Stefan got up from the table and made his way to me. I held out a hand for him to shake but he raised it to his mouth and kissed the back of it.
"Nice to see you again, Mia," he said, looking up at me.
"You remember me?" I asked him.
Stefan gave her a small smile. This was the person who had come to my mind when Dad had mentioned Luc the first time. We had shared some classes together in high school but never spoken. I couldn't remember Stefan being particularly close to anyone, and most of my hazy memories of him were attached to when Luc would be waiting for him.
“You’re difficult to forget,” he replied, a hint of color in his cheeks.
"Don't you go to college?" I asked, trying to remember something about his plans after school.
"Yeah," Stefan said as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I'm pre-Med."
"Oh, wow," I said, eyes wide. He always had his head in a book. "That's impressive!"
Lucas cleared his throat and Stefan let go of my hand.
"You two know each other?" Luc asked calmly.
I moved around Stefan and dropped myself into the seat beside Dante. My usual seat next to Luc was where Stefan sat.
"Mia and I were in the same year at high school," Stefan clarified.
"Huh," Luc said, looking between us both, not remotely impressed that we had history. "Small world."
"Are you seriously going to eat that for breakfast?" I asked, looking at Dante's plate. It was filled with crepes that were smothered in chocolate syrup. Possibly more chocolate than crepe, on second assessment.
"What's wrong with it?" Dante asked. "You're all jealous because it's clear I'm Lydia's favorite."
"Mhmm. Sure. That's it," Luc mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Nothing to do with the sugar high you're going to hit," I added.
"If you guys are going to tag team then I'm not coming over for breakfast anymore," Dante told us.
Lydia walked towards the table. "That would mean I would have to do a lot less." She dropped a stack of crepes and some coffee in front of me and I thanked her with a laugh.
I caught sight of Luc watching me and felt a faint heat in my cheeks. Dropping my gaze to the plate, I asked, "So, where did you guys get to last night?"
It was the wrong question to ask as there was a beat of silence before Luc spoke up, "Just a bit of business that needed sorting."
"Luc," Stefan said, shooting his brother a look that I caught.
"What?" Luc shot back.
"Nothing," Stefan replied, sighing. "If you'll excuse me." Stefan gave me an apologetic smile and left the table.
When Luc and Dante left for work, I made my way back into my room to grab a book before stepping out onto the grounds. Stefan was sitting at the end where I usually took residence. I hesitated, not wanting to interrupt him from his work, but he saw and waved me over.
"Hi," I said, reaching him. "Sorry. I don't want to disturb you."
"You're no disturbance, Mia," Stefan told me. On his lap was a stack of papers that had neat notes written beside highlighted sections of text. "From what I gather this is your home as well." Stef patted the seat next to him and I sank into it. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how is it you've ended up here? You don't seem the sort that would associate with my brother."
I was surprised at how polite and well spoken Stefan was, when I compared him to the first interactions I’d had with Luc. I had given Stefan a wide berth in school, the same way everyone had, and made every assumption about him based on his family and I felt guilty for that now.
"It's kind of complicated," I said, avoiding his eye.
"Try me."
