Evan got off the plane and stopped waiting for Leo.
"Man booking a last minute ticket is rough, sorry, we couldn't get seats next to each other. Leo said, hoisting his cross-bag over his shoulders.
"Leo looked at him. "I can't believe you brought just a backpack for four days. What are you going to wear?"
Evan smirked. "Your clothes obviously."
Leo laughed. "I am not going to let you wear my clothes. You will stretch out all the shoulders."
Evan smirked. "Just let me use the ones from the last time I was here."
Leo frowned. "Fine."
"Leo!"
They both looked up. AT the gate was Leo's mom waving at the two of them.
They walked up to her. "Nice to see you again Evan. It's been a while."
"Yeah, it's nice to see you too Mrs. Tremblay." Evan said.
"T, will be so happy you came along. He has been aching for someone to work on the car with for a while. And you know Leo and I, we are useless."
Evan nodded, and the two of them followed her towards the baggage claim. After a minute Leo's bag came around the carousel and he grabbed the dark emerald hard case covered in stickers from travel. He put it to the ground and then pulled the handle and the three of them walked outside.
"Where did you park?" Leo asked.
His mom and him started a conversation and Evan slowly started to hang back a little. He pulled out his phone from the back of his acid wash jeans pocket. The large black square turned on when he clicked the little button on the side. On the front screen was a picture of Sam sleeping he had taken, secretly. He licked his lips staring at that picture. He turned the phone back off. Sucked in his bottom lip. Then clicked it back on. He pet the screen with one finger.
“You coming?” Leo asked.
Evan turned the phone back off again. Took a deep breath in and adjusted his bag on his right shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah, of course.”
Evan took the backseat and Leo took the front next to his mom. The ride back they talked the while Evan looked out the window.
Being back here… He watched the houses zoom past. The familiar sites, the neighborhoods. That looked like his own. He wondered how it would feel to pass his old home again. Moving away was hard enough as a grown kid but not knowing that you would never be back to your old room. That the memories you had, you would never get to say goodbye.
It seemed weird to think that he wanted to say goodbye to a house. But it was the house he grew up in. It was the house filled with all his memories. Memories of his mom.
He had only lived six houses from Leo's; the car slowed down on their street and went around twenty miles. Evan watched his house pass slowly, an ache overwhelmed his heart.
“It must be hard to see your old house?” Mrs. Trembley said. Echoing his own thoughts,
Evan nodded. “Is it still empty?”
“Your dad didn't tell you?” Mrs Trembley sucked in a breath.
“No, there is someone living there right now.” She looked at him through the rearview mirror then looked ahead so she could turn into the driveway. She gave Leo a look which Evan didn’t fail to catch.
‘What was that?’ I will have to ask him later.
They got out of the car, and Mr Tremblay came out of the house. “Evan!” He said smiling. He clapped him on the back. “So glad you could join us. I just got off the phone with your dad and June. They are on their layover. “I think it's really nice that they decided to go to China for their honeymoon even if it is a few years late. I think that was a nice thing to do in honor of your mom who really wanted to go some day.”
Mr. and Mrs. Tremblay exchanged a look.
Evan watched the two of them. ‘Yeah, there is definitely something going on.’
“What's going on? You guys are acting weird…”
He looked at Leo, Leo looked down at the ground, guiltily. He could never meet his eye when something was off.
“It’s better if you guys just tell me. Otherwise I am going to be ruminating on it all through dinner. Better out than in, as my mom always said.”
Mr. Tremblay licked his lips nervously.
“Wow it must be bad.” He said half joking.
Mr. Tremblay's eyes darted to the side, nervously.
“Niles … Niles bought your family's old house.” He said.
Evan felt his stomach drop from out from under him. His fists clenched slowly on their own, a knee jerk reaction to hearing Niles name again. The fury that burned inside him.
Evan dropped his bag on the ground and turned his legs stiffly stepping forward and taking him down the block his brain was a blank of back fiery rage.
He came to put of his fit of rage, finger inches from the doorbell
He turned on his heel and paused. Leo stood at the end of the walkway looking at him sheepishly as he glanced down at the ground.
Evan sighed, deflating.
"When did you find out?"
"On the plane… as we were getting off. They surprised me too."
Evan nodded.
“Let's go.”
Leo nodded too.
“Thanks for coming and catching me before I did anything stupid.” Evan started saying.
Something reached out and grabbed his elbow.
“Oh come on, it's not that big of a deal. I am fine, let go.” He said.
“Huh.” Leo said.
Evan looked down and the hand went further back, he turned around slowly.
That ball of fire refueled, burning him from within and threatening to explode until it had consumed everything it could get its hands on.
“Hi Evan.”
That voice sunk inside him like an anchor in the sea.
“Niles.” Leo said.
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