enjoyed that memory.

That burn Corey had lived with since he was twelve made its presence known and he clenched his teeth.

Sam strolled out.