I can hear the defensiveness in her voice. Which means this isn’t an apology at all. I raise my hand with a cracked shell in it, sending bits of egg whites flying like silly string. I wince. Oops.
“Don’t,” I cut her off. “I’m really fucking pissed at you for making Keno feel shitty and unwanted. Until you’re ready to apologize, we have nothing to talk about.”
I can feel her upset. Hear the way her breaths stutter. She swallows and gets to her feet. Without a word, she leaves her mug on the counter and heads toward the stairs to the loft.
Edna and I have rarely fought about anything. When we do, it’s usually short-lived and we’re talking in a matter of hours. I’ve never been so upset with her. I also never thought she’d treat someone so important to me the way she has.
Though I might remember I’m not thirteen, I’m not sure my twin does. The longer I think about it, the more furious I become at how she’s made Keno feel. Shewill nottreat him that way if she wants to be a part of my life.
The pain in my chest knowing I might lose my twin sister makes my hands pause. I take a deep breath, glancing toward the stairs. She didn’t go upstairs completely. She’s sitting on the landing in the very corner, watching me.
I turn back, resolutely ignoring her. Bottom line is I don’t need her permission to marry anyone. I could understand it if I wanted to marry her best friend or an ex or some shit. But not Keno. He’s mine. He’s always been mine. I’ve never had to, nor will I ever, share him.
The thought makes me smile. Maybe this is why neither of us has had a girlfriend since we met. Maybe we’ve always been possessive of each other without realizing it and the thought of sharing the other with someone is just… appalling.
I pause with the big bowl of eggs and begin peeling bacon out of the plastic container to lay across the grate. Since it’ll shrivel up a bit, I squish them a little so I can fit the tray in the oven and turn back to my eggs.
I’ve gotten the eggs all mixed with milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, the large griddle covering the stove with two of the propane burners on, and have just begun melting butter on the griddle when Keno walks in.
He looks around the kitchen, still half asleep. His disheveled state makes me smile. He rubs a hand through his short hair that’s sticking up in odd directions as he walks toward me. I wrap an arm around his waist and pull him into my side.
“Why are you up so early?” he asks, his last two words distorted by a yawn. He’s tired enough that his inhibitions are lowered, and he wraps his arms around my waist without a thought.
“Your parents leave early, and I want to make sure they get good food before they go.”
Keno takes a breath and then peeks up at me. “You got up early to feed my parents?”
I kiss his forehead. “Yeah. Airport food is grossly overpriced and not necessarily good. Besides, it’s one less thing they need to stand in line for, so maybe they can stay an extra ten minutes since it’ll be a while before you get to see them again.”
There’s that look. Right there. I’ve done something that means a lot to him. I can see it in the way he stares at me with his eyebrows slightly puckered and that doe-y look in his eyes. A smile that looks almost sad but is really emotional is on his lips.
“Thank you,” he says and turns in on me a little more. I adjust my body so I can hug him properly.
My eyes meet Edna’s across the distance, through the railing of the stairs. She better see that I’m going to protect this forever. No one is going to get between us. Not even my twin. No matter what her reason is.
I close my eyes and hug him a minute longer before I turn us back to the side so I can get some French toast on the griddle. Though it might not be the best idea, I manage to get the first one on with only a single hand. It becomes a challenge after that to see if I can do it without streaking as much egg all over the griddle.
Keno laughs. “I can let you go,” he offers.
“I can’t.”
He grins, turning his smile onto my shoulder. I bet if I looked, his cheeks would be pink.
We’re quiet as I get my first four pieces of bread onto the stove. I’m quite pleased with the success of that. One-handed. I can totally cook one-handed.
“I’m not sure if this trip was a success,” Keno says quietly.
I look over his shoulder at my sister. I’m not sure if she can hear us or not. “It was,” I assure him. “Our parents are happy. Excited. Your mother issuperexcited.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“I’m not sure you’ve ever asked if you could ask a question before.”
“Sorry. I just… Do you think Edna’s upset because you’re with a guy? I realize sexuality isn’t something either set of parents really asked about besides the initial curiosity, but… I just don’t understand why she’s so upset, and I can’t help but think she doesn’t want you with a guy.”
“She’s with a guy.”
Keno snorts. “You know what I mean.”
