The Brothers Nelson : Part One

                                    

                                          
Nick and David's mother used to bring them to Sam's Diner when they were kids. As a family, they would enjoy an "American breakfast" with bacon, eggs, and stacks of pancakes with a mountain of whipped cream on top. Nick loved strawberries on his pancakes, while David went all in with chocolate syrup. Their mum usually stuck to berries, but sometimes she would order the same as David when she felt like cheating on her diet.
Nick's stomach grumbled at the memories as his car pulled up to the old diner. He stepped out, stuffing his hands into his pockets as the car he had ordered drove away. 
He ground his teeth in frustration as he stared up at the weathered sign above the abandoned diner. Most of the letters were rusted and crumbling or were simply missing. The remaining letters were S, A, and D. That seemed grim.
As Nick was pulling his phone out of his pocket to contact his brother, David called to him from across the street.
Waving him over, David shouted, "Nick! Over here!"
He hurried across the street and wondered in a panic, "what's happened? What's the emergency?"
David hooked a thumb to the pub behind him. "I'll show you."
Reluctantly, Nick followed David into the pub as his worry peaked. What was the emergency? Why were they in a pub?
The pub was sleepy and slightly depressing with only a handful of middle-aged patrons who slumped over their tables of the bar, drowning their sorrows in their beverages.
David sidled up to the bar and pulled a stool out for Nick.
He sat, leaning in so David could hear him over the music blasting from an old jukebox. "So? What was so urgent?"
David ordered two pints of lager and relaxed his shoulders as though he had just ended a long day of manual labor. "This," he told Nick when the bartender gave them their drinks. "We've never had a lad's night out, have we?"
For a moment, all Nick could do was stare at his brother, slack jawed. He grinded his teeth, annoyed that David had wasted his time. He'd missed out on Charlie's dinner for this. With a grounding sigh, Nick did his best to keep calm. "You can't text 'emergency' just because you wanna go for a pint. You scared the shit out of me."
David laughed heartily and clapped Nick on the back. "You wouldn't have showed up otherwise," he pointed out before he met his brother's gaze and his tone turned serious. "I figured you wouldn't want me involved with your bachelor party. I get it, we're not close or anything, but I still wanted to celebrate with you."
Nick ignored his drink, watching his brother chug his own back. "I thought you were against me marrying Charlie." 
David shook his head. "I have nothing against Charlie. Do I think you'll regret marrying him? Yes. But it's your life, not mine. Just don't be surprised when you're sleeping on my couch with no place to go, and I remind you over and over that I told you so."
He almost fooled Nick for a moment. With a huff, he went to stand but stopped when a pair of young women approached them. The taller of the pair tapped David on the shoulder.
David beamed mischievously as she pulled him close and planted a kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, he smiled at her and said, "hey, babes."
"Hey," she smiled back before she set her attention on Nick. In heels, she clacked over to him and gave him an unwanted hug. "Nick, it's so great to meet you, finally."
Unsure of what to say, Nick blurted out, "you, too." 
She blushed as she backed away to stand next to her friend, who was a few inches shorter, had striking blue eyes, and jet-black hair. 
"This is Fiona," David told Nick as he rested his hand on the small of his girlfriend's back. He motioned to Fiona's friend. "And this is Lilly."