Circumstantial

Chapter 7

I stayed away from the kitchen for the most part of that evening. I was still pissed off at Sarah. I had no idea what her intentions were, but she now knew where I worked, where my sister lived, and where I lived. I worried for my sister's safety above all, and although Sarah didn't pose an immediate threat, I couldn't be certain. My sister, on the other hand, seemed to be hitting it off with the psycho. I could hear them joking and talking along with the clanging of dishes.

It actually feels great being at home. It hasn't felt this homely in a while. There's chatter and laughter, and the delicious smell of homemade food wafting through the house.

"Dinner's ready!" I hear Kate call down the hallway.

I close my laptop and rub my eyes, exhausted. There's no way out of my dilemma. I can't take anymore loans, and the store's sales aren't even covering half of the property's rent.

"I'll leave if you're uncomfortable with me being here," Sarah interrupts my thoughts.

I glance up to see her standing in the doorway. Her hair is now down, flowing over her shoulders, and her heels are off. She's really made herself at home.

"Nah, it's fine," I mutter, getting up and brushing pass her.

"Hey!" Kate yelps as I rush up behind her to ruffle her hair.

"Did you miss home?" I ask, helping to set the table.

"Not as much as I missed you," she smiles, passing me our mother's 'special' porcelain dishes.

"Whoa! What's the occasion?" I ask, laying them on the table.

"We have a guest, Mikey," she replies blatantly.

"Thanks for having me impose on your sibling time," Sarah smiles at Kate affectionately.

It's the most sincere expression I've ever seen on her usually stoic face.

"Aww! It's a pleasure, Sarah. I can't believe Mike kept you a secret for so long. We should've done this a long time ago," Kate smiles, then she turns to glare at me.

Sarah must've filled her head with lies, I presume. I clear my throat."Can we eat, now? I'm starving," I say, taking a seat.

"Someone's grumpy," Kate murmurs, motioning for Sarah to sit.

We eat in silence for a while, forks against porcelain, the only sound in the dining room.

"I love this house," Sarah breaks the silence.

Huh? Did she just use the L word? Guess we could finally say that artificial intelligence has feelings.

"Really? God, you and my brother lack style, no offence. This place needs a makeover. It's the twenty first century. Keep up with the trends, or at least try to," Kate gestures to the chandelier above our heads. "If he wasn't so sentimental, I'd have this place revamped."

"Her place is trendy," I remark, glancing at Sarah. She looks up to me in surprise.

"Yeah?" Kate's eyes shift between the two of us. "And what's her bed like? Cloud nine?" She teases.