Page 105 of Snowed In
“Youare.” I actually do laugh now, which seems to just make him madder. “Has this got anything to do with last night? Christian said you hadwordswith him.”
Aidan scowls. “He’s such a snitch.”
“I thought it was cute.” He bats my hand away when I try to pinch his cheek. “My overprotective little brother. Every sister should have one.”
“I will throw you out of this car,” he grumbles.
“But then who will protect me? Who will—Ow.” I glare at him as he flicks my arm, and rub it before it can bruise. “You don’t have to worry about him, you know,” I say more seriously. “We’re just having fun.”
Aidan doesn’t respond. He doesn’t respond for so long I don’t think he’s going to, and I’m scrolling through the playlist for another song when he finally opens his mouth.
“I guess he’s not the worst.”
“No?” I ask lightly, and he shrugs.
“He gets you.”
I watch him for a few seconds, waiting for him to expand, but instead he changes tack entirely.
“I’m not doing this just because I’m home, you know.”
“Doing what?”
He gestures vaguely with one hand. “This. You. I think about you guys all the time. Just because I’m away doesn’t mean I don’t.”
“I know that,” I say, bewildered. There’s a stark look on his face I’ve never seen before, one I don’t think he’s even aware of because, otherwise, he’d never let me see it. “You know not to take Mam too seriously, right? When she asks about you moving home? She knows how hard you’re working over there. We all do. It’s a great opportunity.”
“I know,” he says, but he doesn’t sound convinced. He doesn’t act it either, just stares straight ahead like he’s never been down this road before.
“But we’d be happy if you did,” I say carefully. “Come home.”
“And do what?”
“Whatever you want,” I shrug. “There are jobs here. Maybe not with the same perks, but you’d get something good. Or you could work remotely. No one would think you’d—”
“Given up?”
I ignore that. “I’m just saying the option’s there.”
“It’s a good job,” is all he says. The words are automatic, and I force down a sigh. It’s what people used to say to me about Isaac.A good guy, Megan. He’s a good guy.
“So long as you’re happy,” I say. “But for the record, I wouldn’t mind if you came back.”
“Oh yeah?” he asks, and his lips curl in the first glimmer of a smile I’ve seen on him all day.
“I think I look better when you’re here. Comparison-wise.”
“Puts things in perspective, huh?”
“I’m just saying, you can’t be the golden son if you’re…oh, we should help.” I sit up as I spy two figures hunched over the back of a stalled car up ahead. “Aidan,” I warn when he doesn’t slow down.
“I don’t want to be stuck for thirty minutes in the cold.”
“But it’s alright if they are?”
“They’re fine,” he dismisses, as we pass them. “They’ve probably had a million people stop already.”
“Then we’ll be on our merry way when they tell us that,” I say sharply, and he gives me a withering look but eventually slows and starts to reverse down the road.
