A Missed Opportunity

59

✧𝙽𝚘𝚊𝚑✧

I'm no better than my mom and dad. I rewrite history all the time too. I like to say I was there way more than my parents for my sister—and I was. I was there more. But I wasn't there all the time. Sometimes, my sister got left alone. Either that or...she was the one there for me.

I was older, but she's always been smarter. Always will be. I tease her a lot, but it's true. She's smarter than I am and somehow, she's always known the good and right thing to do. So, sometimes I'd go to her when things went to shit.

I go to my sister when I don't know what to do, and she comes to me when she doesn't know what to do herself.

"I'm a coward."

"Big fat coward." She agrees quick. "You're a jerk too." She adds immediately.

She's pissed at me but she's still my sister. We both understand that about each other. We're allowed to have enough of each other, which is what happened in those four years we stopped speaking—she had enough of me—but at the end of the day, we both understand it. She's my sister. I'm her brother. She's there for me and I'm there for her.

"She's been texting me all day." Aaliyah continues. She rests her head on my shoulder and we both pretend to watch the movie in front of us. "You realize that my nephew asked about his dad all day, right?" She quickly adds. "And my friend freaked out all day because she didn't want to complain about her relationship to me because it's with my brother. So I don't even know how she's feeling right now because she wants to keep our relationships away from each other."

"I'm sorry."

"Screw you, Noah." She whispers. She still doesn't move off me though. "My best friend is afraid to talk about her boy problems because of you. That's, like, half the things best friends are supposed to talk about, and you're taking it from us."

"I'll fix it." Somehow. I kinda screwed it up already, and I don't really know how to fix it. Or if I can in the first place. My immaturity and inability to accept her judgment as fact has effectively made me an ass.

"Yeah." She responds on a bitter huff. I know that tone though. It's more like an insincere bitter huff. Not really playful, but she's not actually as mad as she presents herself as.

We sit silently for a little while longer, neither of us fully watching this. I'm a little distracted by the sound of Alex playing with his kids down the hall. Surprisingly, he's so much more...like a dad. You know, that dad that does the stupid voices when he plays with the dolls his daughter hands him. That kinda dad.

"You have to go home soon."

I sigh deeply. "I don't know what to tell her when I get there."

"So? At least you'll be there." She scoffs quietly. "I'd be mad if Alex never came home. I'd be sad if he didn't have anything to say to me when he got there, but at least he'd be home."

"She's going to want to hear something from me."

"She said Cameron's been using his walkie talkie. You're not replying to him. You need to go home."

Fuck. I forgot to charge it. It's on my dresser. I was supposed to charge it overnight and take it to work with me like I normally do. I forgot though. Clumsy, right?

"Go home." She finally gets off me to look at me. I look back at her lazily. "Come on. You got to cower, but now you have to go home. It's mean."

"You say that about everything."

"This is mean." Aaliyah insists quietly. "Go away before I call my husband on you."

I groan at that. Start getting off the couch though. "I'm saying goodbye to the babies first." I decide. She hums at me, staying on the couch while I go.