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I've never been the deepest sleeper, so when I wake up to an Eve starfished over Ryan and Nolan instead of me, I crawl to the foot of the bed so as not to wake anyone.
Showered and dressed, I prepare the big coffee pot for today. It's early, the morning sunrise peeking through the windows scattered through the main level. Content with my cup of coffee and not risking Amiri's wrath, I park myself on a stool, forgoing an early breakfast.
"Morning."
My deep sigh ends with a grunt of surprise when my brother walks in. "Jesus, Amiri. What are you doing awake?"
He smirks over his shoulder, grabbing a mug. "Well, you see, there was this ass wagging in my face when I was awoken earlier. The nausea wouldn't let me sleep after that." He shudders and pours himself his own cup of coffee.
Chuckling, "Sounds gross," I murmur. It's comfortably silent for a few minutes while I watch him gather ingredients for biscuits and gravy.
"I had a dream about the first night Ryan showed up drunk at our house. Remember that?"
How could I forget?
It was a night like any other; Amiri and I playing video games after Mom and Dad went to bed. We weren't allowed to be up that late, but I had snuck into my brother's room because I couldn't sleep.
We had the TV quiet enough that when we heard retching out on the lawn, both of us stiffened and immediately rushed to the window. Of course, we knew that our best friend wasn't doing good after his dad died...but hell...he wasn't doing okay at all.
The handsome class clown was curled up in front of Miri's ground-level window at twelve past midnight on a Tuesday.
All thoughts of caring about waking our parents went out the window at the same time we did. Between the two of us, we dragged him into the room and did our best to clean him up with a damp towel and tucked him into Miri's bed.
That was when Ry started crying. He broke that night, and we pieced him back together as well as a couple of teenagers could. It wasn't only us who listened to his story of what was going on at home; his mom was emotionally abusive to the golden happy-go-lucky boy.
I had snuck out to get a glass of water and found our parents with their ears pressed to the door. Instead of yelling or scolding us, my mom brought us a glass of water, a wet rag, and a bowl to keep beside the bed.
"I'm so proud of him." Lost in my own thoughts, I miss whatever Amiri might have said before those words. I'm so proud of Ryan too. With the support and love of our family, we took him in however and as often as we could. He never fought against the help...no; he held on tight to the love we offered.
"Me too. I've been worried, though. The way he shut down at the hospital..." I trail off as guilt gut punches me at the reminder of how I treated a member of my family while they were in pain.
"Yeah, me too. He's seeing his therapist even more than we are, so I'm relieved that he's taking his mental health seriously, you know?"
"Yeah," the word comes out as a long sigh. I feel like everything is out of control. Sure, working through some stuff in therapy has been very helpful, but tackling something like my deep-rooted issues isn't going to happen in just a couple of weeks.
Silence ensues once again, both of us lost in our thoughts. Mine mostly consisting of the dreaded conversation we need to have with Eve today.
"Good morning."
I jump and choke on my coffee when three sets of voices bounce down the stairs at the same time. "Jesus, why is everyone awake so early?"
"Bro. It's eight."
I turn to him with my mouth open and words falling out, "How long have you been cooking for?"
His dark brows narrow. "It's been staying warm in the oven for a while, and have you not noticed me refilling your cup multiple times? I even called you an ass for not saying thank you."
"Shit, sorry, man. I must have been zoned out." Abandoning my mug, I sweep Eve off the last stair and give her a hug, soaking in her heat and softness. "How are you doing?"
Her blush lights up her face. "I'm good." Fuck, the breathiness of her voice makes me so damn ready for another round.
Not wanting to embarrass her anymore, I settle her into a seat at the dining table. "Hungry, little fighter?"
"Yes, please." Her sleepy smile is wide, and I can't help but drop a kiss on her lips.
Breakfast is a quiet affair, Eve seemingly content and at peace while she munches on a strawberry. Nolan does a wonderful job keeping her mind off of any heavy topics, and Ry manages to toss a few jokes in here and there between his anxious shifting. Amiri is tense beside me, but he smiles just a little every time she takes a bite. Me? I can barely choke down anything; my nerves make me sick.
Far too soon, breakfast is over, and Evie is loading the dishwasher as she always demands.
