My brother’s tall shadow slunk into the chair before he did. “I feel like a peasant,” he said.
“Why?” I scoffed, stirring my chopsticks through the noodles.
“The break room is for people who don’t have an entire lounge, office, and kitchen at their disposal. Plus, here, I don’t have control over the screens.” He sighed, twisting his wild, gravity-defying bangs aside.
I gripped my chopsticks so hard they clicked together. Our home had everything. But he still wanted to leave.
He flicked his sharp gaze on me with the vacant curiosity of a main character from a roleplaying game or Tim Burton movie. “How’s your first day?”
“Fine.” I shrugged, darkening my phone screen.
He arched his eyebrow. “You wanted to explain…things?”
Not really.
“Eat something,” I said.
“My stomach contents aren’t so low that they’d affect my listening abilities.” He slid the chair closer, propped his arms on the table, and stared blankly at me under his thick, wiry lashes.
I raised my shoulders to push my headphones up by my ears, even though they didn’t stick. “Are you waiting to eat with Kat?”
“No. She comes by me for her break, but I eat whenever I’m hungry.” He pulled two foil-wrapped lumps out of the pocket in his uniform, then rolled one towards me. “Here. It’s fully loaded with your favorites.”
I peeked under the wrapping. Steam wafted from a cheesy potato sprinkled with bacon and broccoli. My lip twitched up. “This will be my vegetable intake for the day. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He procured two plastic forks and napkins. “I doubt you want to use your chopsticks for this.”
“You would be correct.”
We ate in easy silence. My insides whirred, warm with hot noodle broth and gooey cheese.
My brother ate by my side, casually scanning the room for me. He sucked his pinky free of spilled cheese. The wet smack popped in thehollows of my ears. Part of me wanted to put my headphones on, but this tightness in my chest was nothing compared to the comfort of my little brother’s shadow. He was here for me, even if I did annoy him.
If.It wasn’t hypothetical after the spider incident.
Heat flared up the back of my throat. I dabbed my lips with the back of my hand, then a napkin. “I almost had a panic attack today. But I managed it.”
“You did?” He sat up, his hair piqued like a bent antenna.
I gestured to myself. “I am not currently panicking, so yes.”
“That’s certainly progress. How’d you do it?”
What had officially tipped me into problem-solving mode? Another disaster? A plush turkey? Possibilities floated in the back of my mind like bubbles reflecting Sal’s smile.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said.
“Well, if you have one again–”
“I’ll handle it.”
My brother’s nostrils flared, his shallow cheeks flexing with frustration.
I wasn’t guaranteed to have another panic attack.
He sighed and gestured to the break room. “Well, what about your coworkers? Is there anyone around here you could be friends with?”
“Yes.” I bristled. It wasn’t difficult; it was dangerous.
