Ineffable ꕥ Joost Klein ꕥ

40.

Stood in the kitchen, Joost was hunched over his steaming cup of tea. The early hours of the morning were shown on the wall clock and the window above the sink showed that the sun would rise soon.

The house hadn't changed. It still had his mother's eclectic touch. Joost was even using the mug he remember his father used to use for his coffee. It was like stepping back in time, and with the lights on its dimmest setting, Joost relished in the feeling of being home, again.

'Can you tell your bald friend to stop smoking out the upstairs window? You know the smoke just wafts right back into the room, right?'

Walking around Joost to go to the sink, the woman in navy scrubs turned on the tap. She pumped the soap bottle and lathered up her hands in the water's stream.

'Is she alright?' Joost asked, ignoring her previous tones.

'She's fine. I'm not going to ask who did that to her because I really don't want to know.'

Joost swallowed as his sister turned around. While drying her hands, Nanda's unimpressed expression stared Joost down. She looked older and he was sure she thought the same about him. His hair was a surprise and he had put on his glasses, the frames having been in his pocket up until now. If Nanda noticed Joost's new look, she didn't mention it.

'Is she...'

'She's asleep, Joost,' Nanda leaned back against the counter. 'She can stay as long as she wants, but you? I want you and Enzo out by Monday.'

Joost had nothing to say and nodded. He expected her hostility but was relieved to hear that it didn't transfer towards Elke.

'Who is she?'

'My girlfriend.'

'Poor her.'

He scoffed. Whether it was a sisterly insult or a truthful comment, Joost liked to hear it. The last time he had spoken to his older sister wasn't the fondest memory. He was grateful that she hadn't slammed the door in his face when he first knocked. But Joost knew that Nanda's decision was made purely off the girl that she saw in the passenger's seat of the Swift.

'How's Hugo?' Joost decided to ask.

'Married.'

Joost's eyebrows shot up and exclaimed,

'He got married? When?'

'Two years ago. Her name's Tallulah. She's nice,' Nanda's tone softened the more she talked. 'What's her name?'

'Elke... she's my neighbour. She's a finance consultant.'

'Huh. Didn't think you would settle for someone like that.'

'I didn't settle. She settled for me, if anything,' Joost bit back and paused before his voice dropped low. 'I want to step back, Nanda. I want to be normal.'

The older Klein pushed off of the counter with her arms crossed. She eyed her younger brother, her eyes narrowed and unconvinced. She had to admit that Joost seemed different than before. He never dared to come to her house or ask for help.

When Joost asked her to take a look at Elke's face and neck, Nanda raised her eyebrows at the genuine plea. She watched him mumble to the brunette, his hands ghosting her elbows and his knees bending to be at her level. Elke sniffled and nodded, leaning into the kiss Joost gave her forehead. Nanda didn't question anything at the sight of Elke's red neck and bruising jaw, but hadn't expected to see her brother be so soft and gentle with the girl she didn't know.

'Everyone else thinks I'm crazy but I don't care. I don't want to do this anymore,' Joost continued sipping some of his tea. 'I want to move back here. I want to give Elke everything. But after tonight, I don't know if I can...'