and Eva hugged, and she whispered something in her ear that made my sister giggle.
After that, something passed between Winter and Zack, something I couldn't quite place. They each held the other's gaze for a moment, and some silent message was conveyed. Eva didn't seem to notice.
"Alright," Winter said, breaking the eye contact. Zack continued to watch her, even after she had looked away. "Have fun! Don't drink too much, don't grope in public, and don't get thrown out of the theater for raucous behavior!" With that, she ushered Zack and Eva out of the house. "See y'all later!" I heard her voice call out as the two drove away.
"Winter?" I started slowly as she shut the door quietly behind her.
"Yes?" she sighed.
"What just happened?"
She shrugged. "Eva's out on a date," she stated simply.
"I figured as much. So the whole 'Zack is cute, he'll be a good boyfriend' thing was all for Eva ?"
"Yeah," she said curiously. "Why?"
"I thought…I kind of thought that…"
Winter's eyes softened. "Yeah?" she prompted me gently.
"I thought that it was about Zack and you ."
"What?" She looked surprised. "Me and Zack?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Nah," she replied, moving past me to the refrigerator. She took out some cold pasta from last night and began heating it up. "We wouldn't 'click' together as a couple." She fingered the quotation marks in the air, rolling her eyes. "He annoys the living daylights out of me. I can't see it, anyway."
I could , I thought to myself. She and Zack would look good together. It seemed… they almost belonged . Eva and Zack, now that was a combination I never would have suspected. When the subject of Zack as a boyfriend had been brought up the other day, I had thought Winter was asking to see if I approved of her and Zack together. I definitely would have.
I didn't have any objections to Eva going out with Zack – not in the least. I could tell, even after our brief meeting, that he was a good kid; I already trusted him. It just seemed to me that he was chasing the wrong girl.
"Where is everyone?" Winter asked, hands on hips. The microwave was on and turning. The house was unnaturally quiet.
"Emily's at her friend's place until 8, Matty's got soccer practice and then he's going to Mike's house for dinner, Samantha's upstairs holed up in her room, reading most likely, and Anthony's fooling around at the tennis courts with his friends or something."
She looked at me, then grinned. "I knew you would be a good dad," she said, reaching over and hugging me.
"Come on," she continued. "We pretty much have the house to ourselves. We can relax for a while. Let's get pizza. My treat. We'll bring it back here to eat."
"You're heating up the pasta," I pointed out.
"Not anymore," she said decisively, stopping the microwave and replacing the pasta to its original spot in the fridge.
"Come on, let's go," she said.
"You're going out wearing sweats?" I asked incredulously. " My sweats?"
"Why not?" she shrugged.
Man, this girl was crazy. But I loved it. Everyone did.
xxxxx
"God, I am so full ," Winter groaned.
"Tell me about it," I said without energy.
"Do you think we would get that fat if we ate a few more pizzas?" she asked me, pointing at the image of a sumo wrestler on the muted TV. It was the only source of light in the room. All other lights were off.
"I think the three pizzas we shared will start us off," I said.
"Don't forget the two boxes of buffalo wings."
"And the 2-liter bottle of Pepsi."
We moaned simultaneously. In all honesty though, I hadn't had this much fun in a really long time.
We were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other. My long legs were stretched out to full length, and Winter was sitting with her legs crossed Indian style. My feet were touching her shins, and she was absently playing with the toes of my socks.
"Tristan?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
I stared at her. "What?"
"As in, brother-sister love," she said quickly.
I relaxed.
"Winter?"
"Yeah?"
"I
After that, something passed between Winter and Zack, something I couldn't quite place. They each held the other's gaze for a moment, and some silent message was conveyed. Eva didn't seem to notice.
"Alright," Winter said, breaking the eye contact. Zack continued to watch her, even after she had looked away. "Have fun! Don't drink too much, don't grope in public, and don't get thrown out of the theater for raucous behavior!" With that, she ushered Zack and Eva out of the house. "See y'all later!" I heard her voice call out as the two drove away.
"Winter?" I started slowly as she shut the door quietly behind her.
"Yes?" she sighed.
"What just happened?"
She shrugged. "Eva's out on a date," she stated simply.
"I figured as much. So the whole 'Zack is cute, he'll be a good boyfriend' thing was all for Eva ?"
"Yeah," she said curiously. "Why?"
"I thought…I kind of thought that…"
Winter's eyes softened. "Yeah?" she prompted me gently.
"I thought that it was about Zack and you ."
"What?" She looked surprised. "Me and Zack?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Nah," she replied, moving past me to the refrigerator. She took out some cold pasta from last night and began heating it up. "We wouldn't 'click' together as a couple." She fingered the quotation marks in the air, rolling her eyes. "He annoys the living daylights out of me. I can't see it, anyway."
I could , I thought to myself. She and Zack would look good together. It seemed… they almost belonged . Eva and Zack, now that was a combination I never would have suspected. When the subject of Zack as a boyfriend had been brought up the other day, I had thought Winter was asking to see if I approved of her and Zack together. I definitely would have.
I didn't have any objections to Eva going out with Zack – not in the least. I could tell, even after our brief meeting, that he was a good kid; I already trusted him. It just seemed to me that he was chasing the wrong girl.
"Where is everyone?" Winter asked, hands on hips. The microwave was on and turning. The house was unnaturally quiet.
"Emily's at her friend's place until 8, Matty's got soccer practice and then he's going to Mike's house for dinner, Samantha's upstairs holed up in her room, reading most likely, and Anthony's fooling around at the tennis courts with his friends or something."
She looked at me, then grinned. "I knew you would be a good dad," she said, reaching over and hugging me.
"Come on," she continued. "We pretty much have the house to ourselves. We can relax for a while. Let's get pizza. My treat. We'll bring it back here to eat."
"You're heating up the pasta," I pointed out.
"Not anymore," she said decisively, stopping the microwave and replacing the pasta to its original spot in the fridge.
"Come on, let's go," she said.
"You're going out wearing sweats?" I asked incredulously. " My sweats?"
"Why not?" she shrugged.
Man, this girl was crazy. But I loved it. Everyone did.
xxxxx
"God, I am so full ," Winter groaned.
"Tell me about it," I said without energy.
"Do you think we would get that fat if we ate a few more pizzas?" she asked me, pointing at the image of a sumo wrestler on the muted TV. It was the only source of light in the room. All other lights were off.
"I think the three pizzas we shared will start us off," I said.
"Don't forget the two boxes of buffalo wings."
"And the 2-liter bottle of Pepsi."
We moaned simultaneously. In all honesty though, I hadn't had this much fun in a really long time.
We were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other. My long legs were stretched out to full length, and Winter was sitting with her legs crossed Indian style. My feet were touching her shins, and she was absently playing with the toes of my socks.
"Tristan?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
I stared at her. "What?"
"As in, brother-sister love," she said quickly.
I relaxed.
"Winter?"
"Yeah?"
"I
Similar Books
