Page 19 of Stand By Me

Clay turned to her with a smile, even if she could probably tell it was a bit forced.

"Yeah, they're all nicer than I expected, really. Very welcoming." He went on a bit about his coworkers as the three of them ate. "We're going out for a beer tomorrow night, actually."

"Are you on an assignment already?" Mom asked.

"Yes, an upcoming gala that's expected to have a high turnout. We're in the planning stages and it's going well. Other than that, we train a lot," he added, and if it was partially for his brother's benefit, nobody could blame him. "They're keeping me busy, that's for sure."

"We're honored to get onto your tight schedule, then." Ben sat back and crossed his arms against his chest. "Not as often as Jake Wilkinson, I'm sure, but still, it's the thought that counts, right?"

Clay knew, he absolutely, one hundred percent knew that he should ignore it and move on. And he would've, at any other time, but after the fight with Jake, Ben's words hit harder than they had any right to.

He met his brother's gaze.

"Can you just… not?" he asked, weary and done playing nice. "I don't expect a red carpet, but would it kill you to control yourself for one night? You're not a child anymore."

Ben's eyes narrowed as he took him in without a word. Then he stood up.

"Excuse me," he told their mom without glancing at Clay again, and left the room.

Clay rubbed the base of his nose. "I'm sorry, I—"

"You have nothing to be sorry for." She squeezed his shoulder. "I tried talking to him, more than once, you know? But nothing seems to stick for long."

"It's fine," he lied, because what else was he to do? Not all siblings were close, after all. It happened. "I'll work on my patience."

She huffed. "I'd say you have more of it than your fair share. You're allowed to stand up for yourself."

"I don't have a problem standing up for myself, Mom." He shook his head. "Far from it, really. I'm just trying to cut Ben some slack."

"A lot of slack, you mean," she corrected him. "Like you said, he's not a child anymore. You don't have to shield him from—"

"Mom, please, let's drop it, okay?"

She stared at him for a long moment, then squeezed his shoulder again.

"Is something wrong with Jake?"

Clay sat up at that. "What?"

"Is there something wrong with Jake?" she repeated, her eyes boring into his, the same brown that stared right back at him every time he looked in the mirror. "Is it his father?"

"Why would you think there's something wrong? Did something happen?" He turned towards the living room where TV was. If he somehow missed—

"No!" Mom's voice snapped him out of it. "I only assumed something might have happened by the way you reacted when Ben mentioned him. He does that a lot and it rarely bothers you."

"I never said it didn't bother me," he muttered before rubbing the base of his nose again. "Maybe I was finally sick of it today."

She dropped her hand from his shoulder. "Maybe."

She went to get up from the table but paused when he started talking, words pouring out fast.

"We had a fight. Jake and I, I mean. I don't know, maybe that's why I overreacted."

"You didn't," she insisted, before offering him a sad smile. "You want to talk about it?"

"No."Absolutely not.

"Okay," she said with a nod. "I'm sure that, after so many years in each other's pockets, you know a thing or two about making up."

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