“During,” I say, unable to stop the small laugh that slips out. “We got snowed in together. It wasn’t planned—it justforced everything out in the open. We fought it for a while and pretended it didn’t mean anything. But it did.”
Steven doesn’t interrupt this time, which surprises me. He just lets me talk.
“It’s not like it was with Evan,” I say after a pause. “With him, it always felt like we were playing parts we didn’t fit. Everyone kept saying we made sense, and I guess we just… went along with it. But we were never really right for each other. We just kind of got pushed into it.”
“Yeah,” he says, his tone softer now. “That’s what I never got. You and Evan always felt like someone else’s idea of a couple. I mean, I knew you had a crush on Clay. He was older, though, so it’s not like I thought anything would actually happen. But still, when you started dating Evan, it threw me.”
That earns a chuckle from me. “Yeah, well… you weren’t wrong.”
He pauses. “So this thing with Clay. It’s not like a rebound, is it?”
I roll my eyes even though he can’t see it. “No, Steven. It’s not a rebound. I know what it looks like, but I also know what it feels like. And I’m done letting everyone else decide what’s right for me.”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end, and when he speaks again, his voice is gentler. “Guess that’s my cue to feel a little guilty, huh?”
“Why would you feel guilty?”
“Because you’re my little sister,” he says simply. “And I should’ve noticed you were just… doing what people expected. I didn’t push it, but I didn’t stop it either. You deserve better than that.”
My throat tightens. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Steven. No sense in putting that on you.”
“I’m serious, Tess,” he says, that protective edge creeping in. “You’ve always known who you are. You don’t fake it. You don’t play games. I’ve always admired that about you. So if this thing with Clay makes you happy, then go for it. Screw what everyone else thinks.”
The words catch me off guard, but not in a bad way. It’s been a long time since we’ve talked like this, and I didn’t realize how much I needed it.
“Thanks, Steven.”
“Don’t thank me,” he says, his tone lightening again. “Just… don’t make me have to beat the crap out of him if he screws it up.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “He won’t.”
“Good. Because we both know he’d hand me my ass, and I don’t want to have to admit that I don’t have it like I used to.”
It’s quiet, but it’s not the uneasy kind. It’s the kind that says we’re okay.
Then his voice changes, a little more hesitant now. “You talk to Mom yet?”
I freeze mid-sip. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
I stare down at the counter, at the swirl of steam rising from my coffee. “Because I don’t know how she’s going to take it. I don’t want to listen to the lecture before she even hears me out.”
“Give her the benefit of the doubt,” he says gently. “You know how she is. She worries first, then she listens. Just tell her the truth. She wants you to be happy, Tess. She always has. Who knows, maybe she’ll surprise you.”
I nod, even though he can’t see it. “Maybe.”
“Not maybe,” he says. “Definitely. You’re her kid. She’ll get there, I promise.”
A small smile tugs at my mouth. “When did you get so wise?”
“I’m not,” he says. “I just get a front-row seat to the chaos.”
That pulls a real laugh out of me. “You’re such a pain.”
“Yet still your favorite sibling.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re my only sibling.”
