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Me:...
Ivy:Ha! What about your bro-in-law?
Me:Die first
Ivy:Chicken
I can’t help the frustration that whooshes out, and Marcus catches my eye before I can dive back into my phone. He glances to the back seat, where Devin has donned headphones for a Netflix binge made possible by our border crossing.
“You sound an awful lot like Noah did on the way to the airport yesterday,” Marcus says, his gaze back on the road.
I plead the fifth and stare out the window.
“He didn’t want to talk either, which is understandable with the news about his brother—not to mention he barely knows me.”
No comment.
“I hope his brother is okay. Kinda has me preoccupied, the not knowing. So I’d imagine you’re probably dealing with that, too, only more so because you two were already connected.”
“Pfff.”
“Okay, maybe notconnected, but there’s definitely some connection there. Things always hit harder when they happen to someone you know.”
I concede with a one-shoulder shrug.
“But I think this might go beyond that, considering the number of times I caught you two watching or avoiding each other.”
“I wasn’t—” I break off, realizing what he’s said. “He... ?”
Marcus’s cheeks stretch into a sly grin.
I sit back in my seat and fold my arms. “You’re the worst.”
“Guilty as charged.”
He goes thoughtful for a few minutes, giving me false hope that he’ll drop it.
“I just met him, but Noah seems like a nice guy.” He pauses, weighing his words. “Was he mean to you?”
His word choice sends me into a nervous fit of laughter that has my eyes watering. Nipping it before the tears get real, I give him the CliffsNotes version of our history. I focus on the road; he drives and makes validating-therapist sounds, asking clarifying questions that make me think harder about all that’s happened.
“Do youlikehim?” he asks when I’ve finished.
“I don’t know.” I sigh. “But this isn’t about that. I’m worried about his brother. And him.”
“So let him know. Be a friend.”
“I don’t have his number.”
“Jane does.”
“I don’t have her number either.”
“I do.” He hands me his phone. “Text her.”
Less than a minute later, Noah’s contact information stews in my phone.
In the meantime, Ivy has texted me a few hundred times, so I catch her up.
