Tyler doesn’t reply for a while, only looks at me with his head angled a degree to the side, his eyes smoldering. “Aren’t you excited to tell your dad that you’re so deeply in love with me?” he finally says, trying his hardest to suppress both his laughter and his smirk.
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.” My voice is dripping with sarcasm, yet I’m smiling. “You know, since you’re quite the charmer.”
Tyler chuckles as he shakes his head. We both know he and my dad have never really bonded all that well, so out of all the guys I could have fallen in love with, I don’t think my dad will be too impressed that it’s Tyler. And that’s if he can even get over the fact that we’re stepsiblings first.
The door to Snake’s bedroom swings open and Snake sticks his head around it, leaning against the frame. “You guys are still here?”
“You think we’d leave without saying goodbye to you, Stephen Rivera?” Tyler shoots back, narrowing his eyes challengingly as he advances across the room toward his roommate.
“God, I’m so glad I’m getting rid of you,” Snake mutters, and he grins as they embrace one another in one of those half-hugs, thumping each other on the back.
It feels just like yesterday morning all over again, when all three of us were saying goodbye to Emily. It was just after 5AM and we were all half asleep, and Emily was getting upset. We promised we’d all stay in touch. Even joked about a yearly reunion. These kinds of goodbyes are the scary goodbyes. The goodbyes where you know the chances of seeing each other again are very slim. Emily will be back in London by now, and by tonight Tyler and I will be in Santa Monica. Snake’s the only one left in New York, with his final year of college still to go. Honestly, I don’t think I could have asked for two better people to enjoy my trip to New York with, and I still couldn’t be more grateful for their acceptance. I’m really going to miss them both.
Tyler and Snake reflect on the past year for a while, laughing and playfully insulting each other before sighing. Snake even draws me into a hug at that point. He tells me that I’m not that bad, and I tell him that he’s not that bad either. We smile at each other before he musters up one final Portland joke, and then Tyler and I grab our luggage and we leave the apartment for the very last time.
It’s nearing eight back on the West Coast by the time we arrive in LA. We’re at LAX, of course, and Tyler and I spend a good twenty minutes lingering by the baggage carousel before our luggage is the last to roll around. It’s what we get for being among the first few people to check in back at Newark. And even though Tyler has grown gruff with impatience, he manages to lighten up again by the time we start to make our way across the arrivals level of Terminal 6.
It doesn’t take us long to spot Jamie. It’s hard to miss him. He comes out of nowhere and makes a beeline straight for us, throwing a hand up into the air to grab our attention. His entire face is dominated by a grin. It’s a rather warm feeling seeing Jamie happy to see us, and for a moment coming back home doesn’t seem so bad anymore.
“There he is,” I say, and when I glance sideways at Tyler, he’s barely even listening to me. He’s too focused on his brother, his smile reaching his eyes.
Only a few moments later Jamie finally reaches us, and Tyler immediately draws him into a hug. I hang back a step or two, my own smile growing as I watch the two of them. After spending six weeks with Tyler, I’ve forgotten that the rest of our family hasn’t seen him in over a year.
Tyler pulls away after a while, resting his hands on Jamie’s shoulders as he studies him with wide eyes. “Man, I hardly even recognize you!” Tyler says with a laugh. “When’d you get this tall? And what’d you do to your hair?”
Jamie shrugs a little sheepishly, awkwardly reaching up to touch his hair. I don’t really see that much of a drastic change, mostly because I haven’t been gone for so long, but Jamie has grown several inches and cut his hair over the past year. It’s been cut short for months now and his height is quickly catching up with Tyler’s. Both of them are way taller than me. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Jamie says, slightly embarrassed. He averts his eyes to me instead. “How was New York?”
“Amazing,” I say. I refrain from exchanging a knowing glance with Tyler, and instead I bite my lip and keep my eyes trained on Jamie. “Did you manage to get here alright?”
“Yeah. Eventually,” he answers. Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he pulls out a set of car keys. “Ended up on the lower level first. Finally found my way up to the parking lots. Mom’s directions weren’t that clear.”