Page 61 of Crystal Iris
We’re sipping our wine when his guests arrive.
Broc says hello while taking off his coat and hat. He’s carrying a pack of beer. His brother looks a lot like him, except with longer hair and sadder eyes. Much sadder.
“This is Sawyer,” Broc introduces us.
“How do you do?” he replies. Akira seems to stir something in him—like her presence is… bothering him. I look at her, trying to figure out why. She could almost pass as someone local with her plaid flannel.
“Did you… borrow this shirt from the closet?” I pull her aside.
“I don’t own any flannels, and it looked comfortable.”
“Akira!”
“What?! They’re probably from an—” She stops herself when she sees me fidget.
Hoyt walks back from the kitchen, carrying a large coveredpan that smells divine. “I should have asked. Any food allergies?” He looks at both of us.
We shake our heads.
“Then let’s eat.”
“Nice shirt,” Hoyt says to Akira when we finally all sit down at the table.
“Are you expecting… someone else?” I ask him, eyeing the empty chair.
“I thought you said Maeve was home,” Hoyt asks Sawyer.
“She is. She should be here any minute. You know how she is.”
The door opens less than five minutes later.
“You guys couldn’t wait?” she asks, taking off her coat.
“Like you weren’t trying to make an entrance,” Broc says, taking a piece of bread.
“You know where the wine is,” Hoyt says without even lifting his gaze.
I study the food when she sits down.
“Hi, I’m Iris,” I say to the long brown-haired girl.
“Maeve.”
I can’t help but notice the similarities.
“Are you guys…?”
“Yes, siblings. Unfortunately,” she smiles at Broc and Sawyer.
“It’s a pleasure to have you around too, sis,” Broc says.
“I’m Akira.”
“Now that we all know each other, can we eat? I’m starving,” Sawyer asks.
“Always so... pleasant,” Maeve says to her brother.
They all act like siblings—Hoyt is just as comfortable with them as they are with each other. I can tell they’ve grown up together. Including the beautiful sister, with whom Hoyt avoids making eye contact as much as possible. I’m not sure I want to know the reason behind it.
