Page 55 of Lost in the Current of You

“I’ll be okay. I’m just glad it’s over now.”

I laid down in bed and we both stayed on the phone for what felt like mere seconds but was probably hours as we made small talk but mostly just sat in silence, soaking in each other’s presence over the phone.

It wasn’t until I started yawning that Reece chuckled and his voice was a soft whispered rumble. “Maybe you should go to sleep.”

I hummed, glancing at the digital clock on my bedside table that read it was just past midnight. “Maybe I will.”

“Okay. Good night, Kody.”

“Good night, Reece.”

I don’t think he hung up after that like I expected. I drifted off to sleep with the sound of his breathing in my ear as he stayed on the phone.

And when I woke up, well, my phone was drained of life.

21

I came downstairs late the next day.

It was Boxing Day and usually, we would go to the shopping centre and shop for all the sales. With the way the night had turned, however, I wasn’t in the mood for anything but falling into a chocolate coma and watching movies all afternoon.

After pouring myself a cup of coffee and whipping up scrambled eggs for breakfast, I made myself comfortable on the couch where Nate had already been watching a movie with a burger poised in front of his lips.

“Afternoon,” he mumbled in greeting before taking a huge bite of his burger and placing it back on the plate.

Nate was only here for another week and it felt like I hadn’t spent time with him. I barely saw him. He was out of the house as soon as he rose for the day and came back as the sunset. I half felt guilty as well because I was too caught up in my own life to even know what he does during the day or even try to organise a time to spend together. It felt like the right thing to do.

“Afternoon.” I greeted and propped my head up against the back of the couch. “Wanna have a movie day with me? I feel like I’ve barely seen you.”

His eyes flickered to me and shrugged. “Sure, why not? As long as I pick the movie.”

“That’s not fair. Why can’t I pick?” I pouted.

He gave me a flat look. “Because we would end up watching 10 Things I Hate About You or some other stupid rom-com,” he deadpanned.

I was offended. I didn’t watch them that much. “That’s not true. I have a wider range of taste than that when it comes to movies, thank you.” I crossed my arms.

“Okay, fine. Give me a suggestion and I’ll decide if it’s good enough to watch.”

I thought about it for a bit, not prepared at all to be put on the spot. Because in all truths, those ‘stupid’ rom-coms Nate referred to were my comfort. I hardly ever watched anything else unless I was with Dad or Avery. So I list their favourites.

“What about John Wick or The Kingsman?”

Nate shook his head with a growing smile. “Now I know you just listed them because they’re Dad’s favourites. I’ve watched them too many times anyway.”

I huffed and crossed my arms. “Okay, fine. What about the Marvel movies? I haven’t watched any of them except maybe Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Nate’s mouth dropped. “How are you my sister and have never watched any Marvel movie?”

Nate turned his attention back to the TV, and for the rest of the afternoon, we watched the first three marvel movies in release order. Nate said it was important to watch them that way the first time as it gave you the cinematic experience.

It felt like ages since I’d had some quality time with my brother. It had only been a year since he moved far north and — not that I would admit it — but I missed his presence. I missed his annoying face, and how much he would frustrate me when he hogged the TV or when I heard him yelling at his game through the closed doors while I tried to concentrate on school work. It felt like the world had returned to normal since he came back. But in a week, he would be gone again.

With him here, I didn’t feel so lonely, especially with the constant pressure of our mother. It felt like I could walk through the storm like he did. But then again, he survived by following the path she paved and chose for him. He decided to take the easy way out and follow her footsteps into law. I didn’t even know if he liked it or had any interest in the field.

Sometimes, when I thought about it, it felt like I didn’t really know him that much. With the driving wedge of our mother, it didn’t give us time to get to know that part of each other, about what we enjoyed or how we liked to spend our day.

It was about nine o’clock at night when the credits rolled through at the end of Iron Man 2 and my eyelids were fluttering closed.

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