Alex and I got into the car, buckling up before I started to back out of the spot. I sighed, relaxing into my seat. "Can you text Mom asking for the order number for the—?"
"I know why you were acting weird at the check-out."
I choked on my tongue.
"I figured it out," Alex said, a grin pulling at her lips. "I knew something was up. But I didn't think you had a crush."
"What—! What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to mask my nerves. It wasn't that obvious, was it? That he and I had slept together? That I wasn't..?
Alex's smile turned wicked, and although she was something like half my size, I felt my heart lurch.
"You like Iza."
A wave of relief washed over me. "Oh."
"Oh? Is that all you have to say?" Alex leered, leaning on the center console. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and I physically felt my heart lurch. "I knew you were acting funny, and honestly? I bet she likes you back."
Suddenly embarrassed, I chuckled, though it came out sounding a little off. "Don't be ridiculous, Lex—"
"Come on, I haven't seen you that flustered in a long time! You totally like her. You should go for it!" my sister sang, practically bouncing in her seat. "Come on, just ask her out!"
I cleared my throat, pulling out of the parking lot. "Just... text Mom about the order, please. And if you wanna go to that movie marathon, I need the address of that Julie girl's house."
"But—"
"Send it right now or you're not going, Lex."
Alex gave me a side-eye but pulled out her phone. "Touchy subject, huh? I'll let you get away with it this time, but you're not getting out of this that easy."
I chuckled dryly, starting the car. "Sure."
I didn't doubt her. And my stomach turned at the thought.
*+*❅*+*
"We're home!"
I shut the door probably a little too loudly as I tried to regain my balance. With two heavy armfuls of groceries, I followed Alex into the kitchen, where she was carefully placing the flower arrangement Mom had ordered in a vase. I, meanwhile, dumped the bags dangling from my arms onto the counter, letting out a breath as I was relieved of their weight.
The kitchen smelled amazing: a pan of sizzling asparagus was sitting on the stove next to a tall pot of rice, and a baked chicken was sitting in the oven, which was left slightly ajar. The smell of spices wafted through the house, causing my nose to tingle.
My mother came around the corner from the dining room with a smile, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She rushed to the stove, picking up a spatula and poking the asparagus. "Hey, guys. Luke, could you put the groceries away for me, please? Your brother should be here in a few minutes."
"Yeah, no problem," I said, sifting through the crinkly plastic bags. "Is Jen coming?"
Alex snorted, a sound missing humor, and picked up the vase to take to the dining room. "When is she not?"
My mom sighed, pulling the chicken from the oven and setting it on the counter before turning to glare at Alex. "Yes, she is. And you have better be on your best behavior when she's here, young lady."
"Come on, Ma! Why does she always have to be here? She's so—!" Alex cut herself off with a groan as Mom shot her another heated glare. She huffed, stomping over to the dining room with the vase clutched so tightly in her little hands, I was scared it would break.
"I don't understand Alex's issue with Jen," my mom muttered, pulling the pan of asparagus from the stovetop. "She's such a sweet young woman, even your father likes her."
Jen was a short little thing, with long, blond hair that was always neatly pulled out of her face. Her eyes were always a little tired, but they lit up whenever she would talk about something she liked, whether it be music, her nursing residency, or Adrian. I quite liked Jen: she was nice, polite, and a good balance to Ian's rambunctious nature. Honestly, she was pretty difficult to hate.
Alex, for whatever reason, didn't share the same sentiment.
I shrugged. "Who knows? Sometimes, Lex just... decides not to like people."
"But your brother's girlfriend?" Mom sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I wish she'd picked someone less... inconvenient to hate."
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. A loud, exaggerated moan of frustration sounded from the dining room, and I could practically see Alex pouting from the table.
My mother sighed tiredly. "Could you get the door, Luke? I'll get Alex to finish with the groceries."
I nodded, crumpling up the empty plastic bags in my hands and tossing them in the cabinet under the sink before making my way to the front door. Even before I opened it, I could hear my brother's voice talking animatedly.
I peeled open the door, cutting him off with the huge grin that overtook his face.
"Luke!" Adrian greeted me, wrapping his arms around my chest in a bone-crushing hug. My feet came off the ground for a brief moment, and a sharp hiccup left my mouth as my lungs were squeezed of air. Over Ian's shoulder, Jen was stifling a laugh into her fist, waving politely with her other hand. I felt my cheeks flush as I tried to maneuver out of Ian's grip.
Adrian was tall, way taller than me, with darker skin and smile lines in the corners of his eyes even though he was only twenty-five. His tight, curly hair was freshly cut, fading in a gradient on the sides, and his dark eyes sparkled as he spoke. He was loud and clumsy and charming, traits that worked in getting him in and out of his fair share of trouble over the years.
"Hey, Adrian. Hey, Jen," I wheezed through the hug, wrapping my arms around my brother and giving him a firm pat on the back before pushing away from his chest with a smile. "How've you been?"
"I've been great!" he said, pulling away only to rest his hands on my shoulders. "God, it's been ages since I've seen you guys. How's Ma?"
I swatted at his hands, rolling my eyes in feigned annoyance. "Why don't you go ask her yourself? She should be in the kitchen."
With a nod, Adrian reached behind him, gently grabbing Jen's hand and leading her into the house. She waved at me as he tugged her along, flashing a smile and trying her best to tuck a stray strand of golden hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. I chuckled.
Adrian had started at the local university a couple years back, but always made the effort to visit when he had a few days off. Admittedly, that wasn't very often, but it was better than my other siblings.
As I wandered into the kitchen, I was greeted with the sight of my sister sulking in the corner, arms crossed over the granite counter, face buried between her elbows. Jen was leaning against the wall, smiling shyly, as Adrian practically tackled Mom into a hug.
"Ma! How've you been?" he exclaimed, beaming. Mom laughed, reaching up to pinch Adrian's cheek before patting the smooth skin. Her expression was so happy and contagious that I felt a grin pulling at my own lips.
"I've been good, baby. Your dad's gonna be at a work dinner tonight, but he said he'd try to make it home for dessert." She turned to Jen. "Jennifer, sweetie! How are you?"
Jen's expression brightened. "I've been good, ma'am." She glanced over at Ian and cocked a brow knowingly. "Your son's made sure of it."
Alex feigned a gag behind my Mom's back, but I quickly shot her a look.
"That's my boy!" Mom cooed, bumping her shoulder against Ian's as she scooped the asparagus into a dish. She looked slyly over her shoulder, winking at Jen. "I made sure he knew how to take care of a woman. Has he been cooking for you? Making sure not to leave his room a mess?"
Jen laughed, pushing off the wall to tuck herself into Adrian's side and pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. A goofy grin spread across Ian's face at the gesture, showing off a gap-toothed smile identical to Mom's. "He's done it all. You've raised a good one, Mrs. Donovan."
From the back of the kitchen, I caught Alex's grimace, but she didn't say anything rude as per Mom's request. Instead, she opted to glare at the side of Jen's head with enough heat to melt wax. It was truly a miracle she didn't burst a blood vessel right there with how hard she was staring. I caught her eye, frowning harshly at Alex until she rolled her eyes and sulked over to the dining room, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"Can I help set the table or anything?" I asked, watching Alex as she rounded the corner.
"That would be great, actually," Mom mused, passing me the dish of asparagus she was holding. "Put this on the dining room table, would you? Adrian, come help me out here with the chicken."
Pressing a gentle kiss to Jen's forehead, Ian went to go help my mom in the kitchen as I made my way to the dining room, finding a pouting Alex slumped in one of the chairs.
"Hey," I greeted, placing the asparagus on the table and taking the seat next to my sister. I bumped my shoulder into hers, watching her frame sway a little from the force. "You alright?"
Alex furrowed her brow, slumping further into her chair. "I don't like Jen."
"Well, duh." I snorted, tilting my head back and resting my neck on the top of the chair. "But I don't get why."
My sister scoffed, crossing her arms pointedly. "She's annoying. That's all."
I cocked a brow, but before I could say anything else, Jennifer stepped into the dining room balancing the chicken in her arms. She was having some difficulty keeping it upright, and I rushed out of my seat to help make sure it didn't fall. Once it was steadily in her grip, Jen exhaled in relief.
"Thanks, Luke," she said, gingerly placing the dish in the middle of the table. She grinned, reaching to ruffle my hair a bit, mussing up the fraying twists piled on top of my head. "What would I do without you?"
I rolled my eyes, smiling back at her. "Not a problem. I'm just glad to eat."
Jen laughed and took the seat across the table from Lex, who looked anything but pleased at the action. "So, how's hockey going? Your season just started, right, Luke?"
Nodding, I took the chair next to Alex, nudging her foot under the table, she shot me a disgruntled look. "Yeah, our first game is on Friday. The team's pretty pumped."
Jen hummed, leaning back in her chair. She smiled tentatively at Alex. "How about soccer, Lex—?"
"Don't call me Lex."
Jennifer stiffened "Right. How's soccer going, Alex?"
I kicked Alex under the table, shooting Jen an apologetic look. My sister looked unamused at best, though "pissed" was probably a far more accurate word.
"It's fine," she replied flatly. Jennifer shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked ready to say something, maybe an apology. Before she could, however, Ian and my mom came in with the rest of the food, setting it on the table with oblivious smiles.
Dinner went smoothly, all things considered. Alex was grumpy, but other than that, the food and the company were good. I didn't even notice when my dad got home until he distractidly slid a prettily decorated, store-bought cake onto the table.
As we were finishing dessert, Ian whispered something to Jen. With a blush, she nodded, and Ian stood up claiming that he had an announcement to make.
"Can I have your attention, wonderful family of mine?" he humored, tapping his fork to his glass. Our conversation simmered down as it chimed, and after a couple of seconds all eyes were on him.
"So," he said, glancing around the table before setting his gaze on Jennifer. "Jen and I have been together for a long time. I've been in love with her for... God, since high school. She is the love of my life. And recently, I realized..." his eyes softened, "I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."
Realization jolted me. My gaze darted to my mother, who's hand had jumped up to cup her mouth.
Ian beamed. "I proposed to Jen Friday night. She said yes. We're engaged!"
Jennifer pulled a glittering ring from her jean pocket, sliding it onto her left ring finger. She grabbed Adrian's hand, smiling as she looked at us. "Surprise..!"
A loud sob sounded from my mother, who shot out of her seat to gather Adrian and Jen into her arms. Tears were streaking down her face, and a smile was stretching her cheeks. "Oh, my babies! I'm so happy for you both, congratulations!"
My dad watched on with wide eyes, his fork halfway to his mouth.
When my mom finally pulled away, I strode over and pulled Ian into a hug. I gave him a firm pat on the back and squeezed him close. "Congratulations, dude." I pulled back and pulled Jennifer into my arms. "Congratulations, Jen. I can't wait till I can call you my sister, legally."
She laughed, shaking her head. "You're already my brother, Luke."
I couldn't help but smile at that, pulling her in for another hug. "Thanks."
In the mess of celebration, tears and congratulations, however, there was one person we had all forgotten about.
Everyone jolted at the long bang of a pair of little hands slamming down on the dinner table. Alex was standing at her seat, her expression livid. Without a word, she stormed off, and after a few seconds of tense silence, a door slammed somewhere in the apartment.
Slowly, my dad finished bringing his forkful of cake to his mouth.