The Brother of My Boyfriend: A Love for Two

Mandy leaves college, determined to find Jason. She walks to the bar where he is. Upon entering, her eyes search for any sign of him. Soon, she spots Alex, the bartender who had called her, visibly concerned about Jason's deplorable state. "Hi, it's me, Alex, who talked to you on the phone. You came to look for the guy, right? Jason."

Mandy, with a slight smile of relief, replies: Yes, I came to find him.

"Pleasure to meet you," Alex says.

Mandy extends her hand: Likewise.

Alex sighs, visibly shaken: "We tried several times to convince him to stop. By the second dose of gin, we realized he wasn't doing well. We told him to go home, that it was time for him to stop, but he kept drinking. And he started bothering the customers here, so we decided to call his family before something worse happened."

Mandy sincerely thanks: "Thank you so much for helping me. I'll get him out of here."

Mandy walks to the end of the bar, her eyes scanning the area until she finds Jason, whose appearance betrays his drunken state. She approaches him, a mix of concern and determination in her.

"Jason, it's me, Mandy. Come on, I came here to get you. It's time for you to go home."

Jason looks at Mandy, but his eyes reveal that he doesn't fully recognize her.

Jason, with a slurred voice: "Who... who are you?"

Mandy, gently, tries to persuade him: "Come on, don't be stubborn. I'll take you home."

Jason protests, his voice heavy with alcohol: I don't want to go home, I want to keep drinking.

Mandy holds Jason's arm, determined to help him out.

"Jason, please, we need to go. I'll help you compose yourself."

Jason begins to open up, his voice choked with accumulated sadness and anger.

"You don't know what I'm going through. That woman who claims to be my mother has the power to be mean to me since I was born. She makes sure to make it seem like I'm not her son, that my brother is better than everything." Mandy looks at him, understanding the depth of the pain he's feeling.

Mandy, with empathy: Jason, I'm so sorry you're going through this. But we need to leave here, okay? Let's go somewhere, have a coffee, and talk better.

Jason looks at Mandy, his eyes showing a mixture of desperation and acceptance. He nods in agreement, allowing Mandy to lead him out of the bar, towards the exit below.

****

Jason and Mandy arrive at a café near the bar. Mandy orders a strong, bitter coffee to help Jason regain his composure. Jason drinks two cups of coffee and begins to feel better.

"Are you feeling better?" Mandy asks, concerned.

"A little," he replies, somewhat embarrassed.

"That's good. But tell me, what happened to you?"

"I'm tired, you know, Mandy. You know my mother, she's not easy to deal with, but she goes too far. I've always had to live in Dylan's shadow; he's always been her favorite. And today, when I went to get her, she didn't even notice I was missing. She talked about Dylan the whole time. I couldn't take it, so I put her in a taxi and came to the bar. That's it."

"I'll be honest with you, being her daughter-in-law isn't easy, I can only imagine being her son is even harder," she laughs at the situation.

Jason laughs, agreeing with what she says.

"You're right. And how did you find me? Were you following me?" he asks, curious.

"Did you forget that I can't drive?" she teases.

"So you're saying that if you could, you would have followed me?"

"Who knows? Maybe that way you wouldn't get into trouble. It was the bartender who called me. I came from college."

"I'm sorry for making you rush over because of me."

"You're my brother-in-law. I wouldn't leave you like this. And by the way, you owe me a trip, to wherever you were going to take me."

"Can we go now, what do you think?"

"For me, it's fine, as long as I'm home before dinner."

"You will be, don't worry."

"Are you sure you're okay to go out?"

"I am, don't worry. I'll pay for the coffee, and then we'll go."

"Alright," she smiles, agreeing.

Jason struggles to maintain his balance as he walks to the counter to pay for the coffee. Each step seems like a challenge, but he is determined to move forward. Arriving at the counter, he takes out his wallet and pays the bill, accepting the change with a clumsy thank you.

Afterward, he heads to the table where Mandy is sitting, a shy smile forming on his face. He extends his hand to her, inviting her to join him.

"Mandy, can we go now? Would you like to come with me? I want to take you to a special place."

Mandy looks at him, curious and touched by his kindness. She accepts the invitation, getting up from the table and following Jason towards the adventure that awaits them.

Together, they walk to a place where Jason has something special prepared. Upon arriving, they find a boat waiting for them, ready to take them to an island that Jason used to visit before moving to Canada.

The sea is calm, and the sun begins to set, creating a spectacle of colors on the horizon. Jason helps Mandy onto the boat and then takes command of the vessel, guiding them through the serene waters towards the island.

As they approach, Mandy notices the beauty and serenity of the place. It's as if they're in a world of their own, far away from the worries and noise of the city.

Mandy moved: Jason, this place is amazing. How did you discover it?

Jason smiles, his eyes shining with a mix of nostalgia and joy.

"This was my sanctuary, a place where I could escape and find peace. I'm happy to be able to share it with you, Mandy."

"Thank you for this. This place brings a sense of peace, makes us forget about the outside world and the whirlwind of bad things happening."