Lilac

Dimples

Dan heard a three steady knocks at his door, "Dan? Can I come in?" Said his younger brothers voice.

"Oh, um yeah." Dan coughed, pulling his sweater down to his palm.

His brother entered the room and glanced at the seven piles of paper on the bed, "You've been busy huh?"

Dan laughed a little, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

It felt nice to laugh Dan thought. He enjoyed the way his musles moved when he smiled, the huff of air that came out of his nose, the little crinkles he felt by his eyes, he loved it- but as soon as the one second of smiling was over, his pristine resting face was put on. It was kind of sad, to him. That he missed something as human as smiling. It wasn't like he didn't smile. It was just not as often as usual people- normal people. He felt envious of the people who took it for granted.

Dan's brother enteranally lit up from the laugh. Had he, just make the un-smilable Howell, smile?

"Hey, um," The younger boy bushed, "Do you want to go out for ice-cream?" He asked shyly, looking down at the clay beige carpet, before looking up at his brother, to see him taken back by the statement. "I mean, I see that you're busy, so it's not like you have to take me or anything bu-"

"No, um that sounds... fun. This stuff isn't important," Dan said, glancing over at the stacks of paper.

"Really?" Dan's brother's posture improved and he made eye contact with his older sibling.

***

"You're disgusting!" Dan said as-a-matter-of-fact-ly.

"You know, some people like mint!" Dan's brother smiled in protest, widening his eyes as he talked.

"Fucking weird people," Dan muttered, "I'm sorry I don't want to feel like i'm brushing my teeth while I eat ice cream." He said, rolling his eyes, with a smile tinted on his lips as he ate.

"But it doesn't!" His brother said, shoving a spoon of the green flavor in his mouth, "mhmmm" he sighed.

It was cold outside, so Dan and his brother sat in the car with the heater blasting them as they ironically ate the summer treat. Dan faced his brother, with his right leg folded and tucked behind his left, which was crowded underneath the dashboard. His brother mirrored him.

"Whatever," Dan shook his head dismissing the subject, "how's school?"

His brothers lit up eyes seemed to dim a little, "it's fine I guess."

"What? Do you not like your teachers?" Dan questioned taking a break from mixing his ice cream and looking up at his brother.

"No, they're fine I guess." His brother thought about telling Dan about what was going on, but he thought it would selfish to add something to his brothers plate, considering how much he guessed he already had on it.

"Then what's wrong?" Dan questioned, setting the bowl down onto his lap.

"It's just a lame year." His brother said looking away and shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay, um tell me about," Dan thought for a second, trying to recall the name his brother brought up at dinner, "Callie?" He said, stretching out the name and tilting his head as he usually did when when he was trying to remember an answer to a question.

His brothers eyebrows raised, and he blinked a few times before answering, "What about her?"

"Well I mean what's she like?" He stated off. He didn't know how to talk to him about girls and neither did his brother.