Unfortunately Just Friends✔️

Chapter 23: Like Broken Glass

Milo

***

I told Thalia that I had to do this alone. No matter how much I wanted her by my side I know that in the end, my sisters are my sisters and only I will be able to accept the way that they react. I told them that I was coming over on Sunday and they all said they would be home so we could have dinner to end the hectic month.

When I walk in, I'm hit with the aroma of the food that they're cooking and the loud sounds of music playing through the speakers. Lilly is mixing lemonade while Zoey lays on the table with her phone in her hand. Juliana is waiting by the oven with mitts covering her hands while Isabel stands in the middle of the kitchen with a ladle in her hand belting out the words to a song. 

I stand by the door and watch them all as they seem so happy and my throat closes a little and I feel a pang in my heart. I can't help but feel sad that I have to ruin the energy later. Isabel notices me and points the ladle in my direction.

"C'MON LO SHOW EM WHATCHA MADE OF" And I can't help but belt along to the song. Zoey and Lilly both groan but I see the smiles creeping on their faces.

"Hey off the table and set it you lazy potato" I say to Zoey as I spin Isabel in a circle. She sticks her tongue out at me as she gets off the table and heads to the cabinet. Juliana sings a part of the song and Isabel and I both boo her "Sorry. You don't have the same vocals as Isabel and I" I say to her and she rolls her eyes.

The entire dinner I try my best to stick a smile on my face but there is still the funny feeling of my stomach dropping every time I think about what I have to tell them later.

How can I possibly wipe the smile off of these girls faces? I tried so long to keep it there. I worked so hard to even get those smiles to stick and here I go getting rid of them. I can't help but catch the glint of the ring on Juliana's finger and how she's practically glowing. Or how happy Isabel has been since she started dating Leo's brother. Or even how grown the twins look now that they are graduated from high school and are ready for college.

I don't realize how quickly the night went until I notice Lilly staring at me while they are all sitting in front of the tv and I'm behind the couch in the living room. She sits up quickly and I catch her tensing up from the corner of my eye. 

"Oh no. You're pacing. You only pace when you are about to yell at one of us or have something important to say" I stop in my track and notice that I'm actually pacing. Zoey turns off the tv and I notice they all move to the edge of their seats.

She's completely right. I remember pacing in front of the twins mostly and having to yell at them for getting into trouble. 

"Which one of you did something bad?" Juliana whisper- yells and they all look at each other. 

"I mean I probably did. But nothing I can think of right now" Zoey says, looking down with a furrowed brow.

"No, nobody did anything wrong this is no one's fault." I try to calm them down even though I sound exasperated.

"Then what's wrong Milo?" I look into Lilly's eyes and I can see the fear behind them. She's the baby even though she's the same age as Zoey. How could I tell her something that would make that precious face upset? Maybe I could just lie and... "Spit it out! You're giving me anxiety" Isabel says from her seat and I move to sit on the edge of the coffee table.

"Um... Okay." I'm more trying to convince myself then trying to make them even more scared. But I'm just making matters worse in every sense. My eyes wander around the room, trying to figure out a quick exit. Maybe I could just watch the stars instead. Is my heart beating faster then usual? I should probably go take some medicine or something.