Page 7 of Nicky

“So, how’s college life?” I asked, keeping my tone casual.

“It’s good. Busy.”

“Busy with classes or something else?” I asked, keeping my tone casual.

“Both, I guess,” he said, his voice light but evasive.

I frowned, tapping my fingers lightly against the steering wheel. “Something else, huh? That doesn’t sound suspicious at all.”

Aiden chuckled, but it was a little forced. “Relax, it’s nothing big. Just, you know, college stuff.”

I narrowed my eyes at the road ahead, not buying it for a second. “Uh-huh. College stuff. Like late-night study sessions or?—?”

“Exactly,” he cut in quickly, the words tumbling out a little too fast. “Late nights. Lots of coffee. Very boring.”

His tone screamed deflection, but I let it slide for now. “All right, if you say so. But if ‘college stuff’ lands you in trouble, don’t forget my number still works.”

“Noted,” he said, a grin creeping back into his voice.

“Good.”

The sound of muffled laughter drifted through the line—his roommate, maybe. Whatever the “something else” was, it could wait. Aiden would tell me when he was ready. At least, I hoped he would.

I let the banter stretch out a little longer, the teasing easing some of the tension in my chest. But then the question I’d been avoiding slipped out, unfiltered.

“You’re seriously not coming home for Christmas?”

“I told you, Nicholas,” Aiden said, dragging out my name in the way that meant he was gearing up to dig his heels in. “I’ve got a ton of work for finals, and flying back doesn’t make sense. Besides, we’ll see each other soon.”

“Spring isn’t soon, Aiden.”

“It’s just a few months.” His tone turned defensive. “You’re the one who told me to focus on school.”

“I didn’t mean focus so much you forget you have a brother.”

“Oh, come on. You’re acting like I’ve disappeared off the face of the earth. I call you all the time.”

“Twice a week is not ‘all the time.’” I turned the corner a little too sharply, gripping the wheel.

“Is that what this is about? You miss me?” His teasing lilt was almost enough to make me hang up.

“I don’t miss you. I miss having someone around to clean up after. The house is spotless, and it’s annoying.”

“Admit it—you’re bored without me.”

“Admit it—you can’t survive without my nagging,” I shot back.

There was a pause, then a soft laugh that didn’t match his usual bravado. “I’m surviving just fine, thanks. College isn’t the apocalypse.”

“How are finals looking?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation to safer ground.

“Stressful, but manageable. My portfolio’s almost done, and I’ve got my design concepts nailed down.”

“Good. You’ve been putting in the work. Don’t slack off now.”

“Yes, Dad.”

The words were light, but they hit me somewhere deeper than I expected. He didn’t mean it the way I sometimes felt it, but it still reminded me that for six years, I’d been more than just his brother. I adjusted the volume on the radio to mask the silence stretching between us.

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