We walked in silence. He set a brisk pace, not
bothering to see if I was keeping up. I
practically had to jog. He seemed even taller
now, maybe 6’2“. He kept speeding up, so I
finally said, “Ethan, slow down.”
He stiffened. This was familiar. Him walking
ahead, me trailing behind, chattering away. It
felt like a lifetime ago.
“Short legs?” he muttered, but he did slow
down.
“You have the long legs, not me,” I shot back.
“Too bad they don’t connect to your brain.”
The words were out before I could stop them.
The double meaning hit me a second later. I’d
meant it about his emotional intelligence, his
lack of perspective. But…
Ethan turned, his lips pressed together, his face
a mix of embarrassment and disbelief. “So
that’s why you ghosted me?!”
Me: … Oops.
Ethan’s ego was massive. And I’d just bruised
it, badly. He dragged me into the stairwell,
demanding an explanation.
I shrugged. “Nothing to explain. Meant exactly
what I said. And you were probably drunk too,
so you don’t remember it right anyway.”
“No way! It matters!” Ethan’s cheeks flushed. “I
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have to prove myself.”
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46
I was about to ask how, exactly, when I saw his
hand go to his belt buckle. I froze.
“You’re not seriously…?” Who whips it out on
the first day of a reunion?
Ethan’s expression told me he was dead
serious. This was an ego deathmatch. Before I
could react, his belt was undone.
07
Just then, Mr. Evans opened the front door.
“Liv, is that you?”
Ethan froze. I jumped in front of him. “Hi, Mr.
Evans! Just got here!”
“See Ethan? He said he was going to the store,
and he’s been gone over an hour. He was
waiting for you.”
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11:28
I glanced back. Ethan’s pants were buttoned. He avoided my gaze. “I was… taking a walk.”
Inside, Mr. Evans asked casually, “What were you two doing out there?”
We both went silent. Mrs. Evans chimed in,
“They haven’t seen each other in ages.
Probably catching up.”
“Exactly!” I agreed quickly. “Ethan and I have
so much to talk about.”
“Who’s your brother? Don’t call me that.”
Ethan scowled.
Mrs. Evans smacked the back of his head.
“This is Liv’s home now, and you’re her older
brother. You need to look after her.”
Ethan stared, dumbfounded. “I don’t wanna be her brother!”
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11:28
“Fine, be her younger brother. We don’t mind.”
“Mom! That’s not it! I’m actually Liv’s…”
Mrs. Evans cut him off. “Enough chatter. I’m making dinner.”
I was curious, though. What was Ethan going to say? What was he to me? After three years, we were practically strangers. He couldn’t possibly tell his parents about that night, could he?
No, I had to stop him. I looked up, meeting
Ethan’s wary gaze.
“Hi, bro,” I chirped.
Ethan: …
08
My dad passed away last winter. He’d wanted a
simple funeral, so only a few close friends and
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46
2000
family were there. Mr. Evans, despite his
imposing figure, wept openly. Mrs. Evans told
me to spend the holidays with them, just like
when I was a kid. They hadn’t told Ethan, who
was busy with a robotics competition. He didn’t
find out until the end of December.
I was twenty. This wasn’t a formal adoption, no
legal ties or anything. So, technically, Ethan and I weren’t siblings. The “brother” thing was just
a way for his parents to ensure he’d look out
for me, like any neighbor would. It was a
courtesy title. I didn’t have to use it.
But seeing Ethan fume silently? Priceless.
At dinner, I chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Mrs. Evans asked, “Liv, how’s that physics
major boyfriend of yours?”
Ethan’s chopsticks stilled.
“We broke up,” I said.
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46
“Oh? You were together last month. I was going
to invite him over for dinner, so we could meet
him.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Evans, but we broke up a couple
weeks ago.”
