Good night, Alicia

Chapter Eight

Brian and Benjamin were my youngest aunt Marizza's twins; It always seemed so odd, how two people could look so identically on the outside, yet behave so differently on the outside. They weren't really seen together all too often, except during breakfast. At breakfast, everyone had to sit at the long oak table, even my sister.

The sky was cloudy and the air sticky and as I walked outside after stuffing my face with pancakes. I found my two identical cousins and Ewan shooting cornhole lazily by the side of the house.

"Morning, Alicia!" Benjamin was the first one to spot me, he raised the bottled water he was holding as he cheerfully greeted me and I waved, my eyes wandering toward Ewan involuntarily.

He was wearing one of his light-colored buttoned-down shirts, and a white tank top underneath. He utter a quick, flat 'hello' without looking at me while he crouched over to gather the sacks from the hole.

"Do you play?" Brian asked, catching a sack Ewan had pitched at him. "We could use a fourth."

"S-Sure." I shrugged and waited for further instructions.

"Wanna be my partner?" Benjamin offered, as he positioned himself on the opposite side of me.

"My turn to pitch," Brian's competitive nature seemed to awaken at this and he stood next to his brother, eyes unflinching and determined.

I stood behind the board, and so did Ewan.

"Ready!" He announced and Brian aimed his first sack, preparing for the toss.

"Did Kesia make it home okay? She arrived at breakfast late." Ewan whispered avoiding eye contact, while Benjamin started arguing about Brian not standing in the correct spot.

"I didn't hear her come in, but it must've been pretty late because she was still passed out when I headed downstairs this morning."

After reaching a consensus Brian finally pitched the sack and despite all his meticulous aiming, he missed the mark by a couple of inches.

"Ohhh, c'mon man! Making us look bad here." Ewan shouted, a devilish glint in his eye. It made Brian's expression harden, a new determination brewing in the deep frown of his face. He turned to his brother and blamed him for his mistake even though he hadn't moved from his spot.

"It is too easy, cuz." Ewan turned to me, facing me for the first time that morning. He was enjoying the chaos.

"You are the worst," I told him.

"I'm not the one not returning my fiance's calls..." If it wasn't for the playfulness of his tone perhaps his words would have hurt me.

"I made up for it this morning. We talked for almost an hour." I reply in an attempt at returning the favor.

"But did you tell him the truth?" His eyes scrutinized me, the kisses he had given me searing my mind so intensely, when Benjamin pitched the sack I jumped.

"Score!" I heard him yell from his spot, Brian's face going red with rage.

"Sheer luck," Brian said under his breath, yet loud enough we all heard him.

After the match was over and we traded places, Brian had only managed to score once, whereas Benjamin had successfully hit the hole each time.

Ewan grabbed his sacks and just when he was about to throw his first one, Brian spoke

"Still into all that geeky stuff, Ewan?"

"Still into it."

"God, you were such an all-things-graphic-design intellectual growing up! Sketching away on your notepad while all of us were having fun."