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Me: How are classes going?
I fired off the text to Brecken as Jesse and I rode in the back of a cab to meet up with our other friends for a rare get-together. Crossland was slammed with work, so I was off the hook for the night.
Brecken: Long, but amazing.
My sisterly instincts tingled.
Me: Are you making sure you get enough sleep? And you're still eating plenty in the cafeteria, right?
Brecken: Yes and yes. Stop worrying.
I could practically feel the eye roll through the text, but it wasn’t like I could help it. Brecken had been my focus for so long, worrying about her was ingrained in me.
Me: That's impossible. I'll always worry about you. It's my job.
Brecken: It's really not.
I cringed. I was doing that thing where I hovered too much, a latent instinct that was really fucking hard to quell.
I knew Brecken wasn't an eight-year-old girl cowering in the corner because our father was on a bender. But after years of protecting her, of sacrificing everything so I could get her out of that horrible environment and into a space she loved, it was hard to switch to the reality of the present—where my baby sister was now a grown woman, living her best life.
Brecken: I'm about to meet up with some friends in the cafeteria. Love you.
Me: Be safe. Love you.
I stared at my screen a little longer in case Brecken texted again, but she didn't, so I put my phone in my bag just as the cab was pulling up to the restaurant where we were meeting our friends.
“Everything all good with Brec?” Jesse asked as he helped me out of the cab.
“Yep,” I said as we headed to the entrance. “She thinks I worry too much, but that’s nothing new.”
Jesse smirked and held the door open for me. “Oh, well, she's spot-on there,” he said as we headed inside.
I rolled my eyes. “I do not,” I argued.
“You absolutely do,” Jesse said, scanning the crowded restaurant for our friends. “You're the one who gives me a half-hour lecture if I don't drink enough water, yet you rarely ever worry about yourself.”
“Hydration is important.”
“Yeah, and iced coffee doesn't count, Aspen,” he playfully chided, spotting our friends in the back near the bar area.
I gaped at his back as he led the way to our friends, shaking my head at his blasphemy.
Sophia and Maple hopped up from the high-top table, instantly swarming us with hugs. I squeezed each of them before taking the seat across from them.
“It’s been forever!” Maple said, grinning at me. Her long blonde hair was pulled half back in a cool intricate braid that I'd never be able to manage. She was always rocking the latest styles, showing off her skills as a hair stylist. She owned her own boutique salon, and it was rapidly growing in popularity thanks to a few influencers posting about her.
“It's only been a month,” I said, shaking my head.
“Too long,” Sophia said, planting me with a serious look. Her wild, dark curls framed her face, matching her no-bullshit attitude.
I blew out of breath. “I know, I know. I’ve been busy.”
“You know we get it,” Maple said. “I've just missed you guys.”
“Same,” Sophia said.
“You have to be like me,” Jesse said. “Venture out to Brooklyn for your coffee. Then shehasto spend time with you.” He lovingly nudged me, and I rolled my eyes.
