I lifted a hand in a wavy motion. “It comes and goes. Right now I feel like crap.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Adriel said.
“Did something happen?” Pierce asked.
“No, nothing is wrong. Theo and I had a surprise for Benji, but if he’s not feeling well…”
“I hope it’s not food,” I mumbled.
Adriel smiled sympathetically. I knew he and Pierce weren’t related biologically, but I noticed sometimes he and his older brother shared similar mannerisms. Maybe they had picked them up from each other from living together for so long. Then I wondered if Caleb and I shared quirks, too.
At the thought of Caleb, I frowned. We spoke on the phone once in a while since he got out of surgery, but most of his time was spent in recovery, then transitioning to living life alone in our old apartment. His job had given him time off work, but I still worried that they wouldn’t be so accommodating forever…
“Benji?” Pierce’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“Huh? Sorry, I spaced out for a bit.”
“Adriel wants to know if you’d like to see his surprise,” Pierce told me. “And it’s not food related, don’t worry.”
The worst of the sick feeling had passed. I tested the waters by getting to my feet, and no sudden burst of nausea came. “I think I’m okay, for now anyway.”
“Excellent.” Adriel motioned for us to follow him. “It’s right this way.”
“You’re not taking me to the old torture chamber Theo told me about, right?” I mumbled jokingly.
Judging by the horrified and shocked expression on Adriel’s face, I’d say the answer was ano.
Adriel led us down the hall to a door I’d passed by hundreds of times now, but never been inside. To be fair, the mansion was huge, and there were so many rooms and chambers that it was hard to remember which one went were.
I smiled. “Wow, Adriel, you got me a door? How sweet.”
Adriel frowned so hard that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“He’s joking,” Pierce added with a smirk. “In case you’ve forgotten what a joke is, brother.”
“I have not,” Adriel muttered. “Now, feast your eyes…”
As he pushed the door open, the breath left my lungs. The beautiful room in front of me looked like it was straight from a dream - everything was soft pastel colors, gentle watercolor paintings on the walls, and fluffy pillows and plush animals stacked neatly by a reading window. It was a picture-perfect nursery.
Theo kneeled by one of the soft blue walls with a paintbrush in his hand. “Hey! Adriel, I wasn’t done yet!”
“You were takingforeverto perfect your art,” Adriel complained. “The baby was going to be in college by the time you were finished.”
Theo scrambled to cover up the unfinished art with his arms. “Don’t look, Benji!”
Pierce laughed. “Theo, it’s fine. I’m sure Benji will love it regardless.”
“But my art…” Theo pouted.
“Can I see?” I asked Theo gently.
He perked up at my interest. “Yeah!”
He stepped aside, revealing his small mural in the center of the baby blue wall. Delicate shapes and colors depicted three bats - one grumpy, one with a cool expression, and one with a big grin - floating protectively above a human infant wearing a halo. I noticed the baby had sharp fangs and a tiny pair of bat wings.
“Do you like it?” Theo asked.
“Is that supposed to be us?” Pierce asked, pointing to the bats with amusement.
