Taking the stairs, I crossed the landing to Eli’s room. I knocked on the door as my other hand turned the handle, giving sufficient notice that I was coming in. I’d learned years ago that entering my brothers’ rooms without knocking risked me walking in on things I did not want to see.

Eli’s curtains were drawn shut, cloaking his room in a continuous gloom. For someone who normally kept his room relatively tidy, Eli’s room was a mess. That was the new normal now. Clothes were strewn all over the floor and hanging off the back of his desk chair. There was no way to tell which items were dirty and which were clean. Eli wasn’t eating much, but the wrappers of what he did manage lay littered over his carpet. I didn’t have to turn on the light to know that the carpet needed a good hoover. Eli, by default, had the smallest bedroom since he shared with no one else. His bed was only a single, not that he’d ever complained about it.

Eli himself was laying in his bed, glaring right at me. He was on his back, sheets drawn halfway up his chest. His dark blond hair was scruffy, and he needed a haircut.

“It’s stuffy, open the window,” I said.

“It is open.”

“Open it wider.”

“No,” his glare deepened. “I’m cold.”

It wasn’t cold at all. It was the middle of August, and for once the weather this summer was baking hot.

“Eli,” I sighed heavily.

“Save it.”

“Listen to me,” I hardened my jaw, my eyes blazing into his.

The intensity of my look clearly met its match with the way Eli was scowling back at me. I just knew that whatever I’d wanted to say would fall on deaf ears. It was frustrating, to say the least. Crossing the room instead, I pulled the curtains open and flooded the small room with light. Eli swore at me and sunk deeper under his covers, grumbling hatefully under his breath.

I stood over his bed for a moment, frowning unhappily at the mound under the sheets. I contemplated how to punch through the brick wall Eli was projecting. Easier said than done.

“Here,” I picked up a hoodie I suspected was clean from the floor. “You said you were cold.”

Eli pulled the sheets down enough to see what I was offering.

“Come downstairs, we’re cooking dinner,” I held the hoodie towards him.

“Not hungry,” he mumbled.

I sat down on the edge of his bed and the ferocity of the next glare I received almost made me smile. Arching a brow back at Eli, I dared him to kick me off like I knew he wished he could.

“We miss you,” I dropped my gaze to the hoodie I was clenching in my lap.

It seemed Eli didn’t know what to say to that, as he kept quiet. My foot was in the door then. Time to try and get the door open before he shut me out again.

“I miss you,” my voice lowered as I spoke earnestly. “It’s not the same without you around…even if all you do is pick fights. The boys love you for it really. Especially Walter.”

“And you?” Eli’s green eyes were watching mine.

“Of course, I do,” I said firmly.

Eli looked away and I held my breath.

“What’s for dinner?” he eventually asked.

I pulled the corners of my lips down to fight a smile of victory before he saw it and changed his mind.

“Roast chicken.”

Another pause, then, “Fine.”

I smiled then and stood up, dropping the hoodie on the bed.

“Don’t take too long, or I’ll just come back,” I said to him, to which I earned an eye-roll and a huff.

Shutting Eli’s door behind me, I went down to the kitchen to see that Walter was up now. He had probably been in the shower because his hair was still wet. Walter was wearing black boxing shorts with white stripes down the sides and a plain black t-shirt. He wasn’t exactly helping Landon and Coral peel the potatoes, but rather he had Coral perched on his lap whilst he cuddled her around her waist. I could only take in so much affection before having to avert my eyes, but it was clear that Walter and Coral were so comfortable now.

It was hard to believe Walter had almost lost his life after taking a bullet for Ario Santiago a few months back. Having to see him in a coma day in and day out had almost drained me completely. But here he was, alive and well. And Coral had played a part in that too. She was maybe the person Walter had the most reason to live for now, and it was like Coral had been a part of the family for much longer than she had. If anyone had asked me if I’d let any of my brothers’ girlfriends join my household before, I would have said a firm no. I had said a firm no. But here she was, the scars on her little finger marking her as one of us. And the strangest part now was that I honestly didn’t mind it.

“Is he coming down?” Landon looked to me, a bowl of naked potatoes next to him, their shavings in a pile in the middle of the table.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“How did you manage that?” Coral arched her brows.

I shrugged, “Some days are easier than others, I suppose.”

We all paused in thought, and it was just then that Eli came down and joined us. He’d fixed his messy hair, but it was still hanging low over his forehead, signifying its need to be cut.

“Why is there silence?” he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.  

“What’s wrong with silence?” Landon was already grinning back, glad to see his brother.

“You were probably talking about me, that’s what,” Eli returned.

“And so what if we were?” Walter butted in before anyone. “We can talk about you whenever and however we want.”

“Excuse me?” Eli frowned at him.

“Yeah,” Walter lifted his chin. “And what are you gonna do about it?”

“Walter,” Coral shushed him with a smile.

Eli drifted his gaze to her, his face softening slightly.

“Good to see you out of your room, Eli,” Coral beamed at him. “Do you want to help peel these?”

“I don’t see Walter helping,” Eli said.

Walter grinned, shaking his head to himself, “She asked about you, not me.”

“Well, I’m talking about you.”

“What do you do all day?” Walter scoffed, his lips itching to form a smirk. “Lay in the dark and stare at the ceiling?”

Eli folded his arms, “Better than spending time with you.”

“I don’t think you mean that,” Walter chuckled darkly. “Being in constant darkness has affected the way you think.”

“Shut the hell up, Walter,” Eli sent him a half-hearted scowl.

Walter did no such thing, instead he went at Eli verbally until Eli gave him just as much in return. It was clear that Walter was showing just how much he’d missed Eli being around, and if Eli didn’t believe me before, I was sure he did now.