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“Thanks I’d better get going, so I’ll see you later” I started to head toward the door, but then I turned back to hiive you soroceries if you need it” I couldn’t help h

He flashed reat I started one of those fans only pages last etting to go to the grocery store That wasn’t code for ‘I’”

“Okay Justsure”

When I reached the front door, I was al open One of ered backwards, and he exclai”

“No worries How’s it going, Kel?” This was only the second time I’d seen hiuy with pink hair, and he was holding a bulging duffle bag

“I’ve been better,” he said, as he brushed his long bangs out of his eyes “My boyfriend and I just had a fight about hioes ho story short, I decided we should take a bit of a break”

“I’m sorry to hear that”

“Yeah, it sucks Anyway, I’ll be ho all my ti with big ears stuck its head out of Kel’s open-topped fanny pack, and I leapt back “Don’t worry, that’s just Winston,” Kel said with a grin “He’s a sweetheart”

I had no idea what Winston was, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know “Cool Well, I’m on my way out, but I’ll see you soon” I stepped aroundmy eyes off the…rodent, probably?

When Eden, Seth, and I decided to leave St Louis and come to San Francisco back in January, it was so we could take care of Eden’s ed grandpa George, who’d been living all alone and dealing with chronic pain We’d moved into his house near Golden Gate Park, found jobs, and began to put down roots in our new city

Now I stood out on the sidewalk, looking up at the cute, Spanish-style house that had been my home for most of the year I’d ether That was just a bit too much of a front row seat on their new relationship

Soon after, George married a lovely woman named Flora, after a ind courtship Now he lived in her palatial ho inheritance He’d giventake care of him, and to let h, because I didn’t feel right about taking his money

I knocked when I reached the top of the stairs My brother answered the door a few moments later and looked exasperated as he said, “You don’t have to knock, Casey Just use your key We’ve told you that a million times”

“I know you have, and I’ve told you I’e into your ho”

“Dude, eren’t preparing for this brunch by boning on the dining rooht walk in on” Seth rolled his eyes, which were exactly the saht, but besides that we really didn’t look alike I didn’t count our yenetics

We were looking lanced at hiure out when exactly my kid brother had evolved into a suave, sophisticated man His short, blond hair was inexplicably perfect, whilewhatever it wanted to, sa black jeans, a royal blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled back, and loafers, and I was dressed in faded Levi’s, sneakers, a gray zippered hoodie, and one of my pun T-shirts This one had a picture of a hammer on it above the caption: This is not a drill In retrospect, I probably should have made more of an effort

Seth was seven years younger than oing on He used to follow me around, and he tried so hard to be just like round to a halt, and he’d shot right past me Noished I was more like him, instead of the other way around