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Jumping into a seated position, she takes her phone from her purse and enters in an order through a delivery app.
“What else does your brother do, besides cybersecurity, solar panels, and volunteering?” I ask, realizing I sound way too curious for someone who doesn’t like the subject of the conversation.
“Um…” Bella places an index finger on her lips, trying to pull it from memory. “He barely touches the cybersecurity firm anymore, but he’s on the board of directors. Oh, he loves horses! Although he says he loses more money than he makes with that, but that’s more of a hobby for him.”
“Wow, that’s a lot to keep track of!” I say, feeling lighter about everything, probably because I just heard he loses money on something.
“Yup!” she says, “And to think he didn’t even kiss a girl until prom night. Mom and dad love to embarrass him with that story.”
“Really?” I raise an eyebrow again. “But he’s so handsome!”
“Yeah, but he was also timid. Girls would throw themselves all over him when he’d come home to visit mom and dad while he was in the Navy,” she says. “It was annoying.”
She looks grim upon saying that, making it clear it’s not a good memory.
Maybe it’s better he shunned me away in the end. If I’d had sex with my best friend’s brother, it would definitely be a weird situation.
“Were you two close?” I ask, uncertain if I should even be mentioning it.
But she just shakes her head and replies to me with the same somberness, “I barely knew him growing up. I was only three when he turned eighteen and enlisted. I remember one year he was late coming home for Thanksgiving and my parents waited until the weekend to celebrate it. I was seven and very confused. Do you have any idea of what it’s like to delay Thanksgiving for a stranger?”
“I have no idea,” I shrug. “Only child, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” Bella raises her arms for a good stretch. “Anyway, it wasn’t all bad. He was almost like another father figure when we did spend time together. I looked up to him. He traveled all over the world and always brought me gifts. And when he started making money, he doted on me and my parents.”
I smile, with a hint of jealousy on my face. “Must be nice to have a rich relative…” I say, intentionally vague.
“Oh, you bet!” She continues, “Plus, he always supported me. My father wanted me in the military too and my mother wanted me to be a doctor. When I told them I wanted to study journalism, they were both against it. However, Alex not only fully supported me, he paid for my tuition!”
“Must be nice…” I repeat to myself, biting down on my tongue to disguise the sting growing inside of me.
I know she only said good things about him, but I stilldon’t like him.Don’t ask me why. It’s irrational, but nobody can be this perfect of a person. He must have a horrible flaw of some sort.
The intercom rings and Bella dashes forward to answer it. It’s her order, and she runs downstairs to pick it up.
I take advantage of the little break and head to my bedroom to kick off my shoes and change into more comfortable clothes. Our apartment is tiny, furnished by an old lady almost fifty years ago, but it’s just enough for me and Bella, and I’m very happy here.
I return to the living room, and head to the kitchen, where I find Bella battling with a box of Chinese, almost spilling it all over the table instead of in the bowl.
“Can I have a little help?” she begs, smiling awkwardly.
I dart ahead and steady the bowl for her while she pours down fragrant noodles with stir-fried vegetables and beef.
“That smells good. Gimme some,” I say, my stomach rumbling.
“No way! I asked if you wanted something!” Bella says, hoarding the food like a dragon sitting over its treasure.
I go to the fridge to get myself a soda and get one for her too. Then, I take a seat on the island by her side and consider the next question I want to ask.
“Is thereanythingyou don’t like about your brother?” My bitterness is evident, but since Bella is eating, she might not notice.
“Um,” she says, chopsticks in her mouth. “Well… He always got more attention than I did. It was hard growing up in his shadow and hearing my parents always talking about how proud they were. He’s also a bit of an organizational freak, and… He’s pretty protective, almost like a guard dog.”
“That last one doesn’t sound like a flaw…” I say, sipping my drink.
“Try walking around with him on your tail to see what I’m talking about!” she says, washing down the noodles with a big gulp of soda. “Why do you think I disappeared into the party before seeing him? I wanted to have some fun first!”
“Yeah, and you left me all alone to hang out with him!” I interject as if the whole experience had been terrible.
