Dream Walker

Chapter 10 | Late Night Talks

The next thing Callie learned about Alex was that he didn't drink. Her roommates had agreed to her dessert suggestion—vanilla ice cream with kahlua and whipped cream—but Alex had requested it without the coffee liqueur. No one pressed for an explanation. They all grabbed their bowls and found seats in the living room. TV announcers were still going over sports highlights in the background, but Quinn had lowered the volume. Lyn was smiling as she told Alex about her expansive family.

"So there's my older sister Rita, then me, then Raquel, then Ellis, and finally Andy. He is, of course, the spoiled baby of the family," Lyn said with a laugh. Callie had accompanied her friend on trips home a few times and knew 'spoiled' was a relative term in a family with little means. Yet, Lyn's family was full of love and their house was full of photographs of all the kids at various ages. Not one of her siblings lacked good looks or an inner joy for living life to the fullest.

Quinn licked some ice cream off the corner of his mouth and smiled wistfully. "I always wondered what having a bunch of siblings would be like." He nodded his head toward Callie, "It's hard being an only child sometimes. At least I had a bunch of cousins around my age."

Callie had told Quinn once how alone she felt as a kid, unable to relate to other kids her age. He had sympathized, as the only child of older parents with a lot of money and not a lot of affection for their son until he was old enough for social events. Visiting Lyn's family home had been eye-opening for them both.

Callie had spent years wishing her home life could have been like Lyn's, that she could've had two loving parents and siblings and a big dumb golden retriever running around, but there was no changing the past. Besides, she had a loving mother who meant the world to her and life still turned out wrong.

"I have an older brother. We were close as kids, but now we both have responsibilities and separate lives," Alex mused. "We live in different countries and rarely see each other. Come to think of it, we haven't been in the same room together in years." There was genuine longing in his voice, and it stirred empathy in Callie's heart. Another part of her figured his words were all an act to gain her sympathy for the wounded little boy inside his tough exterior. If she kept up that thinking, her head would be spinning again in no time.

"I like to think I've found the two siblings I never wanted," Callie said with a lopsided grin, looking at her best friends. Lyn scratched her nose with a raised middle finger, while Quinn pulled her into a sideways hug, squeezing until she told him she couldn't breathe. She saw Alex watching their interactions. His lips turned up at the edges, but his eyes were unfocused. Was he longing for a bond like theirs or thinking about someone that was family to him?

"So, Alex," Quinn started. "Are you going to the Fall Festival? It's gonna be a blast—food, fun, friends."

Alex's eyes refocused and he turned to Quinn. "Uh, actually, I hadn't really thought about it. I've never been before, but I've seen the flyers." Tension appeared in his shoulders, and his eyes never made full contact with Quinn's.

Quinn softened his tone, also sensing Alex's discomfort. "Well, if you're not busy, feel free to tag along with us."

"Watch out, Alex. These two have a habit of adopting lost ducklings," Callie teased. "They did the same with me, and look what happened. I'm helplessly trapped in their web of love and good cooking."

Lyn interjected, "And don't forget how we force you to interact with other human beings. We run a special bootcamp for reserved loners who need to break out of their shells." Her words brought laughter from them all.

"I'll make sure to keep my pepper spray around, in case they try to kidnap me and bring me to their gingerbread house." Alex's eyes twinkled as he spoke. Since the moment she first saw him, she'd been in awe of the beauty of his eyes. When he smiled, his whole face shone with a beauty to match them.