Chapter 26
The four guys went out for breakfast, accompanied by their security. They spotted a Drive-thru and opted to get that and then take it out to find somewhere quiet to eat it. Nick was trying to cheer Howie up, or at the very least distract him, by being as off the wall and goofy as he could. Thankfully it was beginning to work. After all, it was almost impossible to concentrate on anything else other than Nick when he was acting that hyper.
They knew that Nick was making progress when he even managed to get Howie to crack a smile. Eventually they ended up in a small park, which was almost deserted at this time of the morning. Nick then proceeded to drag Howie off towards the swings, telling him that he hadn't been on swings in years, and begging Howie to go on them with him.
Finally able to get his cousin alone, Kevin wasted no time in getting to the point.
"Okay spill it. Why did you look like you were gonna explode?"
Brian sighed before starting to explain.
"When we left I noticed that AJ's door was open a little. I walked over there. I was just gonna shut it. But I could see inside. AJ and Leona. They were…"
Kevin held his breath, somehow he knew he wasn't going to like this. "They were what Bri?"
Brian glanced up nervously, worried by Kevin's tone of voice. It was calm, too calm, and he knew then that his reaction was going to be bad.
"They were kissing." He said softly, almost as if he didn't want Kevin to hear. But he did, and he suddenly found himself staring at thin air, where his cousin had once been standing. He spun around and saw Kevin heading back to the van. Knowing exactly what Kevin was thinking, he sprinted off to catch him up.
"Kevin. Stop." He grabbed Kevin's arm, but Kevin pulled it away, continuing his trek back to the van.
"Kevin. You can't." Brian shouted. That made Kevin stop and he spun around and faced his cousin, pure rage in his eyes.
"Why the fuck not?" He demanded. "I'm gonna kill that boy. How could he be so heartless?"
"You can't Kev. He's a grown man. He makes his own mistakes."
"What about Howie? This is going to kill him."
"I know Kev." Brian said softly. "But it will be worse if you go and hurt AJ now."
Kevin sighed. He knew that Brian was right, and he hated it. Laughter floated over from the play area, and Brian and Kevin turned to see Howie laughing and practically squealing at Nick to stop as he clung onto the swing for dear life as Nick pushed him higher. Both cousin's smiled at the sight. Trust Nick to do something so utterly nuts in order to make Howie laugh. Brian turned back to Kevin.
"We'll get Howie through this Kev. No matter what."