Talk To Me

Chapter Thirty-Two

Two years ago

Friday felt like any other day for Leah. Maybe she should have felt different now that she had turned eighteen, but the only reminders of the occasion came from the half-hearted birthday wishes of her classmates.

The real celebration, if it could be called that, would come later—her brother had promised to return from university. Oliver avoided home as much as possible, and while his reasons made sense to their father, Leah knew better.

He simply didn't want to come back.

She carefully arranged a wooden tray with cheese, nuts, and pretzels, the cool metal of the knife pressing into her palm as she sliced through a wedge of sharp cheddar. Balancing the tray, she made her way to the living room, only to be met with the familiar, melancholic strains of 'I'll Be Seeing You' drifting through the air. The melody curled around her like a ghost from the past, making her throat tighten.

"Turn that off," she said, placing the tray on the table with a soft clink. "We'll wait for the guys to come." A sudden realization struck her. "Shit, I forgot the candy." She scanned the coffee table, searching for the glass bowl that should have been there.

Cassie, lounging with effortless grace on the couch, raised an eyebrow. "I don't think candy pairs well with wine," she remarked, pointing the remote at the TV and silencing the movie.

"Mark likes candy with everything." Leah turned toward the showcase, retrieving a glass bowl filled with colorful wrappers that crinkled under her touch.

"The mysterious Mark," Cassie mused as Leah returned with the sweets. "I can't believe I'm finally meeting them. You've been hiding them for months." She ran a hand through her short hair, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Leah smirked. "Not hiding. Oli rarely comes back."

"Is that why you're not having a big party like normal people do for their eighteenth birthday?" Cassie grabbed a pretzel, crunching down. "Because of Oli?"

Leah scrunched her nose. "Don't call him Oli—"

"Why not?"

Leah hesitated. Only a few people had ever been allowed to use that nickname. Now, she was the only one left. "Just don't. He'll get mad."

Cassie smirked. "And why is that?"

Leah opened her mouth, but before she could answer, the front door swung open, a rush of crisp evening air creeping into the warm house. Her heart lurched, and without thinking, she shoved the last of the nuts into her mouth and sprinted toward the entrance.

Oliver stood in the doorway, his frame broader than she remembered, tousled dark hair falling into his sharp eyes. He took one look at her and grinned. "Hey, sis."

She threw her arms around his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne, a mixture of cedarwood and something faintly citrusy. "Happy birthday," he murmured into her hair.

"Thank you," she said, pulling back. "I missed you."

"Sorry, I've been busy." He tossed his duffle bag onto the wooden floor with a heavy thud. "Did he leave?" Leah nodded. "And here I was hoping for a family reunion." His grin was full of mischief.

Leah narrowed her eyes. "Did you wait until Dad left?"

"I might've."

"Oli."

"What? It's your day. I didn't want to spend it dodging questions from him." He peered past her into the living room. "Where is everyone?"

"My friend Cassie's here," Leah motioned toward the couch, where Cassie had been watching the exchange with unveiled curiosity. "And Mark should be here any minute now."