Brother and sister, exposed. But not in the way you think

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“Hey, Allie,” I said.

“Hey, Jase.”

Allison, the first living, breathing sign of home. I dropped my backpack at her feet and squeezed her in my arms. It was my first hug since Skye, and I relished the closeness to someone so familiar. I held Allie two breaths longer than usual, long enough to get a whiff of her hair. The scent immediately transported me to the bathroom we once shared, always outfitted with the same strawberry shampoo.

“Thanks for coming to get me in the middle of the night,” I said, as I picked up my bag again. We started for the escalator.

“It’s not like I’d be asleep anyway.”

“Allie the night owl. Nice to know some things never change.”

“Yeah, so, about that,” she said. She paused for a half a beat, tantalizing me with what was to come, but frustrating me that all I could hear was the gentle hum of the stairs descending. “I moved out to the guest house.”

“Sweet. A rite of passage now that you’re 18, right?”

The guest house in our parents’ backyard used to be a garage or something, but some former owner closed it in and now it had a bedroom, bathroom, and a little kitchenette with a mini-fridge and a microwave. It was pretty small, but I knew from experience it was liberating to be out there. I’d lived in the guest house myself when I was a senior in high school. Now the baton had been passed to Allie.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Allie said.

We reached the bottom of the escalator and headed toward the baggage carousel. “It’s nice, though, right? Better than being in your old room, right next to mom and dad?”

“Yeah, way better,” she said. “It sucked in the winter because I had to get all bundled up to walk 12 steps to the house for breakfast and stuff. But this time of year it’s fine.”

“So, I guess I’ll be staying, maybe in your old room?” After I’d moved to the guest house, mom and dad had quickly converted my former bedroom into an office.

“Yep, it’s all ready for you.”

“Still right next to mom and dad’s room?”

“It sure is, big brother. Be nice and quiet while you’re in there.”

“If I’m too loud, maybe they’ll kick you out of the guest house so I can stay out there.”

She turned and punched me in the shoulder. Not hard enough to leave a bruise, but pretty hard. It made me smile, even though it was a little painful. “I don’t think that will be happening, now, will it, Jason?”

I couldn’t help egging her on. “You never know, do you, Allie?”

She pulled back her arm to punch me again, but I bobbed out of the way, and then we both laughed. She said, “If they kick you out, you can just get back on a plane to Texas, because I’m sure not giving you my room.”

I could hear the mirth in her voice, and I smiled too as I said, “Aw, you’d do that to me? What about spending time together this summer?”

Allie said, “Yeah, but I want you to know my priorities: First, my room. Second, my brother.”

“Nice to know where I rank.” We watched as bags started to schlouff onto the carousel and circle around.

“But you’re used to tight quarters, right? Living in the dorm with a roommate? And staying over with Skye all the time?”

Ugh. I was so tired, and I didn’t want to be reminded of Skye. But Allie had to be told, and it might as well be now. I sighed and turned my head to make eye contact with her. The joy dropped from her face before I said a word.

“So, yeah,” I said. “Me and Skye broke up.”

Her mouth opened in shock and her eyebrows rose to match. “What? When did this happen?”

“Five days ago.”

“My god, Jason, what happened?”

“It wasn’t working out.”

“But I thought you really liked her! You talk about her all the time. How great she is and all. What happened?”

I looked into her eyes and said, “Allie, I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s a little raw right now.”

Without a word, she turned away from me and looked down.

We stood in silence for a minute. I wish I knew what was going on in her head, but there was no way to ask after that. Soon I saw my bag on the carousel, and I said, “Hey, that’s my suitcase. Time to get my dirty clothes and get out of here.”

That brought some of her smile back. But not all.

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