Zee still didn’t talk all that much, but it was better than it had been five years ago. His history wasn’t as bad as mine, yet was worse in so many different ways.
“How are you doing?” I took a seat on the edge of his bed, not wanting to make him feel crowded.
“Too many people.” He gave me a look that I knew well.
“Yeah, there is.” Although it was something we both should be well acquainted with by now. “Noah came with me.”
“Fun.” His word was not filled with anything fun. Noah was a bit too much sometimes, which I understood.
“He’s downstairs, and probably won’t remember I’m here until it’s time to leave.”
Not when there were a few other people around who had similar mindsets. I was okay with that, anyway.
“He always remembers you.”
“Yeah, Eventually. Wanna make a bet that he still won’t remember that my birthday was a few days ago?”
“He hasn’t?” That got his attention, as he sat up straighter on his bed. “He’s your best friend.”
“And not the greatest at remembering dates. He always forgets. I don’t really care.”
“I know,” Zee sighed, scooting so he could lay his head in my lap. He always did when it was just the two of us. His gray eyes stared up at me. “You hate your birthday.”
“But I enjoy Luce taking the day from me.”
“It’s your birthday?”
I huffed, looking up at the ceiling in a silent prayer. Did he always have to pop in at the worst times? Okay, this wasn’t that bad of timing, but still. He was annoying.
“No.”
“It was two days ago,” Lucy was kind enough to explain before she crawled up on top of Zee. He huffed, then groaned, as the little girl hit him with her knee. “Asher doesn’t like birthdays. But he likes sharing one with me.”
“I see.”
I shot a glare at Beckett because there was nothing more to the fact about that day.
A tap on my arm took my attention straight back to Zee. I answered the question that he didn’t say aloud. “He’s Noah’s friend. Who also happened to boss his way into driving us here today.”
“Asher’s brother doesn’t like you,” Lucy happily supplied when Zee did a wave/flick motion with his hand.
I couldn’t stop but bursting out laughing. Zee didn’t like hardly anyone. I was one of the few exceptions because we understood one another on a level no one else did.
“Sorry to break the news,” I said, still kind of amused. “Zee isn’t a fan of you either, princess.”
“Me?” Lucy looked appalled. “What’s not to love?”
Oh to five again, I thought.
“Alright,” I sighed. “Let us go before we overwhelm my brother.” Lower, so only he could hear. “I’ll be back to hang in a bit before I leave.”
I always made time to be with just him when I visited. Sometimes, just knowing someone else was there to be quiet with was enough to help soothe things we didn’t understand.
Chapter 35
“I didn’t know you had a brother.”
I didn’t reply, watching my feet as I took steps down. Voices floated up to me as we neared the bottom.
