Mom, Dad, and Mila fell silent the second I stepped into the backyard. They sat shoulder to shoulder on the bench beneath the remodeled barn’s canopy. Soft light streamed from the party room, casting the dancing shadows of the people inside across their backs.
The fairy lights draped across the cherry tree in the middle of the yard glowed softly, filling the garden with a warmth the place had been missing for years.Why hadn’t we put them up when I still lived here?
“If it isn’t the lost brother and son,” Mila called out, patting the small empty spot on the bench beside her.
“Hey, guys,” I said, walking over under their watchful eyes. I stopped a few feet away. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?”
“Indeed,” Mom agreed, pulling her white knit jacket tighter around her shoulders. “How was your outing with Alex?”
A gentle breeze played around my neck, sending a shiver up my spine.
“Relaxed,” I replied. “He had a headache from all the noise, so I offered to keep him company.”
“That poor guy,” Mom said. “This must’ve been a lot for him. We’re not exactly the quietest bunch.”
“I was surprised he spent so much time with us,” Mila agreed.
“He’s kind of a masochist sometimes,” Mom laughed, then glanced back at me. “But it’s nice that you accompanied him. I always thought you two would get along.”
“They certainly have enough in common,” Dad muttered. His head was turned toward Mom, but his eyes flicked to me.
“He told me about the prank you two were involved in a couple of years ago,” I said. “The one where you chased those guys from the gas station through the woods?”
“Oh my god,” all three of them shouted at once.
“That was so creepy,” Mom laughed, nudging Dad with her shoulder. “You and that fake mustache, I mean.”
“What about Alex? That mask looked so freaking real,” Dad said, wrapping his arm around Mom’s shoulders. “Do you still remember how scared he was to pretend to stab me? The knife was rubber. It couldn’t have hurt a fly. But he was stillsohesitant until you showed him how to do it.”
Mom grinned at him. “You liked that, didn’t you?”
“I can’t deny that it was one of our weirder moments, but I still cherish the memory of you pretending to stab me.”
“Please!” Mila yelled, covering her ears and making a face. “I don’t need to hear any more.”
“What?” Dad chuckled more freely than I had heard him in years. “Parents can be weird, too.”
Mila and Mom laughed with him, but I couldn’t join in. I couldn’t even remember the last timewe’d alllaughed together. It must have been before I started college the first time.
“I’m sad I missed that,” I said. The words slipped out as if they were just another casual remark about the past.
Their laughter died down, leaving only a lone cricket’s chirping to break the silence of the night.
“There’s a video of the whole thing online,” Dad said.
“I know.” The breeze picked up, its cold claw digging into my skin. I tucked my chin down and shoved my hands into mypockets. “Alex showed it to me. Looked like an unforgettable night.” Another gust swept through, making me hiss and shiver. “It’s getting cold, isn’t it?”
“It’s better close to the building,” Mila said, nodding toward the empty space beside her again.
I hopped over without thinking twice. Mila scooted closer to Dad, but the bench was still so narrow that my shoulder brushed hers as I sat down. The wood was cold enough to make me want to jump right back up, but after a few seconds, it began to warm.
“Has Alex shown you any of his music, too?” Mom asked.
“That’s a given,” I laughed, since no one would believe me if I denied it anyway. “He’s talented. More than I ever was.”
“He’s also always working on it when he’s off duty,” Dad said. His words immediately made everyone sit a little straighter. “It’s rare to see someone put in that kind of effort when he could easily slack off. I told him he should send his stuff to record labels, but he keeps brushing it off, saying it’s not ready yet.” Dad leaned forward, looking past Mila straight at me. “Isn’t that what a record label would take care of? It doesn’t have to be perfect, right?”
Did he just ask me for my opinion?He’s never done that before.
