Stone Tower Serenade: Love Etched in Stone

Chapter 4: Where it all started

Avery POV

After an agonizing hour spent soothing Brylle's ruffled feathers with patient explanations on the lanai, Avery finally managed to coax a hesitant acceptance from him. With a gentle hand on his shoulder, she ushered him inside, hoping a warm meal and the comforting routine of dinner would chase away the shadows clinging to his young mind.

Stepping through the doorway of the restaurant, Avery's gaze swept across the room, immediately drawn to Kevin. He sat at their usual table, a tableau of serious intent as he conversed with her father and Mr. Wilson. Their hushed tones and furrowed brows spoke volumes about the weight of the conversation. As she entered, the room fell silent, conversations dissolving like morning mist. All eyes turned towards her, a mixture of curiosity and concern etched on their faces.

"Dad, what were you three discussing earlier that you had to stop when you saw me?" Avery inquired, sensing it might concern her.

"Nothing important, dear. We were just planning to discuss some business matters now that Kevin is back. It's nothing for you to worry about," her father replied dismissively.

Avery nodded curtly, a hollow echo of agreement. Her father's curt response did little to quell the disquiet gnawing at her. If her inquiries here were to be met with such frustrating opacity, then perhaps another source of information was necessary. A flicker of her gaze darted towards Kevin, a silent question hanging in the air. The hushed conversation he'd been part of just moments ago, the one that had dissolved like smoke upon her arrival, seemed a likely suspect. It was a frustrating truth – these episodes, these fragments of a past she couldn't grasp, loomed large once more. They were a tangled web, and somewhere within its threads likely lay the answers she craved.

As they sat down for dinner, unlike the fraught lunch, this meal unfolded with a surface ease. Avery found herself playing the role of an observer, a quiet spectator in her own life. Conversations flowed freely, but the current seemed to bypass her, all questions and attention directed towards Kevin. His life in the States for the past three years – a period that remained a frustrating blank slate in Avery's own mind – became the focal point. A knot of unease tightened in her stomach with every shared anecdote, every laugh that echoed from a past she couldn't access. It felt like a performance, and she wasn't sure if she was the audience or the one being observed.

"Are you really telling us you didn't find a girlfriend during your time in the States, Big Brother?" A sardonic chuckle erupted from Brylle, shattering the veneer of normalcy that had settled over the dinner table. His gaze darted towards Kevin, a flicker of something akin to resentment flickering in its depths. With each anecdote Kevin shared, a new detail from his life across the ocean, Brylle's smile seemed to falter a fraction more. Avery couldn't help but wonder if a touch of sibling rivalry, perhaps laced with a hint of forgotten childhood slights, had bubbled to the surface. Here they were, all ears for Kevin's tales, and Brylle, the ever-enthusiastic one, was the only voice dissenting from the chorus of interest.

"Brother, undoubtedly there were plenty of attractive women down there. But I'm sure you already know the answer to your question, don't you?" Kevin responded, as though he and Brylle shared an unspoken understanding.

"Psh! still not convince. I won't let you had your opportunity yet until..." Brylle paused caught with his own thought to dropped the conversation. "Bry, what do you mean, 'until'?" Avery pressed, her curiosity piqued by Brylle's sudden reluctance. Kevin signaled for him to continue if he can, while the others looked on with a mix of concern and curiosity.