And now the waterworks begin.
Did I mention that my mother is a crier?
“I have to go or I’m going to be late,” I say flatly.
When my mother hangs up on me without a goodbye, I immediately feel terrible about our exchange, and I wish I hadn’t promised Kyle that I’d come over. I want to crawl into bed and forget today ever happened, so after considering all the ways I can back out of going to my brother’s tonight, I finally make the call.
“Hello?” I can barely hear Kyle’s voice over the sounds of classic house music in the background. The song selection takes me aback for a moment. Kyle is more of a modern hip-hop connoisseur. “Kaya?”
“Yeah, um, so I was thinking–”
“Did you cook the wings?” He’s practically yelling at this point. He can barely hear me.
“Kyle, I just had it out with Ma, and I’m thinking I should skip tonight. I’m in a crappy mood and I won’t be any fun.”
“I can’t hear you, Kay. It’s hectic in here. Just text me whatever it is.”
My brother ends the call, and a second later, I read an incoming text from my mother.
“Don’t let Kyle’s wings burn.”
***
As I walk up the front steps and knock on the front door with the toe of my boot (holding a tray of extra crispy Parmesan chicken wings), I can feel my heart thumping inside my chest. I take a few deep breaths and remind myself this is nothing to get worked up about. It’s a small gathering with a few of my brother’s closest friends who adore me. I will not allow the moment to overwhelm me or Brick’s presence to bother me. Besides, he probably hasn’t given me (or most of us here) a moment’s thought for years.
“You’re here!” Kyle exclaims as he opens the door for me.
“You sound surprised.”
“I kind of am.”
“I had to come. You basically blackmailed me.”
“That’s your problem, Kay,” he says, shaking his head. “You never trust in the brother-sister bond we have.”
“What?” I cock my head to the side in confusion.
“I wouldn’t rat you out to mom. Imagine me telling her anything about your sex life? Your body, your choice, baby sis’.”
“You mean I actually don’t have to be here and could have stayed in the comfort of my room tonight?”
“Bro’, that’s so sad.” He shakes his head in feigned disgust. “Just come on with those wings. People are hungry.”
There’s a gorgeous female deejay tucked into the corner of Kyle and Dena’s small living room playing old school house music, and I pray she’s not one of Kyle’s old flings. In a previous life, my brother had a reputation for sabotaging himself when it came to women while he was with Dena. I’ve got to admit, though, the deejay is good, and I sway my hips to the beat of the song she’s mixing as laughter echoes through the rest of the house.
“Hey, Kaya.”
“Hi, Tre.”
I’m greeted in the kitchen by Tre, a nice enough guy who works with Kyle at the plumbing company. He’s always cordial when I see him and is one of the more decent friends Kyle hangs out with. Sometimes I get the vibe that he’s attracted to me, but I know nothing would ever come of it because I’m taken and my brother would never allow it. When my father died, Kyle immediately stepped in as the protective male figure in my life and that’s who he’s always been. Father, brother, best friend.
“Kyle made you bring the wings?” he notices with a pleasant smile on his face.
“You know about them?”
“I think you made an extra pan for Thanksgiving one time and he brought them to work the next day. They’re amazing.”
“Oh, thanks.” I smile. “But it looks like I didn’t bring enough. I didn’t think Kyle was going to invite this many people,” I say as I wash my hands in the kitchen sink.
