The muted sound of the chair's wheels almost felt like a period at the end of the strange, undefined tension hanging between them. Rolling back just far enough — but still dangerously close — Kyle tightened his grip around his phone and shot Darren a brief glance.
Darren straightened up; the chair beneath him rolled back slightly too. Catching that fleeting look, he smiled faintly with just the corners of his mouth before leaning back and lacing his hands behind his head. His eyes darted to the clock on the wall — and ricocheted right back.
"Wow," he remarked quietly, "Megan really got stuck at the tax office."
Kyle dropped his gaze to the floor, biting the inside of his cheek before giving a weak nod.
"Mm," was all he managed.
Without waiting for a reaction or invitation, Darren rose from his seat with easy calmness. His arms dropped to his sides. For a moment he paused, his gaze moving over Kyle again — too calm, too attentive. The smile gradually faded from his face.
"If Megan's getting here soon," he said, his voice dropping slightly, "we can wait downstairs."
Kyle kept staring downward as if he hadn't heard him at all. The plastic casing of his phone was close to cracking under the pressure of his grip.
"Yeah," he finally answered.
But he didn't move.
Darren exhaled sharply through his nose and ran a hand briefly over the back of his neck.
Less than a minute later, the door opened and shut again with the faint creak of hinges.
Only then did Kyle breathe — a sharp, greedy pull of air, as if he'd forgotten how this whole time. Slowly, he lifted his eyes and stared at the closed door. Several long seconds passed without him blinking.
Then he tossed his phone onto the desk — too hard — and covered his face with both hands.
His cheeks burned beneath his palms. Sweat clung faintly to his forehead. Only now did he realize how dry his mouth had gone.In the sudden quiet of the room, his own heartbeat felt like it was echoing off the walls. And that pulse made short work of whatever indifference he'd been performing.
Leaning his head back against the chair, Kyle stared through the gap between his fingers at the thin crack in the ceiling above the bookshelf. Completely still, as if watching something that actually mattered. Barely blinking.
After another slow inhale, he let out a quiet groan into his palms, stood up, and disappeared into the bathroom a moment later.
Within seconds, the sound of running water crept into the room.
-----------------------------------------
"...that old lady kept everyone trapped there for literally forever!" Megan complained, gesturing with both hands. "They spent an hour explaining to her that her issue wasn't even handled at the county office anymore, and she just kept saying: 'I always come here and they always do it for me!'"
The tension in her nerves was painfully obvious in her voice.
"When was the last time she filed anything there? Colonial America?"
Sitting across from her, Darren pressed a hand over his mouth, barely holding back laughter.
Megan crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
"You think that's funny?!"
Darren finally broke and laughed out loud. His shoulders shook; his eyes watered slightly.
Still irritated, Megan pressed her lips together and continued, "Your quarterly tax filing's coming up too. Let's see how much you smile after sitting in line for hours."
"Yeah, yeah, sure..." he managed through laughter. "Poor woman. Hopefully you didn't add her to your list of mortal enemies."
"Very funny," Megan huffed, though the corners of her mouth twitched anyway.
"Oh, hey," she said suddenly, her voice noticeably softer.
Most of the irritation had already disappeared from her tone.
Kyle stood in the doorway with his hands shoved into his pockets.
"Hey," he said quietly.
Darren's laughter faded from the air almost immediately, leaving only slightly uneven breathing behind. His gaze slowly shifted from Megan to Kyle.
Kyle's hair was slightly damp; a few droplets slid down and darkened the fabric of his shirt in scattered spots. He tapped the toe of his slipper lightly against the floor, avoiding Darren's gaze entirely.
"How'd it go?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on Megan.
"Awful," she sighed dramatically. "I'm stressed."
"But at least you got everything done?"
Megan let out a heavy breath and shook her head.
"Not even close…" She frowned, her fingers curling briefly into fists. "If it weren't for that woman…"
"Oh, let it go already," Darren said lazily, leaning an elbow against the back of his chair.
Megan rolled her eyes — nearly identical to the way Kyle did it. They really did look like actual siblings sometimes.
"I handled most of it," she continued. "But I'll have to go back again next week."
"At least most of it," Kyle said shortly.
"Still feels like a waste of time… Work's already a mess as it is."
Darren nodded in understanding.
"We're used to it," he said calmly. "That's just the heir lifestyle."
Megan exhaled loudly, like she was trying to force all the tension out of her chest with the breath.
"Tell me about it."
Awkwardly, Kyle walked over to the fridge, poured himself a glass of cold water, and sat down beside Megan
"So what were you two doing up there?" she asked immediately.
"Talking," Darren answered, quieter than usual.
"Oh? About what?"
"Different things," he said vaguely. Then added: "Sports, for one."
Kyle instantly felt Darren's gaze settle on him. His bangs at least worked as some kind of shield, hiding the heat rushing into his cheeks. His ears burned; and his heart lurched from a marathon straight into a sprint.
He brought the glass to his mouth quickly and took far too big a gulp. A large chunk of ice shot into his mouth with the water. Kyle nearly choked, but somehow managed to steady his breathing and trap the cube against the inside of his cheek.
Megan suddenly snorted.
"Sports? With Kyle?"
Her brows drew together. She looked at Darren like she'd just heard the most unbelievable thing all day.
"He hates anything involving physical activity. Honestly, he hates sports even more than olives."
"You don't like olives?" Darren asked directly, eyes fixed on Kyle now.
"I don't," he replied shortly.
"I do," Darren said with a smile, and only then looked away.
"And what sport exactly were you discussing?" Megan pressed.
"Boxing," Darren answered calmly.
"Boxing?!"
She stared at her brother like she'd suddenly discovered a completely different person.
"You two were talking about fighting too? Kyle, I'm shocked. You keep revealing entirely new sides of yourself."
Kyle clearly didn't want to answer, but still muttered under his breath:
"There's stuff you don't know about me either."
The resentment slipped through his voice despite himself.
Megan said nothing at first. Just looked at him. Then a crease slowly formed between her brows; the tip of her nose twitched faintly.
"Well… maybe," she said quietly.
Before long, the conversation drifted back toward work. Kyle barely participated anymore, feeling strangely out of place beside the two of them.
When his water was gone — the ice long melted — he stood up without a word and headed back upstairs.
His head felt empty. Not a single useful thought. Not even a useless one. He stared blankly at the mouse and its restless red blink.
His eyes caught on the manga volume carelessly left on the desk. Kyle slowly spun once in his chair, squeezed his eyes shut, exhaled — and put the manga carefully back on the shelf.
Then he opened the code again.
How much time passed — an hour, maybe two — he didn't know. Didn't want to.
A sharp knock at the door ripped him out of the fog in his head so abruptly that he flinched.
For a second he froze. Then slowly pushed himself away from the desk, stood up, and walked to the door.
He yanked it open hard, sending an unpleasant creak down the hallway.
"Darren…?"
There was the faintest hint of a smile in the blue eyes across from him.
"Wanted to say goodbye before leaving."
Kyle frowned automatically and tightened his grip on the doorknob until his knuckles turned white.
"So?" he said flatly.
Their eyes met again inevitably. The same strange tension immediately stretched between them — thick, almost tangible. Time dragged like chewing gum, refusing to snap.
Darren took half a step forward but didn't cross the threshold. He tilted his head slightly to the side.
"Kyle…"
His voice was quiet. Nearly a whisper.
Kyle flinched again. His toes curled instinctively, searching for something solid.
"…see you."
Without waiting for an answer, Darren turned and disappeared down the stairs a moment later.
Kyle stayed standing in the doorway long after that, unable to make himself close the door.