I followed my big sister to her kitchen area. She opened the fridge, stared at it curiously, then closed it. She did the same to the cupboards next to it.
“You forget to buy groceries again?” I asked as casually as I could manage, given the smugness that threatened to overtake my demeanor.
“Oh shut up. I got busy.”
“Yeah, I know. Busy. Speaking of which, Mom’s been trying to call you.”
Kylie shrugged. “She knows I turn my phone off when I don’t want distractions. She didn’t really send you to check on me again, did she?”
“She may have.”
“Dammit. Can’t get a moment’s peace.”
I bit back a reply suggesting that Mom trying to contact her every couple weeks didn’t really constitute an egregious breach of solitude. “Come on, let’s go out somewhere, yeah? Get some food in that tum tum.” I made my last few words deliberately patronizing, and emphasized them by patting Kylie’s belly.
“You’re an ass,” she said.
“Sure am,” I replied cheerfully. “Now let’s go. Chop chop. Get some pants on. Maybe a clean shirt. If you shower first, we can even go somewhere nice.”
****
We didn’t go anywhere nice. I’d known that was pushing it even before I suggested it.
Kylie made herself somewhat presentable, which was about as good as I’d hoped for. She also vetoed any attempt at going farther than a couple blocks away, despite my best efforts to force a little exercise into her.
We ended up at the same diner that we nearly always did when the two of us went for food. It was close, casual, and tended to offer reasonable privacy if we didn’t hit a dinner rush.
I smiled at a splotch of green paint on Kylie’s shoulder that I hadn’t noticed until we sat down. Even the shirt she’d changed into for going out had seen some action.
“I’m doing fine, you know,” Kylie said as she sipped the coffee our waitress had poured her. “You don’t have to check on me just ’cause Mom gets worried.”
“You’re probably right,” I agreed. “But it gives me an excuse to see you. You don’t make it easy. If you had it your way, I’d probably see you once a year, at Christmas.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“No? When was the last time you called me? Wanted to hang out? Even just sent a text without being prompted?”
“Um…”
“Take your time.”
Kylie glared at me, then her eyes softened and dropped to the table, chagrined. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I know you. I know how you are.”
“Better than anyone,” she concurred with a faint smile tugging her lips. “And I guess… maybe… I don’t mind if you want to drag me out somewhere every now and then.”
“Gee, that was almost affectionate.”
“Yeah, almost.” Kylie took another sip of her coffee. “What are you, twenty-six now? And you’re still that annoying little shit of a brother just below the surface. I can feel you wanting to do something stupid sometimes. Even now. Just to get a reaction out of me.”
“The reaction’s always been the best part,” I agreed easily. “You’d miss it if I didn’t do little annoying things occasionally. It’s part of my charm.”
“No, I don’t think it is. It’s just something I’ve learned to tolerate.”