"It's for your brother," I say calmly. Calmer than I'm feeling. "We got flowers for your mom."
"We don't need to get them something every time we go. At this rate, we'd be broke."
I grip the wheel tight.
We wouldn't be broke since we always buy something small. It's what my mom taught me. To never visit with empty hands. And Aziel damn well knows this.
"We don't need to, but you know why I do it."
"Fine. But I don't understand why we had to drive half an hour just to buy this specific ice cream."
"Because it's Sebastian's favorite. Stracciatella."
Aziel gives me a weird look, and my patience thins.
"He's almost nineteen. He's not a kid anymore. If he wants ice cream, he can go and get it himself."
"What's your problem?" I explode.
He doesn't answer, and I steal a glance. Aziel is looking out the window, but his fists are balled.
Recently, we've started to fight more and more about little things. Never something serious, but I still don't understand why he's acting this way. It's for his brother, not some stranger. Besides, we haven't visited in months.
"It doesn't matter," he says. "I'm sorry I exploded."
I know this type of apology from him. He doesn't mean it, not really. He's just saying it to put a stop to the fight because it's not going in the way he wants to, or he's done with it.
"It's okay. We're almost there anyway."
The rest of the short drive we spent in silence.
I don't have a lot of time to worry about us because we arrive at his childhood home. His mother welcomes us with a smile that brightens when I give her the flowers.
"You're such a gentleman. Thank you, dear," she says.
"I hope you like them."
Before she can respond with anything, Sebastian runs down the stairs. When he sees me, he smiles shyly and calls with an excited voice, "Daddy!"
I laugh out loud because he's still calling me that. By this point, it has become a joke between us. I see it in the way his eyes dance with mischief.
"For fucks sake," Aziel swears. "Cut it off, brat. I've had enough of your bullshit."
The room falls dead silent.
"Aziel. It's fine. He's joking," I say, trying to calm him.
"Is he? Can't he joke with something else?"
Aziel doesn't wait for my response and instead storms to the kitchen. Their mother looks awkwardly at me, shuffles on her toes, and then leaves after Aziel.
What the fuck just happened?
I look at Sebastian but he's staring at the floor, with his hands behind his back. Something about the way he stands, like a scolded kid on the verge of tears, makes me step forward.
"Sebastian?"
He looks up, and damn it, I was right. His eyes are glassy, and his lips are trembling.
