It starts over something stupid. Like most things do.
Dinner's quiet. Like, too quiet. The kind where forks clink louder than voices and everyone's hyper-aware of everyone else chewing.
Lucas is home for the weekend. Alex is still crashing in his room. I'm… still existing.
And tonight, all three of us somehow ended up at the table at the same time—an extremely rare, extremely cursed alignment of planets.
Mom's working late. Dad's stuck in traffic. Which leaves this dysfunctional dinner trio unsupervised.
"So," Lucas says, slicing into his food way too casually, "how long are you staying?"
Alex doesn't look up. "Till things settle with my dad."
Lucas nods, mouth tight. "Right."
Nick.exe has stopped responding.
I push peas around my plate and pretend I'm not in the blast zone of whatever this is.
"Just wondering," Lucas adds. "Didn't realize it'd be this long."
"Didn't realize it was an issue," Alex replies, calm but pointed.
"Oh, it's not. I just assumed you'd have options by now. Friends. Couch-surfing."
"I do. Your mom offered. I'm not gonna turn that down."
"Yeah, she's generous like that."
Alex finally looks up. "If you've got something to say, say it."
The room drops ten degrees.
Lucas leans back, arms crossed, like he's waiting for a reason.
"You're sleeping in my room, eating my cereal, and walking around like you live here."
"I clean up after myself."
"Not the point."
"Then what is the point, Lucas?"
Lucas's jaw ticks. "The point is you're too comfortable. And you're making my brother uncomfortable too."
Record scratch.
My head whips up. "Wait, what, he is?"
Alex turns toward me, confused. "Nick, am I—?"
I look between them like I've just been called as a witness in court.
Lucas presses. "You think I haven't noticed the way you look at him?"
"Lucas," I hiss, heart racing, "can we not—?"
But Lucas is locked in. "You think I don't know you? The way you flirt with people when you're bored? This isn't some random party hookup. That's my little brother."
Alex stands now, slowly, controlled. "I know who he is, Lucas."
"Oh, do you now?" Lucas snaps. "Because it's starting to look like you forgot."
Silence.
Thick. Tense. Barely breathable.
I stand too, heart hammering. "Okay. You've both made your points. This—this is weird, and I don't need either of you making it weirder."
Alex's expression softens. "Nick—"
"No," I say quickly, not ready to hear my name in that voice right now. "Just—no. I didn't ask for any of this, so not right now."
Lucas backs down first. Rubs a hand over his face like he's aging by the second.
"I'm not trying to be a jerk, okay?" he says, not looking at either of us. "I just… didn't expect this."
Alex exhales hard. "Yeah. Me neither."
I sit back down, slower this time.
Nobody speaks for a long moment.
Then Lucas mumbles, "Pass the salt."
I pass it.
The war simmers into silence, but I can still hear the grenades.