The Minutes We Have

chapter eight

Bailey dropped me off at home. 

I had cursed him out, with a filter of course, when he was bold enough to pull directly into my driveway. I had told him what would happen and he simply laughed and shrugged. I hurriedly hopped out and waved him off, frantically hoping no one had seen. 

I didn't see the grey car that had been parked in the driveway earlier today, which belonged to either Emerson or Lance. I wondered if they had left to head back to college already, and that would mean I had missed Ezra. I knew they had to be back from skiing because the resort closed at dark, and it had been dark for hours now. 

I checked my phone as I walked to the front door. 8:45 pm. It wasn't horribly late.

Roman was standing with his hip leaned against the kitchen counter, his arms folded across his chest. Ezra was sitting opposite of him, scrolling through his phone. Finley was sprawled out in his favorite spot on the kitchen floor, where the heater blew. They seemed to be the only ones home at the moment.

I kicked off my shoes, unzipped my winter coat, and asked Ezra, "What happened to your friends?" 

Ezra briefly glanced up at me, "They went to get pizza and wings, they'll be back."

"Jordyn," Roman's voice drew my attention, as it was questioning rather than a greeting, and his eyes flickered back to the window. It was then I knew that he had seen. "Who was that?" He asked--no, rather demanded--"What's his name?" 

I groaned, tempted to roll my eyes but I was conscious of doing it too much lately. "No one," I tried to shut down the investigation before it began. 

"Who was that?" 

"No one." 

"For fuck's sake, leave her alone," Ezra was the only one who came to my rescue, which was utterly surprising to me, and I briefly questioned him with my eyes, but he only told Roman, "She can hang out with who she wants." 

Roman rose an eyebrow with a deadpan expression, "You're not concerned she was just with a guy, huh?"

Ezra's dark gaze slid towards me. For a moment, I prepared for the end of the world; until he shrugged, and said, "It's her choice." 

What? 

Roman scowled, "You can't be serious." Ezra only leveled him with an expression that spoke clearer than words, and Roman sputtered, "No, that's stupid. She's your little sister, you should be the first to tell her no." 

"My little sister is twenty-one," Ezra emphasized the use of that one word, his eyes reflecting the utter boredom he was feeling during this argument, "She can make her own decisions, and I'm done telling you that." 

"Who can make their own decisions?" Mikeal's voice had us turning our heads as he walked into the kitchen, "As far as I'm aware, I'm still raising toddlers."

Roman didn't waste a second. He pointed at me and blurted, "Jordyn came home with a guy." 

Mikeal's eyebrows rose and his blue eyes flickered to me in question. I'm sure my jaw hit the floor. "What?" I shrieked, "Can you just stop it? There's literally no reason to get me in trouble!" 

"Tell me who he is!" 

It was then Mikeal had to intervene because between Roman and I practically hollering at each other now, our next move would be wrestling on the floor. "Alright, alright, calm down," Our oldest brother pinned us both with the look. When we crossed our arms but remained quiet, he focused on me, and asked, "Where is he?"