Page 85 of Spark

They set her on her feet, and she looked them up and down. They were all tall, and they all looked like her dad. She couldn’t believe they were in front of her.

“You look…” Tears rolled down her face. “…just like Dad, guys.”

The brothers exchanged glances. “Yeah,” Mikey said, a tear of his own on his cheek. “We know.”

“You look just like Mom,” Matty said, and Melvin slapped his shoulder.

Mia frowned a little; she had no pictures of their mom, but she supposed her curves had to come from somewhere. She smiled again and hugged each one separately. Melvin kept his arms around her the longest; he had always been her ferocious protector.

“Missed you, bug.”

“Missed you too, BFG.” Melvin smiled at the nickname. When Mia was a kid, her brother had to read the book for school. She loved to pretend he was the BFG, and she was the little kid stolen away in secret. Melvin had grown into the nickname, too, since he was taller than even Aurelio and almost as muscular.

“Well, bug, where’s the old girl!” Melvin asked, grinning.

Mia laughed, walking towards the exit, her brothers in tow. Melvin grabbed her hand as they crossed the street, and the warmth of his touch melted her heart. He stopped them, looked both ways, and crossed. Mia rolled her eyes as they made their way to the Bug and loaded the luggage onto the roof rack. Miawent to the driver’s side but stopped when Melvin held his hand out, pouting.

“Please?” he begged, batting his eyes. “I haven’t driven her in ages.”

Mia relented, handing him the keys and moving to the passenger’s side. Her brother grinned wildly. Mikey and Matty kept pushing each other in the back, fighting over space.

“Knock it off,” Melvin barked at them, making them stop.

“Just like teens.” Mia turned to look at them and their sheepish, smiling faces.

Melvin patted the dash gently, eyes bright. “Hey, old girl. Ready to roll?” he asked the car more than the passengers, turning the ignition. The car came to life, the engine purring perfectly. “Mia, you have taken good care of her!”

“Well,” Mia said slowly as the car reversed and entered the traffic. “My boyfriend gave her a tune-up not too long ago.”

The car stopped, making horns honk behind them. Three pairs of eyes were glued to Mia. Melvin looked mad and suspicious. Mikey was open-jawed and wide-eyed. And Matty was grinning wildly; his innocent little sister was dating.

“What?” Melvin said first, resuming driving before a riot broke out behind him. “Who?”

“Well, he is a… mechanic.” That was close enough to the truth.

“What’s his name?” Matty asked, pulling himself between the driver and passenger seats.

“Aurelio.”

“Seriously?” Melvin’s eyes were trained on the road, jaw set. “Aurelio?”

“Yes, seriously,” Mia confirmed, getting annoyed with his reaction. “He is a great guy, amazing really.”

“Ahhhmazing.” Matty dragged the “ahhh” inappropriately.

“Mathew!” Mia slapped his hands. He let go, falling back into his seat and laughing.

“Oh, little sister, you are in for it!” Matty whooped. “Mia’s getting laid!!”

“Oh my god!” Mia groaned.

Melvin glanced in the rearview mirror, giving their brother the evil eye. “Enough.”

Matty shrugged down in the seat. Mikey blinked a couple times, finally closing his mouth, and smacked Matty, glaring at him again.

“A mechanic,” Mikey said finally. “Nice. He likes cars then?’

Mia laughed out loud, the irony of that statement going over her brothers’ heads. She composed herself and nodded. “Yes, he likes cars.”

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