"Put it away. Eyes on whoever’s talking, and if he speaks to you, don't say more than you have to."

As Theo's family members sat down around the table, his mother's whisper reached his ear under their lively voices.

Though being told to put his phone away like an unruly child wasn't exactly pleasant, Audrey only spoke out of love and concern. He knew that.

“Theodore.” A man’s voice boomed over the others, quieting the whole room. His hair was slick and short. A deep brown that could easily be mistaken for black if you never got close enough to check. Just like Theo.

Beads of sweat gathered on his skin.

“Why don’t you sit next to me?” He spoke again, a thin smile on his lips. It never quite reached his eyes, but their grandparents and aunts were none the wiser. It was no use saying no to the hulking shape that was his brother. Silas.

“Sure…”

Satisfied, his gaze finally left Theo once he sat down

The others were speaking amongst themselves again as they shared the food bowls.

Even though his mother was sitting next to him and he only had to gather food for his plate, there was an uncomfortable stuffiness in the air that he needed to contend with.

"So, Theodore, now that Silas hasn't brought a new girlfriend to our reunion for once, isn't it finally your turn?" One of Theo's aunts raised her glass, her eyes intently on him.

A shiver ran down Theo's spine. But before he could respond, Silas cut him off.

"Hey, now. You didn’t have to bring that up. And there’s no need to rush him; it’ll come eventually.”

What Theo would normally have considered a nice gesture couldn’t be further from it. He had known Silas his entire life. This was his older brother, after all. There was no reason to distract them from the question other than to get far away from what Silas considered an ‘uncomfortable’ sexual orientation. Wouldn’t want to risk Theo bringing it up.

It took their aunt a second to conjure up her words. That didn’t sit well with her. Talking for others wasn’t exactly something you’d put past him, though.

“Ah, I suppose you’re right. Putting your career first is a very valid choice too.”

Theo’s knife was slipping from between his fingers. He clutched it with a shaky grip, turning his attention to the candle standing straight ahead on the table when Silas’s gaze returned to him.

“A very good point. How’s that going, by the way? Still working at that little gas station?”

Oh, how Theo wished he could give him some snarky comeback. But every part of him was fighting against it. Why was it so damn hard?

"Of course. It's a nice, quiet place."

"Uh-huh. Right. Must get pretty lonely out there. I still wonder why you chose to work so far from the city."

"Devin, he—"

"Actually… I don't really care."

Everyone else had gone silent again. Theo's mother shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Silas… Pass the salad bowl, please."

He squinted at her, but eventually obliged. Theo was getting tired of Audrey's few light attempts to deal with his brother. When was she going to decide to actually parent him? It was frustrating, yet he couldn't help but blame himself too. It shouldn't be that hard to stand up for yourself, even just a little bit. Right?

As dinner continued, some small talk started cropping up here and there. Theo kept debating over and over in his head whether staying at the table was worth it anymore. He needed air.

At the same time, drawing attention to himself by getting up was the last thing he wanted. So, he'd have to survive another grueling hour at the very least.

Salvation.

"It'll take a bit to get the dessert ready, so why don't we take a break?" Audrey smiled as she got up from her chair.

Everyone followed suit, spreading out into the living room. Theo's grandparents sat down by the television; one of his aunts went out for some fresh air; and his mother headed to the kitchen. Silas was still sitting down across from Theo's other aunt, but neither of them said a word.

Theo couldn’t stay there any longer. He was headed in the exact opposite direction of the others; the basement.

So unfamiliar. Yet, its structure still brought him some nostalgia. Though his former bedroom was only used for storage purposes now, he couldn't forget everything that had happened here.

All the ways Silas wanted to prove he knew better. The guys Theo only brought here to quell the way his family made him feel. And the eventual consequences of that.

"Reminiscing? I can only hope you remember the useful things I taught you.”

The arrogant voice brought Theo back to reality.

"I… No… I don't remember much."

Theo tried his best to ease the tension Silas was purposefully creating.

"Oh, please. Stop acting so damn coy. It’s sickening."

"This is ridiculous…"

Silas lit up.

"What's ridiculous is the absolute state you’re in."

Theo took a step away from him. He was just trying to get a favorable reaction out of him now.

"I understand that you're worried, but I'm fine." He was trembling slightly. 

Silas furrowed his brows, clearly not satisfied.

"You fu—"

"Boys. Dessert's ready." Audrey appeared from the hole leading into the basement. Though she addressed both, her glare remained locked on Silas.

"Okay. Thank you." There was no joy behind those words.

With a sigh, he pushed past her and disappeared up the stairs.

Now that it was just Theo and his mother, the silence hung even heavier. There was no tension, just… A hollow feeling.

"I'm sure what you made is tasty, but… I think I'm going to go."

"You know what they're going to think."

"Yes. So, can I leave?"

"Of course. Want to leave through here instead of the front door? I’ll get your jacket for you."

"No, it's fine. I'll say goodbye."

Her mouth was stretched in a thin line. She wanted to interject but didn't.

"Alright."

As they returned to the living room, the voices of her guests grew louder. Two of them stood out among the others. They came from Theo's grandfather and Silas.

It became more clear what they were discussing the closer Audrey and Theo got, and unsurprisingly, they were as usual agreeing on some tired old opinions every other family member had probably gotten sick of by now. Their need to show off what great and correct men they were was apparently evergreen. It always included some outdated traits and stereotypes.

"Sorry everyone, but I have to get going. It’s been fun, though."

Silas’s cold eyes landed on him. Surprisingly, he didn't throw in a stray comment this time.

The others, however, all gave their polite goodbyes as Theo left for the main entrance. He grabbed his jacket off the coat rack and headed outside.

There was no doubt they’d be expressing uncalled-for opinions of him with each other afterward, but he’d much rather let that play out than stay there.

Briar was waiting patiently for his owner, after all. At least, as much as a cat could.

The sun shone through the store's low front windows, its glaring strays going right for Theo’s eyes.

He stood silently behind the store’s counter, unbothered.

That meant his shift was almost over.

"You've been moping all day, Theo. What's going on?"

A man with auburn hair stepped out from the doorway leading to the storage area. He carried a box of food products in his arms.

"Just family stuff. Dinner went as well as you would expect. I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it by now." Theo leaned on his elbows, struggling to hold his head up.

His good friend and coworker Devin slipped past him, heading for the shelves stocked with snacks, drinks, and everyday necessities.

"I would say yes, but I kind of enjoy seeing the irritated side of you. That doesn't happen nearly enough."

Theo chuckled. His eyes darted to the door as a bell noise rang above it. Their new customer pushed it open with haste and went right in Devin's direction.

The man said nothing as he yanked a bag off the shelf he stood in front of. Devin took a step back in surprise, making eye contact with Theo at that moment.

He had many times before described exactly how he felt in those scenarios to Theo. He saw everything he needed in that look.

Coming up to the counter, the guy glared at him as he slammed a few coins down on the wooden surface.

Theo placed them in the cash register, giving him a barely noticeable smile.

"Thank you. Need anything else?"

"Does it fucking look like I do?"

Devin squinted, his gaze directed solely at Theo. But he didn't know what to do. What it meant.

"Uh, no, sorry."

With a huff, he turned around and left the two in silence.

"Well, if that wasn't some unnecessary aggression,"

Perhaps as a form of coping mechanism; all Theo did was laugh nervously.

He looked out the front door. A pair of backlit but familiar dark shapes came into view.

"We're done for today."

Following Theo's gaze, Devin let out a relieved sigh.

"Great." He passed the counter and slipped into the back area.

As the bell rang once again, a man and a woman entered the store.

"Hi, guys.”

But, right as the two made it to the table, they walked past him without a word. The man only spared him one glance, but the woman at least waved in his direction.

Theo never really could figure those two out. And considering they didn’t bother with him, that probably wasn't going to happen any time soon.

They disappeared into the back.

After getting a moment to gather himself, Theo followed in after them. It was finally time to head home; to the city.

A golden glow traced the edge of Theo's car as it stood by itself in the parking lot. An asphalted area surrounded by trees of mostly the pine variety.

He took in the air around him, which carried a mix of fresh gasoline and a hint of warm, baked goods coming from the store he just left.

"Want to go to the bar?" Devin's voice came from behind him.

It would be nice to wind down with him.

"Oh, absolutely. I could use that. I gotta stop by at home to feed Briar, though."

“I’ll come with.”

Devin opened the door of Theo’s car and got into the passenger seat.

As Theo joined his friend and started it up, he gave him a smug side glance.

"One of these days I’m going to be passed for some reason when we have to drive, and you'll wish you had a driver's license."

"Hah. I'll manage the embarrassment of dragging you into a bus. Thank you very much."

"Will you?"

Though Theo joked, there was a certain sincerity to his tone that made Devin scrunch up his nose.

“…I miss Briar."

It was better to leave this alone.