This isn't weird.

Landmine

Neither Shelby nor Ben dared to ask Molly what exactly it was that her estranged husband had come to talk to her about, though a meaningful look exchanged as Ben was climbing into the truck confirmed that they had similar suspicions. It made for an uncomfortable drive, the atmosphere in the truck so tense that even Shelby didn't try to make small talk. It was easy enough for her to play it off as focus, since she was the one driving, but Ben felt like his silence was far more conspicuous. He'd been mentally prepared for a long drive with Millie's sister and her caregiver to be a little awkward, but he hadn't imagined this. It wasn't his place to go prying into Molly's personal affairs, but it was excruciating not to acknowledge what had just happened.

He distracted himself by fidgeting with the sweater folded in his lap, dragging his fingertips over the sequins and imagining the way the sleeves would have fallen past Millie's hands. All the time, he thought. She wore it all the time.

Eventually, the thought cheered him up enough to make an attempt at wringing a little conversation out of the situation. "So, Molly," he said, careful to sound as casual as he could. "Are you really writing a book?"

"Oh... well, sort of," she replied, looking a little embarrassed. She was sitting in the middle seat, arms crossed over her chest.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, um... When we were kids, Cammy and I used to write these silly little stories together," she explained. "Dragons and princesses, stuff like that. And wizards. Cammy always had to add a wizard."

"She does love wizards," Ben said with a smile.

"Anyway, I found some of 'um packed away in a box a couple months ago. And some of them are actually... kind of okay, I guess. Entertaining, at least. So I've been tryin' to stitch some of them together into one big story. Just for fun. It's stupid."

"That's not stupid," Ben said. "That's awesome. I'd love to read it."

"It's still pretty rough. And Cammy'd probably be real mad if she found out I showed it to someone else first."

"Does she know you're writing it?"

"No... I wanted to show her when I got it a little more outlined. Get her ideas on how to make it all work. But then she... well, you know."

"It will be a nice surprise for her when she gets back."

"I guess. Maybe."

It was plain on Molly's face that she was still harboring doubts as to whether she would see her sister again, and Ben desperately wanted to offer her something that would give her some faith. "You said you wanted me to tell you some things about her," he said. "What do you want to know?"

"I'm not even sure what there is to know," Molly replied, but she seemed pleased to be asked. After a moment's contemplation, she arrived at a simple question. "What is she like?"

"What is she like?" Ben repeated, trying to keep the incredulity out of his voice. How could two sisters spend six months in such close quarters and come out wondering what the other was like? It was a heartbreaking thought. 

"Well... she's sweet," he said. "Maybe the sweetest person I've ever met. She loves to take care of people. Any time I was sick, she was practically glued to my side. Cooking is her love language. And she gives the best compliments ever. And presents, she's so good at giving presents. She hates being cold, and considers anything below sixty degrees to be freezing. But she loves the outdoors—she's been trying to get me to go hiking with her forever. We tried once, but it rained. She loves sugar. If you put candy in front of her, she physically can't not eat all of it, but she only drinks diet soda, because if she gets diabetes, she wants to have really earned it, and soda is cheating. And karaoke! Oh my god, she loves karaoke. Which is funny, since she doesn't really like crowds, or loud noises, or drinking. But she goes nuts at karaoke, you should see it. It's hilarious. She's hilarious, and playful. I love how playful she is. We're always doing stupid bits together, and she is the absolute master of the straight face, even when I'm being a fucking muppet, but when I finally get her to break and she starts laughing, she can't stop for anything, and it's the best feeling in the world. She thinks puns are the highest form of humor, and she firmly believes that any joke gets funnier the more you run it into the ground. And she loves video games, even though she's terrible at them—"