The Makeover

23

"There's a snake in my boot."

Woody, Toy Story
(I just felt like it)

23|Interruptions

Joshua pulled his car into the parking garage of our house. The thrum of the engine died down as he turned the key out of the ignition, leaving us to sit in utter silence. He didn't move for a moment, his hands resting lightly on the leather steering wheel, his eyes distant.

I moved my gaze to my hands folded in my lap. I had been fiddling with my fingers without knowing it the entire time. The silence made me uncomfortable, especially since Joshua seemed so far away.

The feeling was like waiting for a roller coaster to start up. It made you nervous and it felt almost as if you could already feel your stomach dropping; as if the ride had already begun.

There was an eery kind of silence surrounding Joshua, which gave off the idea that he was deep in thought. He must have been trying to find the right words to say to me, but it also felt like he was trying to keep me there with him for as long as he possibly could, even if he obtained that through an extremely, uncomfortable silence.

It felt like the consuming quiet had gone on longer than a trip to mars when he spoke up.

"You'll be okay here, right?" He asked hesitantly, drawing his eyes to mine. I tried showing him how much I was 'okay' by giving him one of my most reassuring smiles. He didn't look at all convinced, even after I widened my smile until my cheeks hurt.

"I'll be fine." I said, my smile still plastered in place. It was my way of trying to lighten the mood. I couldn't do much where Joshua was concerned. I had only just started talking to him again. There was still so much I didnt know about my twin. "You said that someone would be over here to take care of me in a couple of hours, right?" Joshua nodded hesitantly, agreeing. My statement didn't seem to lighten his mood in the slightest. "Look, Joshua," I paused, waiting for him to meet my eyes so that he could see the truth to my words. "I'll be okay. I'm sure that I won't get a social anxiety attack with no one around." I said, trying my best at cracking a joke.

Joshua didn't laugh and still looked a bit anxious, so I reached across the compartment between us and squeezed his hand.

At last, a smile adorned his face and it made my heart warm. It was one of the best feelings in the world to see Joshua smile. Not any smile either, but his real smile; the one where his blue eyes crinkled at the corners and the left side of his mouth rose slightly more than the right side did.

"You know you shouldn't make jokes like that," He said quietly, squeezing my hand back. The smile stayed on his face. "But I get your point." He continued, chuckling under his breath.

"You shouldn't worry so much," I punched him in the arm playfully and took my hand out of his. "I'm going to go inside now. Will you be okay?" I asked him, deflecting his previous question and turning it on him.

He let out a heavy sigh, before nodding reluctantly. I grinned and then kissed him on the cheek briefly. "Bye." I said, before rushing out of the car. I moved to the door that linked the garage to the kitchen as he pulled away.

As soon as he was out of sight and the garage door had closed, I entered the kitchen within record time and snuck towards the 'forbidden cabinet'.

It was the perfect opportunity. No one was home. There were no cameras in the kitchen that I knew of. If in any way I was caught, no one could judge me, because I was recovering and I had been yearning for a packet of skittles for days since I hadn't had the time to stock up. I was all out of the sugary goodness.