I shake my head and hold up my hands to calm him. “Easy. I ain’t into that snob. I’m-”
“Admit it! I saw the way you looked at her. How you flirted with her on camera. Leaning on her. Touching her and shit like you had any right.”
“Noel, stop. I’m not into her. I swear.”
He puffs his chest and steps closer.
I purse my lips to hold back a laugh because he’s not intimidating. There’s no muscle. He’s a tall twig. But I am glad he’s defending himself.
“You’re a liar,” he snarls. “You think she’s hot.”
“Okay, fine. Morgan’s hot, but I don’t want her. I don’t like evangelists. They screw people over. Now come eat dinner. Tommy is waiting.”
The last bit softens him and he begrudgingly backs off.
When we arrive at the dining room, Tommy has demolished his hotdogs and mac-n-cheese.
I mess up his thin dark hair. “Thanks for waiting for us,” I tease.
“You are welcome,” he says, missing my jab.
Noel laughs.
I take a napkin and wipe off mustard on Tommy’s forehead.
“What a mess,” I say.
Tommy nods. “I am!” But he says it with a huge smile.
My brothers are so different. Both tire me, but only one makes me feel unsettled. It’s as if something bad is looming nearby, about to strike.
I take a bite, and try to be positive. They’re alive, healthy, and taken care of. My parents would approve.
The Alabama sun sets. Noel is out with his friends to watch a movie, and Tommy draws in a notebook.
I realize it’s Noel’s and check to confirm it isn’t important before I’ll give it back to Tommy.
The first page is a beautiful drawing of Morgan. My brother is an amazing artist. The portrait looks just like her. I flip the page.
Her again.
Damn.
Flip the page.
Another.
What the fuck?
By the tenth page, the drawings start to change. They become full-body images. Less clothes, and... now she’s naked. I look away before I start getting a chub from a sketch.
I rip out a few blank pages for Tommy’s scribbles, then snap the notebook shut. I head for Noel’s bedroom and toss it on his desk.
How would Mom handle this? It’s just a crush, but he’s getting his hopes too high. I don’t want to see my brother hurt, but there is no way Morgan will hook up with him.
He just has too much testosterone. That’s normal for his age.
Normal for me, too.
