Chapter 137: Nathan’s Text
Casey’s POV
I woke up the next morning with one thought running through my head. I had a brother. For twenty-two years, I had believed I was an only child.
Now I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that somewhere in the world, for nineteen years, there had been another person who shared my parents, their childhood memories, their family traditions and probably a hundred stories I had never heard.
Nathan, my brother. I stared at my phone when it buzzed on the bedside table. Nathan: You awake?
I smiled. Me: Unfortunately.
His reply came almost immediately. Nathan: Good. Be ready in an hour.
I frowned. Me: For what?
Three dots appeared and then disappeared and then appeared again. Nathan: Your first official sibling outing.
I laughed. Me: Official?
Nathan: Very official.
Me: Who made it official?
Nathan: Me. I'm older and wiser.
I stared at the message. Me: You're nineteen.
Nathan: Exactly. Practically ancient.
I laughed out loud as another message arrived. Nathan: Wear comfortable clothes.
I hesitated before typing. Me: Where are we going?
His response came quickly. Nathan: That's a surprise.
I rolled my eyes. Me: I don't trust you.
Nathan: Smart. See you soon, sis.
I stared at those last two words.
Sis.
Something about seeing it written made my chest tighten and I smiled anyway. Me: See you soon, little brother.
His answer took longer. Nathan: Little?
I grinned. Me: You're nineteen.
Nathan: I'm telling Mom you bullied me.
I laughed and for the first time in my life, I had someone I could tease about being my little brother. It was such a small thing but it meant everything.
An hour later, I pulled into the Sterling driveway. Nathan was already waiting outside. He had changed into jeans, sneakers and a simple T-shirt, his car keys spinning around one finger.
He looked at my car as I stepped out. "Nice."
"Thank you."
He nodded seriously. "Acceptable."
I laughed. "Acceptable?"
"Yes." He walked toward me. "I was worried my sister would drive something embarrassing."
I stared at him. "We've known each other for one day."
"Exactly. I'm still evaluating you."
I laughed. "You're impossible."
He opened the passenger door of his car. "Get in."
I looked at it. "You're driving?"
“Obviously.”
“Does Mom know where we're going?”
“Probably.”
I turned toward him. “Probably?”
He grinned as he opened the driver's door. “Come on. She'll know eventually.”
I shook my head, laughing as I climbed into the passenger seat. Nathan got in beside me and started the engine. “Seatbelt,” he said.
I looked at him. “Seriously?”
“Hey, I'm just following orders.”
“What orders?”
He looked at me with a grin. “Mom gave me a list.”
I laughed. “She actually gave you a list?”
“Of course she did.”
“What kind of list?”
He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. “Apparently, I have several responsibilities today.”
“I'm listening.”
“First, I'm not allowed to drive too fast.”
“That's reasonable.”
“Second, I'm supposed to make sure you eat.”
I stared at him. “She really put that on the list?”
“Word for word.”
I laughed and shook my head. “She's already worrying about me.”
“She's been waiting twenty-two years to worry about you in person. I don't think she's going to stop now.”
Something warm settled in my chest at that.
Nathan glanced back at his phone. “Then there's the important one.”
“Which is?”
“Bring you home in one piece.”
I smiled. “That's probably a good rule.”
“I thought so too.”
He started to put the phone away before looking at the screen again. “Oh, and apparently I'm not allowed to annoy you.”
I turned toward him with a smile. “That one might be impossible.”
He laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”
I laughed. "Did you follow that one?"
"Not yet."
I shook my head as he started the car. "Where are we going?"
"You're going to find out."
The first stop was a small café near the university district. I looked at him. "Breakfast?"
"Obviously."
"I had breakfast."
"No, you didn't."
I stared at him. "How do you know?"
"Because Mom said you were coming over, and she was worried you wouldn't eat."
I laughed. "Your entire family is obsessed with feeding me."
"Welcome to the family."
We ordered breakfast and found a table outside.
Nathan leaned back. "So."
I smiled. "So."
“Tell me something I don't know about you.”
I looked at him, surprised by the question. “About me?”
“Yeah.” He leaned back comfortably, his coffee resting between both hands. “You've spent the last few minutes asking me questions. I think it's only fair that I get something in return.”
I smiled. There were probably a hundred things about me that he didn't know, although the strange part was that I didn't know many of them myself anymore.
I thought for a moment before deciding to give him something simple. “I hate spiders.”
He stared at me for a second, clearly unimpressed. “That’s it?”
I laughed. “What did you expect? A criminal record?”
That made him laugh, and the sound immediately made the room feel lighter. “No, I suppose not.”
He took another sip of his coffee, apparently thinking about what he wanted to know next. “Okay, then. What's your favorite movie?”
I told him, and he nodded thoughtfully as though he were filing the information away somewhere.
“And your favorite song?”
I answered that one too, and before long I realized what he was doing. He wasn't asking anything particularly deep. He wasn't trying to dig into the years we'd lost or make me explain the things I couldn't remember. He was simply trying to get to know me.
That realization warmed me more than I expected.
“What about your favorite place?” he asked.
I hesitated. For some reason, that question made me look toward the window, where the afternoon sunlight was spilling across the room. “The beach.”
His expression brightened. “Really?”
“Yeah. I love the beach.”
“Mine too.”
I smiled. “See? We already have something in common.”
“Obviously.” The smug expression that appeared on his face made me laugh. He seemed far too pleased with himself. “What about food?”
“Pizza.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Mine too.”
I shook my head, amused. “Okay, that's getting suspicious.”
“I'm starting to think we might actually be related.”
I laughed. “You only just figured that out?”
He grinned and took another drink of his coffee. “And your favorite color?”
“Blue.”
He stared at me and I stared back. “Don't tell me.”
“Blue,” he said.
I burst out laughing. “Are we supposed to be surprised?”
“Maybe a little.”
“There are millions of people who like blue.”
“Yeah, but now you're my sister, so I'm choosing to believe it's significant.”
Something about the way he said my sister made my chest tighten pleasantly. I was still getting used to hearing those words, but I didn't dislike them. Not even close.
“What was your favorite subject at school?” he asked.
“English.”
He immediately shook his head. “Business.”
I smiled. “Of course.”
He frowned. “What does that mean?”
“You look like someone who enjoys spreadsheets.”
His mouth fell open in mock offense. “That is insulting.”
I laughed. “I'm sorry.”
“You should be.”
His expression was so dramatically offended that I couldn't stop laughing, and a moment later he was laughing too.
The conversation settled naturally after that, moving from one silly subject to another without either of us having to think too hard about what to say next. I found myself watching him sometimes, trying to memorize the little things about him that I hadn't known existed yesterday, the way he smiled when he was amused, the way he tapped his fingers against his coffee cup when he was thinking, the way he seemed determined to make this easier for both of us.
What surprised me most was how easy it felt.
There was no pressure to fill every silence, no awkward attempt to force a connection simply because we shared the same parents. We were still strangers in so many ways, but somewhere between the jokes about spiders, pizza, blue being our favorite color, and his ridiculous love of spreadsheets, I found myself relaxing.
Maybe becoming siblings wouldn't happen all at once.
Maybe it would happen like this instead, one small conversation at a time.