Bennett

A knock came from my office door. "Come in," I said, not looking up from my computer screen.

There was too much to do today. With Lee on vacation, the work had doubled. It was a lot— so much so that I almost had a new respect for my mother. But it only took remembering a fraction of the things she'd done for me to lose it.

"Mr. Calloway, I have the brand equity proposal here for you to look at," a voice said and I looked up to see one of the interns from the marketing team standing by the door's threshold, looking a little unnerved.

I tried not to make a face. This was something Lee usually handled. Still, I held out my hand. "I'll take it."

The intern took careful steps toward my desk and I wondered if I really looked that scary. Or was it just intimidating to be in front of your boss? Did people view me the same way I used to view my mother?

The thought made me cringe as the intern handed me the proposal and she froze, her dark eyes widening. "Um. Then, I'll go."

Crap.

I tried to put my friendliest smile on. "Thank you, Jana."

She relaxed a little, smiling back. "You're welcome, Mr. Calloway."

I kept the smile on my face as she left before tossing the proposal on the mound of other work I had to look over. My head was beginning to ache. The next time Lee went on an extended vacation, I was going to have to bring over one of the managers from another branch to help me. There weren't enough hours in the day to handle this alone.

A horrifying thought occurred to me— would I have to work overtime all week again? No, Lee would be back, I could put off some work for him to take over. I'd already put in enough over time. It was for my own good to leave on time today. Henley only had a half-day and then had to go to class. If I could get home early enough, I could surprise her with dinner when she got out of class...

Settled, I bid a silent apology to Lee and went to turn off my computer.

The door to my office suddenly swung open again, startling me, and the person I planned to pawn my work off on walked in. I immediately retracted my hand from my computer, quickly picking up a pen instead, nearly dropping it in my haste.

Lee raised his eyebrows at me. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I responded casually. "I mean— working. What are you doing here?"

He came to a stop by the edge of my desk, leaning against it, folding his arms over his chest. "Want to go to McKellan's for drinks tonight?"

I froze. "Why?"

Lee frowned. "What do you mean why?"

"We haven't been drinking in forever," I said, anxiety creeping in on me and I began to stand from my chair. "Why now? What's wrong? Did you fight with Henry—"

Lee's eyes widened. "Oh. No, Ben, I just meant we should hang out."

I stared at him, my increased heart rate not slowing, still in a half-risen position. Lee refused to meet my gaze, rubbing his neck, his expression a little too even. "No, something is wrong. You're showing your nervous habits."

"Okay, there is something I want to discuss," Lee admitted, finally meeting my eyes. "But if it's alright with you, I rather discuss it over some drinks."

My heart skipped a beat again. "Lee—"

"It's fine," Lee said calmly. "I'm fine. This is about work. That's it. Got it?"

"What about work?" I said, knowing it was too late to stop the anxious feeling. Now I needed to know everything before it would go away. If it did.

Lee sighed lightly. "Are you finished with work? Let's head there now."

"I'm done," I said, turning off my computer, my chest tight. "Now talk."

Instead of talking, Lee put his hands on my shoulders, steering me toward the door. I barely managed to grab my keys and coat before he pushed me into the hall. Realizing he wasn't going to talk here, I shrugged into my coat, lips pressed together. Why did he have to do this? Couldn't he just spit it out? Why did we have to wait until we got to McKellan's?

We drove together in my car, Lee being more willing to leave his car behind at the hotel. On the drive, I decided that whatever Lee wanted to talk about wasn't making him feel sad, so I didn't have to be so anxious. He seemed nervous but happy. He kept smiling down at his left hand and touching the ring there.

I found myself biting back a smile. I would never admit it out loud to them, but I was happy for my brother and my messy-haired assistant. They both deserved only the best and both had found the best.

"What do you think of Henry being your brother-in-law?" Lee asked suddenly.

I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. "Shouldn't that be a question you ask before getting engaged?"

"No, because your answer wouldn't change anything."

"Then why ask?"

"I'm curious."

I threw him a flat look. "I don't know. I feel the same? I'm so used to having Henry around, how is this any different? He's been with us for almost a decade."

Lee gave me a shit-eating grin. "Well, me and him kiss now. That's a bit different."

"Yeah, thanks for that reminder, Lee."

Chucking, Lee went back to admiring his hand.

I glanced at him, the anxiety slowly disappearing. Lee seemed perfectly fine. What did he want to talk about? His marriage? "Did you really love Henry all these years?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Since when, exactly?"

"The day he was hired?"

I turned to him. "What? You saw him for maybe ten seconds!"

"Eyes on the road, Ben. I thought you were a safe driver?"

Clearing my throat, I refocused on the road. "That's why you offered him the position as your secretary."

"That was to get him away from our mother so he wouldn't quit."

"I wonder how I missed it for so long."

"When did you notice?" Lee asked. "You didn't seem surprised by our relationship."

I thought about it. "Hm. I don't know. Three years ago?"

"Longer than I thought."

"Well, I wasn't sure, either. But the two of you would stare longingly at each other quite a bit."

"W-what?"

I looked at Lee again, seeing his cheeks redden. "Are you embarrassed right now?"

"We didn't look longingly at each other!"

"Mm."

Lee coughed a little. "Maybe keep that out of your wedding speech."

"Am I going to be your best man?"

"Who else would?"

I smiled a little to myself as we pulled into McKellan's. Lee bit at his bottom lip, obviously nervous again, and I tried to shove the heavy weight that usually came with seeing McKellan's from my gut. I had to replace bad memories with good ones.

"My favorite customers!" Wilson greeted us cheerfully as we took a seat at the bar.

"Hi, Wilson," Lee responded warmly. "Can we have two shots of Lagavulin in nosing glasses?"

Wilson's eyebrows rose. "How specific."

I eyed Lee. "No beer?"

Lee twisted in his seat, leaning against the bar top a little. "I need some liquid courage."

His words made me curious, but I figured he'd tell me in a few moments, so I didn't press, glancing down the bar...

Only to be surprised to see Brandon pouring our glasses. His eyes locked with mine at the same time and he winked, filling the glasses higher than they should have been. He sauntered over with them after, sliding one in front of me, and one in front of Lee.

Lee's face brightened. "Brandon! I forgot you were working here now."

Brandon held out his hand. "You know, on that grind."

"I'll tip you good."

"Aw, don't make me blush, Lee."

I half-smiled. I didn't think I would ever get used to Lee and Brandon's friendship. Or Brandon and Sebastian's. They were all so close to each other. I was going to be his brother-in-law one day, so why were we not as close?

"You look good behind the bar," I told Brandon.

He stared at me suspiciously. "Is that supposed to be some kind of classist insult?"

My mouth fell open. "What? No! I meant you suit the image of a bartender."

"Hmm..."

Was that the wrong thing to say, too? I took a drink of my whisky, coughing as I inhaled too much. Lee patted my back, frowning. "Easy does it, Bennett. Brandon, he didn't mean anything like that."

It then registered that Lee would also be Brandon's brother-in-law.

"I know," Brandon said, laughing before he turned to help another patron, and I slumped forward a little, regretting my choices.

"It's way more crowded in here than it used to be, isn't it?" Lee commented, his eyes scanning the busy pub. "Louder than I thought, too."

"A while back I made a recommendation in a magazine," I said.

"Oh, you think this is all your handiwork? Not Wilson's hard work?"

I took another sip of my whisky, more carefully now. "Of course that's not what I meant, Lee."

He chuckled. "I'm just kidding."

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, not letting myself get distracted.

The humor fell from Lee's expression and he hung his head a little, sighing. "I guess I shouldn't beat around the bush."

"You shouldn't," I agreed.

"I don't want you to be too shocked when you hear this, Bennett."

I froze, suddenly finding it hard to swallow. What the hell did Lee want to say? What could be so bad? My mind was racing. Something to do with our mother? Our father? Henley? Had something happened while he was on vacation?

"Just tell me," I said, my hand clenching around my glass.

Lee sighed again, taking a heavy drink of whisky, and only grimacing a bit. "I need to preface this by saying I have thought about this a lot. A lot. And it's not a decision I came to lightly, but one that I need."

"And that is?" I hedged, gritting my teeth together.

"I am going to step down from my position and leave the company altogether."

I didn't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that. My hand slipped off my glass as cold rushed through me. Lee stared hard at the bar top, chewing on his bottom lip again. It took me a second to find my words. "What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry, Bennett, but I can't do it anymore. I hate even being near that building. I can't continue to work there. I feel traumatized, in a way. I can't do it anymore," Lee said, speaking toward the countertop, avoiding my gaze.

"But we decided to do this together," I said, my mind unable to wrap around his words. "Yes, it is a lot of work, but we promised each other it wouldn't be like how it was before. And it isn't. We—"

"It isn't for you, Bennett," Lee interjected, facing me, finally his hands clenching into fists. "I wanted it to be different for me, too, for your sake. But it's not. I don't belong there. I never have."

"You do!" I argued, my voice coming out louder than I meant it to. "You're my brother. You have every right to the hotels as I do, and the position. We can make it work."

Lee shook his head. "I made my decision already, Bennett."

I grit my teeth. "Why? Because of our mother?"

"Your mother," he corrected me.

"This is exactly what she wants, Lee. Don't you see that? Why—" I cut myself off, suddenly remembering the day we went to visit her. Fury radiated through me. "What the hell did she say to you the day we went to visit her?"

Lee ran a hand through his hair. "It's not about what she said. It's about everything else."

"But—"

"I don't need your permission to leave, but I want you to support my decision," Lee said, meeting my gaze again, and holding it.

I frowned at him. "But—"

"I tried. I really tried to let the past go, and focus on the future," he said, closing his eyes. "But how can I do that? When every hall is a reminder of everything that happened, with every face I pass looks at me with pity? I'm not happy there, Bennett. I hate it. I hate it so much. I'll never be happy there. How could I? It all is just a painful memory of the lie that I've lived my entire life."

Any argument died on my tongue. "Lee..."

"I'm sorry, Bennett. I really am. I hate that I'm doing this to you," he said, burying his face in his hands.

"...Don't apologize," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder, keeping my expression neutral. "Don't ever apologize for doing what is best for yourself."

Lee picked his head up, looking a little caught off guard. "What?"

I shook my head, dropping my hand back to my lap. "What do you want me to say, Lee? No, you have to stay? I don't care if you're unhappy, you're not leaving? You have to stay and suffer?"

"No, but..."

"If this is causing you so much stress, then I don't want you to deal with it, either. You don't have to feel guilty toward me for leaving."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "But..."

"But what?" I said, dragging my whisky closer so I could sip from it. "You said it yourself. You already made your decision. And I accept it."

"...Just like that?"

I let out a soft breath, rolling my eyes at him. "Am I my mother? Should I harass you into staying? Is that what you want?"

Lee straightened out. "N-no!"

"I'm on your side, Lee. I'll support you in whatever you want to do," I promised him. "Don't worry about me."

His eyebrows drew together. "Are you sure...?"

"Why do you keep acting like you want me to make you stay?"

Lee held up both his hands. "No, no. I really don't. I just... I don't know. Thought you wouldn't take it so easily."

"Who am I to tell you what to do with your life? I'll be fine," I responded, trying to keep my voice casual, and trying to keep the tremble in my hand unnoticeable.

Because I didn't know if I'd be fine. I didn't know what I'd do without Lee. Just the thought of him leaving made me nauseous. I needed him by my side. I was already having trouble adjusting to everything, what would happen now? What would I do? I couldn't keep the panicked questions at bay.

But... I knew I would never ask him to stay. I would never ask him to choose me over himself. I would never become someone like my mother. I'd figure it out on my own. I wouldn't burden Lee. It was his life and his choice.

I took a longer gulp of my whiskey and then finished it off.

Lee looked like a weight had come off his shoulders, grinning ear-to-ear, ordering more drinks, and I immediately knew how much good leaving the company would do him, and how hard he must have thought about it. He'd made the right decision.

"I'll of course stay until you find a replacement," Lee said, opting for a craft beer this time while I'd gone with another glass of whisky.

"You don't have to," I told him, noticing how he didn't look at me as he spoke, a clear sign he didn't actually want to do what he offered. "It's fine. I can call someone in from another branch for now."

He turned to me, eyes lighting up. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Then... I'll put in my official resignation to you tomorrow."

"What will you do after?" I asked him.

He shrugged, smiling widely. "I don't know."

I found his response a little confusing, or maybe the whisky was just quickly catching up to me because I hadn't drunk in a while. Would someone with no idea of what would happen in their immediate future smile so widely? Was he that happy?

"I'll probably sell some of my stocks for now, and live off my savings for a bit while I figure out what I want to do," he mused.

I swirled the liquid in my glass. "You have enough shares in the company to retire if you sold them."

"I'll probably hang on to those. To be honest... they might drop again once news of my resignation gets out."

I shrugged. "They'll go back up."

Lee stared at me, his lips twisting down. "You're actually taking this surprisingly easily..."

"Fine, you're not allowed to quit, we have a contract, so—"

Eyes widening, Lee waved me off. "Alright, never mind! I'm done."

I resisted the urge to bang my head on the bar. Taking it easy? I couldn't show Lee how much this bothered me. I was an adult. I owned this company. I would solve this issue on my own. I always wanted Lee to be free of the damn company, and he'd finally chosen freedom. I wouldn't guilt him into staying, even if not intentionally. This was something to celebrate. Something to be happy about.

I could handle being there without him.

I waved Brandon down. "Can we get more drinks?"

"Next one is on me," he called back, slinging a towel over his shoulder, and taking out a beer. "Also, dude, have you met Trav?" he asked, gesturing to a young man standing next to him. "He's Henley's friend."

Trav... the name sounded familiar. I stared for a moment, and then it hit me, Henley's friend from the restaurant. The one that helped her that one time with Cara. I sat taller in my seat, keeping my face neutral. "I've heard about you."

Brandon snorted as he placed two beers in front of Lee and I. "Trav, this is Henley's boyfriend."

Trav smiled easily. "Hey. Nice to meet you."

I tried to loosen my posture. "You as well."

I didn't miss how Brandon looked slightly disappointed, but I didn't comment on it, as Brandon shrugged to himself. "Anyway, Trav makes this kickass drink. Wanna try it?"

"Sure," I said.

"It might be too much for you," Trav said hesitantly, glancing at the empty glasses and new beers in front of Lee and I.

I bristled. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

I didn't miss how Brandon looked slightly disappointed, but I didn't comment on it, watching as Trav walked away.

"Henley's ex?" Lee guessed.

"They never dated!" I paused. "Or did they?"

"Here," Brandon said, giving me a glass of water. "You look like you could use this. Especially if you're going to drink Trav's creation."

What did he mean by that? Did he think I looked off? Did Lee? I couldn't let him know. I shook myself and downed the beer Brandon had given me. I needed to keep it together.

I was so focused on my plan, I didn't even notice the evil little smirk on Brandon's face as he fed us more alcohol, including the drink Trav came back over, that absolutely burned going down.

And like usual, it all hit me at once.

And so did the annoyance with Lee.

"What I am going to do now?" Lee asked himself out loud. "Runaway with Henry? Actually, I don't need to run away. We could spend a year traveling. Oh! I could pick up a new hobby. Should I try writing? I'll have a lot of free time."

I stared at Lee.

"I can sleep in now... I don't have to deal with people getting angry at me." Lee's eyes were shining. "Why didn't I think about quitting earlier? It really feels like a weight is off my shoulder. I'm so happy to be gone."

I could feel my eye twitching.

Lee laughed. "Good riddance to that place. I hope it goes under—" He shut his mouth, putting a hand over it as he gaped at me.

I seized the front of his shirt. "You're really bragging right now? You're a jerk, you know that?"

"Am I?"

I held his shirt tighter. "I can't believe you're really leaving the company. After we agreed to split the responsibilities!"

"But I explained my reasons, Bennett."

"Still! We were supposed to be in this together! Do you think I'm happy there? I can only do it because you're there, too!"

Lee pried my hands off him, nearly falling off his seat while doing so. "It's too late, Bennett. I'm not changing my mind. I'm doing this for myself."

I folded my arms over my chest. "You can be so selfish."

He glared at me. "What did you say?"

"I said what I said."

"And you're not?" he countered. "You're being selfish right now by thinking I should stay for you!"

"That's different."

"It's not."

"Run away, I don't care," I said, pushing on his shoulder. "Whatever. It's fine. I guess I'm the only one who can handle this responsibility."

Lee shoved me back. "Don't be petty, Bennett."

"Whatever."

"You're really reminding me of how you used to act when you were sixteen."

"You're calling me childish?"

"Uh, yeah, I am," Lee responded, rolling his eyes.

I grabbed his shirt and he grabbed mine again and Brandon appeared before us again, hands behind his back, looking innocent. But he didn't try to stop us.

I tried to glare at Lee, but his face wouldn't stay in one place. And it looked oddly colored. Lee blinked a bunch of times, staggering.

"I'm too drunk to fight with you," Lee said, letting out a long breath.

I let him go, pursing my lips. "Me, too," I admitted.

"It's okay for you to be upset," he added. "I'm not mad."

"I'm not really mad either. You're just annoying me."

"You annoy me, too, sometimes."

"Thanks."

Brandon whistled lowly. "Damn. Not as exciting as I hoped."

Lee put a hand to his mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Oh, there's mouthwash here," Brandon said casually, looking behind the bar for something. "Here... actually, I'll just come with you, Lee. I think I went overboard with the drinks. Least I can do."

Lee nodded, wobbling as he started walking toward the bathroom.

I remained seated, my scalp suddenly burning, embarrassment setting in. I'd really just acted like a child in front of Lee. Why did I do that? Hadn't I promised myself not to react? I groaned. If I was already this embarrassed, I didn't want to sober up.

I decided to finish my last beer and make it last.

Somehow, even with the alcohol, the anxiety was creeping back up. What would I do...?

I wished I could see Henley.

I sighed.

"Bennett."

I turned at the sound of Henley's voice, blinking in disbelief as she walked toward me, a small smile on her face. "Henley?" I asked.

She stopped a little in front of me. "Who else? Wilson called and told me you and Lee are too drunk to drive home—"

I slid off my chair, wrapping my arms around her tightly, feeling content. "How did you know I wanted to see you?"

She laughed a little, hugging me back, and patting my back. "Did you want to see me?"

"I always do."

"Hi Henley," I heard Lee say as he finally re-emerged from the bathroom leaning heavily on Brandon, looking pale and sweaty.

I pulled back from Henley, prickles forming at my neck in embarrassment. "I forgot to say hello," I stated.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, I'm used to that." Then she turned to face Lee. "Are you okay? Henry is—"

I put my hands to Henley's cheeks, making her look back at me. Her eyes widened a little and her voice died in her throat. "Hello," I said.

"Hi?" she responded, the word sounding a little mumbled because of the way I held her face.

"Bennett, let her go," Lee muttered, elbowing me in the side.

I did as he asked and Henley rubbed her cheek, looking amused. "How much did you guys have to drink?"

Lee and I both shrugged.

"You can blame them being drunk on me," Brandon admitted, straightening Lee out as Lee began to fall to the side. "I think Lee is down for the count..."

She laughed. "Well, Henry is on his way to come get you, Lee, and I'll take Bennett home."

"I don't mind going home with you," Lee told her.

I narrowed my eyes at my brother. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lee put his free arm around Henley's shoulders, pulling him close to her. "What do you think it means?"

I scowled a little as Henley's cheeks flushed. Why was she blushing?

"You'll take him, Henley?" Brandon asked her, trying to duck out of Lee's arm.

"No, she won't," I said, pulling Henley back to me, nearly making Lee fall over.

Brandon easily kept him upright, looking nervous. "Man... is Henry going to kill me?"

I gave Brandon a crazy look. "You could easily take Henry."

"Don't talk about Henry like that," Lee snapped.

Henley shook her head, grinning. "Yeah, it's time for you guys to go home."

"Ah— excuse me," a voice came from behind me and I turned to see Henry apologizing to someone he must have bumped into it. They smiled and waved him off and he dipped his head before hurrying over to us, red in the face. "This is pretty crowded..." His voice died as he noticed Brandon and Lee.

Lee's eyes crinkled as he smiled at Henry. "Hey, Babe."

"Babe?" Henley, Brandon, and I echoed.

"W-we're trying out pet names," Henry said, his face an even deeper red.

I turned to Henley. "Ba—"

She quickly pressed a finger to my lips. "I rather you not."

I pulled her hand down, nodding. "That's fine. I prefer saying your name."

"Really? But Henley is a weird-ass name," Brandon commented.

Henley glared at him. "Shut up."

"Get mad all you want, but it's the name of a shirt."

"Don't you have work to do?" Henry asked him.

Brandon glanced at Henry, then at Lee, who he was still holding, and his mouth formed an O. "Hey, he's all yours, buddy." To prove his point, Brandon pushed on Lee's back, urging him toward Henry.

Lee tripped and Henley, being closest, reached out to catch him. "Woah, careful, Lee!"

He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Hi, Henry."

"Um, I'm not—"

"Lee, get your hands off her," I said, pulling on his arm.

Lee refused to budge. "No."

"Fine," I said. Then turned to Henry. "Come here."

Henry held up his hands. "I'm fine—"

I pulled Henry to me, awkwardly hugging him, moving us so my brother could see us. "How do you like it?" I asked Lee.

Henry was stock-still in my arms. It took everything I had not to release him.

Lee stared at us for a moment, and then at Henley, and then back at us. His eyes widened. "What do you think you're doing, Bennett?"

"How does it feel?" I demanded.

"Weird," Henry muttered.

"Wha— I wasn't talking to you," I said to Henry, looking down at him, and realizing how close he was. I pushed him away.

It was too weird to hug Henry to even joke around.

Henry went over to Lee and easily pried him from Henley. "Let's go home, Lee. You need to sleep this off."

Lee wrapped his arm around Henry's waist, leaning down to speak into his ear. "What if I don't want to sleep?"

Henry coughed, quickly turning his back on Henley, Brandon, and me. "Lee," he hissed before holding up a hand in goodbye. "W-we're leaving!"

I decided to pretend I didn't hear that, facing Henley. "Let's go."

Brandon tapped my arm. "You gotta pay, Bennett."

"Oh, right. How much?"

Brandon pretended to count on his fingers, his face scrunched up in concentration. "Hmm... how about $1000?"

Henley gasped. "What? Brandon, they need to go to the hospital! How did they drink so much? Is that even possible? Oh, god, I need to stop Henry—"

I calmly took out my wallet, searching for the cash, realizing I didn't have enough on me. "I'll have to use my card." I pulled my card out and handed it to Brandon.

Brandon took it and gave me a pitying look. "You'd be too easy to rob, Bennett."

Henley's face was white. "They really drink that much, Brandon?"

"I was obviously kidding to see if I pocket the rest."

"Brandon!"

"I wouldn't have!" Brandon said quickly. "You better keep an eye on him, Henley. He could hand his card to a real criminal one day."

I waited patiently for Brandon to swipe my card and then return it to me. I pulled out what cash I had and gave it to him. "Here's a tip for you and the other bartenders."

"This is a lot..." Brandon said, counting the bills. "I think you should take it back, you're drunk—"

"Your sister and you really are alike," I commented, remembering Henley had said something similar before.

"Okay, for that, I'm keeping this," Brandon decided.

Henley grabbed my hand. "We're going to go. Sebastian is outside waiting for us."

"Oh, for real? Send him in."

"No, I think it's best he stays with us if Bennett is drunk," Henley responded, and I started swinging our entwined hands. "Just to be safe."

Brandon nodded. "Gotcha. I'm going to go back to work now. See ya two!"

We bid Brandon goodbye and Henley guided me out to the car, putting me in the back seat, and putting my seatbelt on. Sebastian was in the driver's seat and gave me an amused look. "It's been a while since you've been drunk, Bennett."

"I'm not drunk," I said.

"Mhm."

Henley went to shut my door and I stopped her, pulling on her wrist. "Sit in the back with me."

"Sebastian isn't a taxi driver," she said pointedly.

"Now he is."

"You're not letting go?" she asked.

I shook my head once.

"It's fine," Sebastian told her. "He's clingy when drunk."

Henley climbed over me, pressing painfully into my thigh, and settled into the middle seat, buckling herself in. I put my arm around her, pulling her closer to me. She snuggled into my side. "I can tell," she said, responding to Sebastian.

I wasn't sure if it was because I was drunk.

I felt like if I didn't focus on Henley, I would spiral.

I didn't know what I was going to do without Lee.

Author's Note

If you missed my announcement other places, I have a huge freelance project right now, and it'll probably last a couple of months. Updates will be REALLY random, especially for H2L. They already are, but it'll probably be worse. It's a lot of work every week, but I'm getting paid, so it's something I can handle lol. If only I could write full time.... sighh, the dream.

In the meantime, you could read the comic on Tapas. There are a bunch of ways to get free coins on the app if you can afford it. It's about 25 cents per episode. On Mondays, they give coins away with the fortune cookie on the app, and it's usually enough for an episode.