Fueled Again: Brotherly Love

This is a story about the Scallions Brothers, Greg and Brett. I hope you enjoy reading it as much I enjoyed envisioning it in my head and then putting it on paper!

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It was a bustling Friday night at the Wind-n-Rain pub in Jackson, Tennessee, and the place was nearly packed. Amanda tucked her hair behind her ear, raced around the side of the bar and rested her foot on the ledge underneath it. She leaned forward and hollered at Steve, the bartender, to get on with her drinks. She had five tables and at three of them sat four hungry, thirsty, impatient men who had just gotten off work not too long ago.

"Steve!" She called. She could see he was busy, he was mixing drinks but they weren't hers. "Do I have to come around there and get them myself?" He glanced and her and tightened his lips. His hands were full or he would have flipped her the bird. She knew that look! "Okay, that's it. You get no tip." She said and hustled behind the bar. She grabbed four Millers out of the cooler and set them on a tray on the counter. She popped off the tops and then went over to the tap grabbing a couple of chilled pint glasses on the way. She set them under the tap and pulled the handle. When the glasses were filled with Red Ale, Amanda set them on the tray with the other bottles and headed back around the corner of the bar to her tables. She gave the four rowdy men their Millers and then headed over to the most calm table she had that night, occupied by two guys who were obviously brothers. Their features were similar (handsome) and they were both tall, slender, and blonde. One had short hair, the other, long and pulled back into a pony tail. The major difference Amanda could tell from talking to them briefly and taking their drink order was that one had blue eyes, the other brown. They even sounded the same when they spoke! She took the glasses off the tray and set them down in front of each of the guys. She then tucked the tray under her arm and pulled a pen out from behind her ear. One of the two brothers seized the beer before Amanda had even taken her hand off of it and swallowed most of it. She looked at him surprised then raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, uhhh you boys ready to order?" She asked and then looked down at the one with brown eyes. He glanced up at her and smiled.

"Did Ralph make chili today?" Brown eyes asked. She looked towards the kitchen and frowned.

"Not sure, you're the first one to ask. Hang on, I'll check." She said and zipped away before he could protest. He sat there with his mouth open and his finger in the air. Blue eyes laughed.

"Look at you ... hahahahaha ... She left you hanging!" Brown eyes glanced over at his brother and then back down at the menu.

"Fuck off Brett. She took off so fast I wasn't even sure she'd been here in the first place." Blue-eyed Brett ignored his brother and set the menu down on the table. He didn't need to look at it, he got the same thing every time he came here and he wasn't in the mood to try anything new now. He was tired, he was hungry, he was dirty, and he was sober. Speaking of which, he grabbed the glass from the counter and downed the rest of his drink. He turned his head expectantly towards the bar looking for the waitress. He saw her coming towards them, two more beers in her hand. He smiled. He liked her, she was a good waitress. She set the glasses down and then grabbed her pen again.

"Ok, Chili, yes. Is that what you'd like?" Brown-eyed Greg looked up at her again. She struck him as very pretty even though she looked harried and her hair stuck out from the clip it was in pressed to the back of her head. She opened her eyes wide and then raised her eyebrows at him. He smiled. "Hey! You want food or what here? You aren't the only table I have ..." He chuckled to himself and then said he wanted the chili. She turned to Brett. "Your turn big guy and hopefully you can talk a little faster than your brother!" Brett giggled. He liked her!

"How did you know we were brothers?" Greg asked curiously. He was sure he hadn't told her. She sighed and turned back to Greg.

"You don't have to hit me on the head with a brick to figure that one out handsome!" She said sarcastically. Brett cleared his throat.

"Umm I am going to have ..."

"No, wait, really! Is the resemblance that strong?" Amanda dropped her head to the side and said in her best, contemptuous California tone; "umm, like, I'm thinkin" Brett laughed out loud at Greg who narrowed his eyes and sneered at his brother.

"Later, shithead." Greg said pointing a threatening finger at Brett.

"Much later, boys, could you please finish telling me what you want?" Amanda said, anxious to put in the order and move on with her night.

"I am going to have the Irish Stew. I want some of that hot, crusty bread and tell Ralph to make sure there's lots of carrots in the stew. Thanks." Brett said bluntly and handed his menu to Amanda. She took it and, leaning down in front of Greg purposely she snatched the menu from in front of him, bopped him on the head with it lightly and then rushed away. Brett stifled a laugh at Greg who looked at him curiously.

"Why'd she do that?" He muttered and then took a long pull off his beer. Brett leaned back on his chair and slid his long legs out in front of him and crossed his feet at the ankles.

"Dunno, don't care. I just want to get drunk and get laid." He said looking around, making mental note of other patrons, particularly the ones of female persuasion. His eyes grazed over a woman who was bent over at the pool table, her breasts peeking out precariously from her shirt. She was laughing at something and he noticed how her breasts wiggled with every chuckle, her long, dark hair dangling down her arms and onto the table. He grunted. "Woof! Check that out!" He said to Greg nodding to the woman. Greg turned his head, looked and then turned back to the table.

"Un huh." He said unconcerned. Brett reached his arms up over his head and then folded them behind it and laced his fingers together.

"Oh yes, she will be mine." He growled and continued to stare. His hopes, however, diminished when the girl, noticing his lustful stare, stood up and raised her middle finger to him. His mouth dropped open and he sat bolt upright. "Did you see that?" He said, incredulous. "That bitch just flipped me off! Well, what the fuck!" He drained his glass and smacked it down on the table. "This night's going to hell on a sled!" Greg laughed softly at him and stared at his hands. He was tired, the day had been long and arduous, hell, the whole week had been a chore! The mill was busy and his boss was being a dick. Evidently his home life was bad and as the saying goes, shit rolls downhill ... Greg drained his glass and before he could even set it down on the table Amanda appeared with two more pints.

"You are good!" Brett said grinning at her. She winked at him and then she was off. "Dayum! I'm gonna take her home tonight!" Brett said watching her as she walked away.

"Leave her alone." Greg said and, when Brett snapped his head around to look at his brother, smiled slowly. Brett laughed.

"Ahhhh I see .... the waitress has caught your eye!" Greg sipped his beer and looked up at Brett.

"And if I play my cards right that's not all she's gonna catch." Brett took a drink and licked the foam off his upper lip.

"She'd rather have me and I'll prove it."

"We'll see." Was all Greg would say. He glanced around the noisy, smoke-filled room. There were a lot of pretty women dotted here and there and some whorish ones as well. Greg wasn't into this scene. He came to the Wind-n-Rain to relax and think, no matter the noise level and activity. Greg wasn't outspoken and arrogant like his brother but he did enjoy watching people and their interractions and he found it particularly amusing to watch Brett flirt and get rejected! Brett had a short temper and he always got so mad but it never stopped him from trying. Now and then he succeeded and it only fueled his egotistic attitude further. Tonight was going to be interesting. Amanda caught his eye and he watched her. She stood at the table with the four loud men and, after setting down their beers, placed her hand on her hip. She wasn't tall but she was slender. She was slender but not unshapely. The Wind-n-Rain "uniform" (dark blue pants and a magenta polo with the Wind-n-Rain logo above the right breast) that Jake, the owner, made all the waitresses wear hugged her body nicely and accentuated the curves of her breasts. He felt his pulse quicken and he looked away. She wouldn't go home with him tonight, he knew that and he was not going to even get his hopes up. He heard loud guffaws from the other table and looked over to see one of the guys reach up and pinch Amanda's nipple. She slapped his hand and walked away. He felt his cheeks flush angrily. "Fuckers." He muttered and watched as Amanda disappeared into the kitchen only to re-appear moments later with a tray full of food. She approached them and set Brett's stew down in front of him and then Greg's chili. She slid the wooden cutting board brimming with bread onto the table between the men.

"Anything else?" She asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, what are you doing after work?" Brett said, much too forward.

"Going home." She replied, matter-of-fact.

"With me." He said without a thought. She leaned down to him, her nose nearly touching his.

"Not." She whispered, stood up and was off. Brett just sat there, stunned. Greg burst out laughing.

"You go get her killer!" Greg laughed. Brett just shook his head.

"I can't win. I'm fucked." He pulled a chunk of bread off the loaf and stuffed it into his mouth. "And I'm not fucked!" He said mumbling. Greg really enjoyed that little rejection even more than some of the others Brett had suffered through in the past. Mostly because if he couldn't have Amanda neither could Brett! Brett watched Greg laughed and then sighed heavily. "Okay, okay, it wasn't that funny!" Greg stirred his chili, mixing up the mound of cheese that had been carefully drizzled on top. "Hey, hey! Lemme have some of that!" Brett said trying to pinch off a bit of cheese before Greg mixed it all in. The two ate hungrily as though it had been days since their last meal. When they were finished, Amanda came over and stood much too near Greg.

"How was everything?" She asked. They both replied that it was good as usual and she began to clean off the table. Once the table was cleared, Brett and Greg sat, relaxing and trying to digest. Brett got up after a while and ambled through the room. One girl at the bar had caught his eye and he was anxious to make contact. Greg hadn't been paying attention and was startled when Amanda came over and plopped herself down in Brett's chair.

"Hey!" He said, surprised. "Oh, uh, have a seat." She giggled.

"Sure! So, what's your name?" She asked him. He told her. "How much of an age difference is there between you and your brother?"

"Three years, almost four." She nodded.

"Ahhh, that's why you get along so well." She said, knowing. Her own brother was three years older than her and they had always been friends. They fought, of course, what siblings didn't? But she felt they had always gotten along better than others she had known.

"Yeah, we do. He's a funny guy. He acts like a clown but really he's very smart." She smiled at him.

"You don't act like a clown, you're the Hardy of the two." She said, referring to the Laurel and Hardy comedy team. He laughed.

"This is true!" He said. "I haven't seen you before here on Friday night."

"I know, I don't usually work Friday night but Jake was short a waitress and I said I would do it." He nodded, lucky him!

"Well, it's good to meet you ...." He trailed off.

"Amanda." She said. What a pretty name, Amanda, Greg said it in his mind and rolled it around to get the feel of it.

"Amanda." He said outloud. He really wanted to ask her if she was married but was afraid to. If there ever was a classic put-off line, it would be that. He noticed she didn't wear a ring but she seemed void of much jewelry anyway.

"Those guys at that table over there," She said indicating the boisterous bunch behind her. "bother me. I don't like patrons thinking they can touch me in places that, although I like to be touched, not by someone I haven't invited to do so!" He nodded.

"Let me know if they get out of hand." He said. Her eyes roamed his body. He was big and muscular but not in a body-builder sort of way, it was more subtle. She would bet he was rock hard under all that skin. It was quite appealing. She moved her eyes upward to his face and noticed how soft his features were. He was almost pretty. His eyes are what caught her interest. They were large and round. Brown-eyed men had always made her melt. She guessed it was the "puppy dog eyes" analogy, it held true in his case.

"And then what will you do, go over there and single-handedly wipe them out with your fists?" She teased. He smiled shyly.

"No, I'll be glad to call security for you though." She giggled and he laughed.

"Hey, I'll be off at 11 if you want to have a drink together." She offered. He just stared at her. Had she really said that? He was so stunned he didn't answer for a few minutes. "Hello?" She said, waving her hand in front of him. He blinked and shook his head.

"Did you just ask me to have a drink with you?" He said. "I thought that's what I heard ..." She smiled at him. He was so sweet. He was so very different than his obnoxious, but good looking, brother. She liked it, it was refreshing.

"Yes, I did." The guys at the loud table began to call out for her. She turned, looked at them and then back at Greg. "I guess I'd better get back to work." She said getting up. He nodded. "Don't go anywhere!" She said pointing to him and then left the table. He felt giddy. All thoughts of sex aside, he just wanted to be with her, to sit and have an actual conversation with her. Brett came back to the table a short time later and sighed.

"I'm not doing very well tonight." He said.

"Don't try so hard, bro."

"I can't help it, I'm fucking horny." Brett said and finished his third beer. "Where's that waitress?" He muttered looking around. He found Amanda and signaled her over. She held up a finger indicating that he should wait a minute. He nodded and looked at Greg. He was staring at Amanda like a little boy gazes at his mother. Brett smiled. "Awww little Greg is in love." He teased.

"How can you be in love with someone you don't know?" Greg said turning to Brett who had a cheesy grin on his face.

"Oh hell, I'm in love every week, don't sweat it." Greg rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers.

"That isn't love numbnuts." Brett grunted.

"It sure FEELS like love!"

"It FEELS like sex!"

"And I love sex so there ya go!" Greg laughed out loud. His brother had a goofy way of looking at things sometimes but it was amusing and that's all that mattered. Amanda came over and plopped another beer down in front of Brett. He wrapped his arms around her hips and hugged her, copping a feel on her ass while he was at it.

"I love you." He said loudly while squeezing her. She pushed him away and bent down in front of him. She held his hands in hers.

"You, little boy, will behave or else!" She said looking into his bright, blue eyes. He grinned and his eyes curled up at the corners. He was definitely handsome, not quite as much as his brother but ... wow!

"Or else what? I like the or else part ..." She laughed and stood up.

"Or else I'll sick Greg on you." She said walking away. Brett looked quickly at Greg who shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"Well, what the fuck, now you're on a first name basis?" Brett said, agitated.

"I guess."

"What's her name?" Brett asked.

"Amanda."

"Amanda ... " Brett said it with a sigh. "I wanna say that while I'm fucking her ... Amanda ..." He said it breathlessly. Greg cleared his throat.

"Brett you need to relax."

"I thought that's what I was doing?" Brett asked sipping his drink. He was starting to feel the effects of the first four beers he'd killed in the last two hours.

At 11, the boys were still in the bar, Amanda was preparing to end her shift. Brett was flitting from woman to woman, trying his hand at new pick-up lines and none of them were working. Greg was anxiously waiting for Amanda to join him at the table. She finally arrived, a denim jacket slung over her shoulders, blonde hair hanging loosely as she had unclipped it and gave it a brushing.

"I'm ready." She announced. Greg got up and pulled a chair over for her. She waved it away. "Oh, un uh! I'm not staying here, let's go somewhere else."

"Fine by me." Greg said standing up and slipping on his bomber jacket.

"We leaving?" Brett said as he approached. Greg nodded.

"Yep!" Brett grabbed his own windbreaker and put it on. It was April and though the days had been warm of late, the nights were still chilly. Greg headed out the door and when Amanda started to follow, Brett grinned to himself. That sly dog, he said in his head and rubbed his hands together.

CHAPTER TWO

Instead of going to another loud, annoying bar, Greg, Amanda, and Brett went back to the apartment Brett and Greg shared in the better part of Jackson. Amanda glanced around when she entered, saw that it was neat as a pin and of a fairly large size. She shrugged out of her jacket and Greg took it from her and hung it up on a hook behind the door. She smiled at him. He hung up his own and then offered her a seat at the kitchen table. She sat while he went to the fridge and pulled out a few beers. He retrieved a bottle of vodka from under the sink and a glass from the cabinet overhead.

"Drink Amanda?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yes, please!"

"Vodka or beer?" She thought a moment. It would be one or the other, no mixing for her! She chose a beer, something she could drink fast, a lot of, and not vomit later! Brett slipped out of his coat and tossed it onto the floor underneath the coat hooks. Greg frowned at him sternly and he went over and picked it up and hung it on a hook, obedient. The three sat at the table and drank. Amanda questioned them about the guitars that stood like proud soldiers on stands in the living room.

"Well ..." Greg began. "Some day we may just make it big, you never know!" Brett agreed.

"Oh yeah! We're good but undiscovered, you know pearl in the shell type-of-thing." Amanda nodded. Didn't everyone have the fantasy of being a rock star at one time or another?

After a couple of beers, Amanda was starting to feel a bit loose. The boys were a bit more loose since they had started drinking hours ago. Eventually the subject of their conversation got around to sex.

"I have to ask you Manda ..." Brett said slurring just a little. "Do women think love and sex are different?" She nodded.

"Absolutely. BUT ..." She said cutting him off. "Men are the confusion in that! They want your sex so they pretend it's love and then ... heartbreak." He shook his head.

"No no no!!" He disagreed. "It's the women ... they confuse it all."

"Brett ... he thinks he's Adam from Loveline!" Greg said with a shrug. He watched Amanda argue with Brett over love versus sex and became acutely aware of his heart pounding a little faster. She was sassy and she was sexy and he had the strongest urge to kiss her, right there, in front of Brett. He decided that it was about time to make his move.

"What about kissing?" He said out loud. Both she and Brett turned their heads and looked at Greg.

"What about kissing?" Brett asked.

"Is it important in a sexual relationship?" He mainly asked Amanda but Brett decided to put his two cents in.

"Kissing is very important. I think it establishes the foundation of the sexual encounter." Greg looked at Brett incredulous. That may have been the very first well-thought out thing he'd ever said! Of course it was related to sex, so ... Amanda smiled.