I look down and see what he means. I turn my back and walk away with my head held high, cheeks on fire, trying not to laugh. “Hurry up, Blue,” I call as I enter the bathroom and turn the shower on.
By the time the sheets are in the wash and the shower steam has cleared, the apartment smells like the breakfast Noah is cooking.
Abbie arrives first. I hug her tight. She’s wearing a mustard-yellow blouse tucked into high-waisted jeans, with one of those vintage silk scarves tied around her neck. She looks like sunshine and confidence wrapped in one. I can’t help but grin at her.
“Hi, beautiful boy,” she coos, then more gently, “I’ve been missing you.”
“I’ve been missing you, too.” My voice breaks a little, and I pull back to let her in.
She settles on the sofa as I put the kettle on.
“Smells great,” she calls over to us.
“Noah’s making blueberry pancakes,” I tell her, smiling at him. He dances over to me, awfully as always, “Walking on Sunshine” playing from his phone, and gives me a kiss on the temple, squeezing my side before going back to slicing fruit.
She sighs dreamily, watching us. “My goodness, you two are adorable.”
Noah puffs his chest out at that. “Yes, we are,” he says matter-of-factly. God, he’s cute.
There’s a knock at the door, and Noah shouts, “It’s open!” He looks at me quickly, realizing he shouted without meaning to—but I didn’t jump. My heart isn’t racing. A laugh spills from my lips, and he quirks his brow at me. I lean in close to his ear so Abbie won’t hear.
“I’m used to your shouting,” I whisper.
Heat flashes in his eyes. “Cheeky boy,” he whispers back with a wink, delight coloring his tone.
“Okay, no. Enough of that. No flirting when I’m here.”
My brother’s voice reaches us, and I see him giving Abbie a quick hello.
“Spoilsport,” Noah fires back without venom.
“Hi, Aiden,” I say as I walk over to him. I take him by surprise with a hug. We’ve always been more shoulder-squeeze type brothers, but after everything that’s happened the last few weeks, I need to feel my brother in my arms. Emotion creeps up on me, and my eyes sting. I sniffle into the hug, and he pulls me back by the shoulders to look at me.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, worry lining his face.
“Yeah,” I laugh, “I’m just happy to see you.”
He gives me a warm smile, squeezing my shoulders before walking over to Noah and giving him a fist bump. I hear Abbie let out a snort and give a drawn-out, “Dude.” They both narrow their eyes at her playfully.
“I’m here!” Ciarán calls from the hall. I see him duck into my bedroom with a bag and come back without it. I raise my brow in question as he approaches, and he gives me that sweet grin he saves for me. It’s soft and changes his whole face.
“Just a couple of journals I picked up at a fair last weekend.”
My heart warms as he steps into my open arms, tucked neatly against my chest. He’s so thoughtful. “Thank you,” I say quietly.
When he steps back, I get a good look at him. Cropped black knit, distressed and laddered down one arm like he’s pulled at the threads on purpose. His jeans are painted with streaks of silver across the thighs, deliberate strokes that catch the light when he moves.
“You look great,” I tell him, and he preens. His face takes on that sly look, and he says, “I know. So do you, as usual.”
My face burns as I smile at him. He plops himself down beside Abbie, kisses her cheek, then waves to Noah and Aiden.
“Sorry I couldn’t come with you. Who did you end up going with?” Abbie questions as I sit beside them on the sofa.
“I went alone. Went to the fair the next morning before heading home,” he tells us with a shrug, but it’s hiding more. He didn’t even ask me, which I understand, even though it makes me feel like a crappy friend.
“You stayed the night?” I ask.
“Yeah, got an Airbnb apartment. It was amazing, right in the center of San Francisco. Got there Friday, went dancing in one of the bigger clubs. It was so much fun.”
