“Amma, I’m home!” Kenny announced as he entered the house, straight into the closet where he dumped his bag and shoes. The place felt fuller than most days, like the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle has finally been put in its place. But then again, maybe it was because all the thinking he had been doing the past month was affecting him physically. All the whys and hows and whens driving him to near insanity and back. He had never felt like this before. Not in the years they had grown up, played and hung about him but now, things had changed in ways Kenny didn’t understand. ‘Puberty makes you do funny things’ he thought as he stuffed his shoes into the cupboard. Listening closer, Kenny heard a deep familiar voice he hadn’t heard in a while: namely his brother Denny’s.  He felt his heart start hammering in his chest and tears well up in the corners of his eyes as he allowed his curiosity to carry him in the direction of the sound

Twenty-one-year-old Denny was draped all over the plush brown sofa, talking loudly on the landline. He had changed since he had left for university three years ago having gained more muscle mass that showed in his broader shoulders and rounder biceps; a fine tan that accented gorgeously with hazel brown hair and eyes. At first glance – maybe even the second and third glance – the two of them weren’t anything close to looking like siblings: Kenny’s black feathery layers and dark honey complexion made him look straight out of another country. Hearing Kenny enter, Denny cocked his head back in an unnatural angle and gave him a cheeky smile.

“I’ll call you back in a moment” he hung up the phone. Kenny couldn’t hold but pounce into his brother’s arms even before he properly sat up. “Gosh, Kenny!” Denny hugged him tighter, “look at you, haven’t grown a bit!” His initial joy froze as he backed up into Denny’s comment. Disappointed, Kenny pulled away so that his brother could get a better look at him, looking himself over as well just to be certain. He had expected the complete opposite. “Kenny look how tall you’ve grown”, “Kenny, how deep your voice has become! You sound like Henry Cavill!”. His hopes and dreams all came crumbling down, visible on his face as his lips almost started to quiver.

“You sure?” he asked, spinning around and pulling his shoulders back to look bigger. He thought it was high time he started visiting the gym. Deep down he knew it must be true, considering he still wore pajamas he had bought when he was twelve and the cuffs of those pants still hung all the way down to his ankles. Denny only confirmed it by nodding dramatically.

“Although…” Denny squinted and beckoned Kenny closer for a better look. He smiled, “Impressive jawline. Very good!” he clapped his little brother on the shoulder slightly harder than he intended, “And your voice! A few more years and you’d sound like Robert Pattinson!”. Kenny beamed; he thought Twilight was extremely stupid of a movie, but he accepted the compliment, nonetheless. Maybe not all hope was gone. “Did you start shaving?” Expect your siblings to ask you some of the most awkward questions.

“Yeah, every fricking morning” he mumbled. What he lacked in height, the testosterone made up for by giving him a thick wad of hair all over his limbs, front and face. For that reason, he had sworn off shorts, feeling rather insecure about whether others would feel uncomfortable seeing him. “Forget about me” Kenny requested waving his hands, “how’s uni?” Denny cleared his throat, straightened his back, and started rambling. Kenny caught every word as his brother went on and on. An hour passed and Kenny was still in his school uniform. He got up slowly, wobbling as his legs awakened after having sat in one position for such a long expanse of time, tousled his brother’s hair and headed for a late shower, ruminating, even growing vehement with some of the newfound information- and Kenny didn’t heat up very often..

Dripping all over the tiled floor like a melting snow cone, Kenny skipped over to his mother in the kitchen, a heavy question bugging the tip of his tongue. Still with only his towel tied around his waist, he knelt at her feet and begged, “Its Friday…sleepover? Please?” He watched in anticipation as his mother thought, the clockwork gears in her mind turning in synch with the spoon in her hand. She was probably going to say no, because ‘everyone would be studying for the boards’ exam at the end of the year’

“Get up, the floor is dirty” she replied in Sinhalese. He obediently hauled himself up, using her dress as crutch and hugged her tight, making her melt and caress his wet hair.

“Sleepover?” he whispered in her ear.

“Kenny I don’t kno-“

“Please? Lane asked” he pushed. He allowed his mother to untangle herself from his grasp, his eyes analyzing her every move: pupils, muscle tension- trying to guess her final decision.

“Kenny, but your brother just got here” she reasoned, “won’t it be rude to just leave him?”

Kenny thought it over, it did make sense. He hadn’t seen his brother in three years. There was so much to catch up on, so much he had been missing. Then he remembered something that made him tingle with frustration. Something that made him feel his brother deserved to be left behind. He nodded, disappointed regardless, and turned around heading to his room to get dressed.

He barely got out without walking straight into his brother’s chest.

“Amma, let him go” Denny persuaded, his older-brother intuition basically reading him like a barcode scanner “I won’t be at home tonight either” he ruffled Kenny’s hair and sent him on his way. Kenny felt sorry for what he thought earlier. As he strolled on, he could hear his mother complaining and asking Denny what could be so important he couldn’t stay home even in this small span of vacation. It made him wonder: what will she do once he leaves? How will she and dad cope? Silently, he climbed up the stairs and shut the door to his room behind him.

Pulling on an old T-shirt, he searched for Lane’s number. Is it weird that his heartbeat faster before he even dialed? Is it weird that his freshly showered armpits now drenched with sweat and his cheeks flushed warm and red? With a shaky breath he pressed ‘call’.  Not even a complete ring before the line was picked up.

“YOU’RE COMING” Lane squealed, possibly breaking Kenny’s eardrums, “oh my gosh! I’ll start making dinner”

Lane hung up. Kenny hadn’t said a word, but he was out of breath. Brushing his hair with one hand, he started packing his emptied school bag with a set of clothes and toiletries. He was tempted to try and stuff his sketch book and art tools with him – he took them wherever he went -  easily but decided against. He pondered whether he should get something for Lane and Lois. It didn’t seem right to saunter into their house empty- handed.

“Amma, do we have any unopened packets of Oreos at home?” he hollered as he ran down the stairs

“With you living in this house? Not a chance” Denny, leaning on the kitchen doorway, replied instead as he ripped the last unopened pack and plopped a biscuit in his mouth.