With all the tension locked in Amyâs body and the recent dabs his way, the very first thing she noticed was that he wasnât as quick to bite into them as sheâd been with his. Good, she thought. Because she couldnât swear sheâd be able to contain herself if he stepped on them to call her out. Between the two of them, he was supposed to be the most patient one. Even though, god knew the kind of patience sheâd put herself through to at the very least maintain a typical, somewhat positive relationship with her brother. It didnât matter how she did it: If she locked herself in her room and muffled her cries with her pillow until the wave passed. If she pretended to be busy with something else anyway when he and Adam showed theyâd rather not have her around with their friends anymore; or ever. If she moved out of the house and sought a home anywhere else other than the four walls where she learned how to walk, talk and write. If she ended up flying to a different city to gain some much needed distance from behaviors that, ultimately, harmed her mentally and emotionally. She remembered clearly how, by the time she graduated high school, she could no longer be bothered by what her brothers thought of her. She was too furious with them to do so. Having accepted those things so long ago, the youngest Bayer couldnât help but wonder why her first reaction upon seeing him then had been so softâat least as soft as she could find it in her heart to be. Maybe time did lull the pain and sweeten the distance in some cases. At least until reality sank back in, as raw and eminent as ever. It didnât matter they were supposed to be older and wiser by then, did it?Â
âThatâs where youâre wrong. Or dâyou think mom wouldnât call me and scream into the phone that we were finally millionaires?â she quipped lightly. Her eyes were still on the task at hand. A glance on the side of the open burgers was enough to spot the bacon. Once she did, she added it to the one plate and handed it to him before doing the same for hers. Last but not least, she went to the fridge and pulled out a beer can for him and a water bottle for her. This was when his offer to help her reached her ears and she threw him a glance over her shoulder. Would he truly be happy to help? Or was he being good ole good-doer Spencer? âUh.. I think I got it covered. Iâll let you know if anything changes though. Thanks.â She probably wouldnât. After all, the only heavy task was putting the bed in place upon delivery.
Amanda wasnât thrilled to hear Spencer hadnât talked much to their mom lately. With herself and Adam out of town, too, did she have anyone looking out for her regularly? She couldnât really complain about it though or demand of him to watch out for her when she hadnât been able to do the same. Instead, sheâd make sure to be actively around from now on. âI hope so. I mean, she cried. They better have been happy tears.â Just because the blonde didnât feel like grinning from ear to ear, it didnât mean sheâd lost her ability to joke. She didnât know what else to do anyway. The two siblings hadnât seen each other in years, with the exception of a brief greeting during Victorâs wedding, yet there would be no raining of questions to each other. With the two drinks on one hand and her plate to the other, she jerked her head toward the living room before she moved herself to the couch. âI got a Black Hawk for ya.â The boys loved their beer.Â
A generous bite off her burger and a handful of french fries later, Amy still sat in silence. There were a thousand different subjects which she could use. Make some small talk until heâd inevitably tell her he had to go after an hour and sheâd be relieved she wouldnât have to dig out every conversation subject anymore. But she couldnât do that anymore. She didnât have the same tolerance or will to skip the important subjects for the sake of keeping things civil for their momâs sake or their own. And, while there were a hundred elephants in the particular room, one stood out among the rest. âI saw Haley yesterday.â Her tongue licked any remainings off the inner corners of her lips. âShe told meâŠabout her and Adam.â A pill still hard to swallow. Her pride didnât allow her to share the full truth with Spencer, but it didnât sit well with her that sheâd chosen Adam to get back at Spencer. She didnât like knowing heâd been hurt like that, or that she was hurting so much that she made that choice without Amy ever realizing it. âI didnât know.â Considering she and Haley were like sisters, the thought she couldâve known but kept it from him wasnât that much of a reach so she wanted to clear the air either way. âThought you should know that.â
Spencer took the plate from her hands, one corner of his mouth slightly tugging up at her comment. He wasnât really humoured by the words, though they definitely were true. âProbably,â he agreed silently. Theyâd never experienced what it was like to not have to share as a family. After all, it was just the three of them and mom. And still â somehow â that hadnât made the siblings as close as it should have. Maybe Spencer and his older brother were when they were younger, but theyâd never gotten that close with Amy. Looking back at that time in his life, Spencer regretted some of the actions that had taken place. Thatâs also why it didnât surprise him at all when she turned down his offer to help her out. With a simple nod, he followed her into the living room and sat down next to his younger sister on the couch.
âOh, Iâm sure they were happy tears. I think she really missed ya.â His mom had mentioned that before. Even asked him if heâd spoken to Amy, and hating to tell her he hadnât because he always felt like he was letting her down â letting the family down. With his brother and sister out of town, Spencer was the only son their mother had left for a while. At least physically. And that surely weighed down on him, too. Though he learned that it was important to appreciate whatever relationship was left between him and his family. Quickly popping a fry into his mouth, Spencer eyed his sister for a moment. They had never been close â at least not in the way people expected siblings to be close. Sure, when they were younger theyâd shared, and played, and laughed. But there were also tears, and shouting, and yelling. Itâd never bothered him in the long run, not to a certain extent that he figured there was no way to heal from it. But how did his sister experience that? It had never been a topic open for discussion back when she still lived in Wilmington, nor had it been with his brother or his mother. Theyâd all rather stick their issues and problems in some tiny box, lock it and throw it far, far away. Spencer had definitely learned to deal with that over the years, partly because of his job.Â
âA Black Hawk? Nice,â he raised a brow, grabbing the beer and opening the can, before a light chuckle slipped past his lips. This definitely reminded him of their teenage years, where his friends would come over and theyâd all share a beer â even though they were nowhere near the legal drinking age. Memories like that were the ones he cherished most. In a way, his best friends had become more of his family than his actually family was. The boys were over all the time, or he was over at their house. Back in high school it was rare if there was a day that they didnât see each other.Â
Taking the first bite of his burger, Spencer could feel a somewhat awkward silence settle between the two of them. And while he had been expecting that and was fully prepared for it, his sister had other plans. As his girlfriendâs name slipped past Amyâs lips, he turned his head to look at the blonde. He knew the two girls were close, or had been close in the past, at least. And while the two of them never really got that close as most siblings, he was glad she got close to the people around him. Especially Haley, since she played such a big part in his life back then, and still does now. Though the next set of words made him stop chewing the food that was currently in his mouth, instead averting his gaze as he processed what was just said. With a big sigh, he managed to swallow most of the food down and placed his plate back on his knees. âI, ah ââ Spencer stalled, not really sure what to say. âI didnât know sheâd tell you.â But if any of the three involved were to tell Amy, it sure as hell wouldâve been Haley. âMom doesnât know,â was the next thing that seemed morally acceptable to share. âAnd Iâd really like to keep it that way.â It almost felt like they were back in high school, where one of them pulled a stunt and didnât want to be ratted out to mom. This time, though, it involved a much more serious matter. âHave you spoken to Adam at all in these last couple of months?â Or years, considering he didnât know when she last heard of him.Â