Page 68 of These Family Ties

“You could have just asked.” Calden reaches out, tickling my side.

“What? And given you two the chance to say no?” I grab Aaron’s hand, unfolding his fingers and pressing his thumb to the screen. “Ha! I’ve infiltrated your Spotify! Oh my god, you need help.”

“I thought that much was obvious.” He starts the vehicle and pulls out of the space and out onto the main road. “Well, DJ, No Clue. Show me what you’ve got.”

Chapter Six

“And what did he say when he opened the door?” I gasp, trying to speak through the laughter.

“Don’t make me say it, Alara.” Cal pinches the bridge of his nose, not finding this story nearly as funny as Aaron and I do.

“Say iiit.”

“Son, do you even know where those things go?” My father strolls into the room, carrying a plate full of pizza, placing it on the table, and puts both hands on his hips before finishing the story for him. “Tampons are for vaginas. They aren’t toys.”

“Brava!” Aaron jumps to his feet, and I fall back against the couch, cackling. “What did you do?”

“What the hell else could I do? I tucked them under my arms and ran home. I thought she was bleeding out, for fuck's sake.” He grins, leaning back beside me.

“My hero.” I bat my lashes.

“The manager didn’t agree with you.” My father picks up his plate and joins us on the couch. “That prick called the cops.”

“Of course he fucking did.” Aaron rolls his eyes.

“Well, Daddy took care of that, didn’t he, kids?” He reaches for the remote and brings up the menu. He scrolls until he finds a movie. “What about this one?”

“Sure.” We settle back, bellies full and content in this moment. I imagine we’re all wishing for the same thing. That the remote in my father's hand could lock out the rest of the world and freeze this moment forever.

“Do you still feel it, Cal?” I ask, resting my head on his shoulder and yawning.

“I wish I didn’t.” He drops a kiss on my forehead, and I look up to see Aaron watching us with a smile.

“You two are something else, you know that?” he asks.

“They sure the hell are,” my father snorts. “You should hear them go at it.”

“What the fuck, Mykel.” Calden snaps, jumping to his feet, his shoulders heaving and trembling with anger. It would be hot if we were alone, but we’re not. So this is fun. Abort. Mission.

“Cal.” I put my hand on his leg. “Calm down.”

“It’s okay, man.” Aaron flips open the pizza box and hands my father another slice. “Eat more. Talk less, Mykel. Calden, do you want to step outside and burn one with me?”

“You good?” Cal asks, not answering him until he knows I’m okay.

“You know I can handle my father,” I answer, squeezing his hand, and look up at Aaron.

“I’ve got him.” He nods, pulling a bag of M&M’s from his pocket and tossing them to me, and Cal pivots, following him out onto the porch.

I wait for shouting or cop cars, something that says he knows, and our world is crashing down. As well as I think we hide it, I’m starting to wonder if we’re fools for letting someone else get close enough to see through the lies. Maybe we aren’t as good as we thought. Maybe the truth is that no one has cared enough to really look, and now that Aaron’s back, he’s not going to like what he sees.

“He’s going to ruin you,” My father mutters around a mouth full of pizza.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I yawn, watching their silhouettes in the moonlight through our front window.

“My mind isn’t broken, angel.” He sighs. “It’s just a little bent. Much like my hearing. You need to get out while you can.”

I ponder his words, relaxing when the tension drops from Cal’s shoulders in the shadows. He thinks he’s hard to read, but not for me. I can tell his mood from a mile away, and right now, smoking with Aaron on our front porch, talking about God knows what, Cal is as relaxed as he gets. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, and somehow, Aaron has managed to lighten his load. I want to trust it, but inside, the words of my father are fighting to drown out Cal’s. And for once, it’s harder to hear his promised whispers over their doubts…

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