A/N: Thank you for reading. Your support means the world to me. Now, on with the chapter!
Simon handed Bram an ice pack. He had found him and walked him home. "Your black eye should heal nicely," Simon said. "It will only take a handful of weeks to be completely gone. You might have some bruised ribs, but if they're not severe, they will heal on their own. Anything else?"
"I don't think so," Bram said.
"What happened?" Simon asked.
"I don't know," Bram said. "I was walking to my job. I think I was fit from behind, and I was knocked out cold."
Simon sucked on his inner cheek. "It sounds like you were jumped," Simon said. "Is anything missing?"
Bram checked his pockets. He still had his phone and his wallet. He opens his wallet. It seemed as though nothing was missing. "No, nothing is missing," Bram said. "That is strange."
"Someone might have seen us together at the cafe," Simon said. "One of Shawn's friends. Or even worse, Shawn himself. I'm sorry that I brought you into this mess."
"It's not your fault," Bram said.
"Maybe it's best if we don't see each other for a while," Simon suggested. "I don't want you to get hurt again. Maybe we can reconnect when all of this has calmed down, but this is for the best."
Bram didn't want to give up that easily. He didn't want to walk away from someone, but he figured Simon was right. What if they decided to use his little brother as blackmail? Caleb was only a child. He didn't deserve to be dragged into this.
"Okay," Bram said.
"I'm going to call a cab to get back to Abby and Nick's," Simon said, standing up.
Five months passed, and Simon and Bram's paths never crossed. Even when they visited Abby's coffee shop, they didn't see each other. Life moved on for both men, and Bram now had his first big assignment at work.
Bram and Garrett had their first out-of-town assignment. Bram was tasked with covering a famous soccer player's wedding. Garrett was his go-to photographer. They were heading to the Caribbean Island of Saint Kitts. The Bloomberg Businessweek was paying for their hotel rooms.
Garrett knocked on Bram's apartment door. Bram opened the door, pulling his rolling bag behind him. "Ready to go?" Garrett asked. "A Uber is waiting outside to take us to the airport."
"Yeah," Bram said. "Which soccer player's wedding are we attending again?"
Bram and Garrett both played soccer in high school. Bram had the option to go pro, but he decided not to. He still watched soccer religiously during the season. "We're attending the wedding of Nick Eisner," Garrett said.