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By the time Edgar decided he should head home, the street lights were already starting to shut off. He’d promised his brother to be home before they did, but looks like that won’t be happening.
He’s a block away from his house by the time it starts to rain, and about half a block away before it starts to downpour. Unfortunately for him, he only brought a thin hoodie with him, so by the time he finally reached the front porch it’s almost competely soaked through.
He bangs in the door and stands there for a minute. He can see the light on in the living room through the blinds, so he knows Julien is still awake.
He hears a little click from the lock and the door opens, revealing his brother on the other side.
”Took you long enough, it’s already past midnight.”
“My bad, I just got caught up. Y’know how it is.”
”Sure I do.”
”Whats that ‘sposed to mean?”
”Nothing, Edgar, just get in the house, you’re gonna catch a cold if you stay out here all wet and freezing for another minute.”
”Yeah, yeah, yeah…”
The dramatic change in temperature is almost jarring as Edgar enters the house. He kicks his shoes off as soon as he gets inside, knowing how much his brother hates it when he wears them in the house, especially after it rains since they get all muddy.
As he takes his hoodie off and hangs it on the coat rack, he looks over at his brother, who is sitting back on the couch with his nose in a book.
“You light a candle in here or sumthin’? It smells like vanilla.”
”Yes, I was hoping it would cover the smell of wet dog when you got home.”
Julien replies without bothering to spare a glance Edgar’s way. That annoys Edgar more than the comment.
“Yeah whatever…”
He mumbles, annoyed, and Julien doesn’t bother to dignify it with a response. Edgar walks over and takes a seat on the edge of the coffee table, looking curiously at his brother from over his shoulder.
“Y’know, sometimes I wonder.”
He stands up and walks over to were his brother is sitting on the couch. Julien finally puts his book down on the coffee table, lifting his arms out of the way for Edgar to lay in his lap, head resting against the arm rest. Once Edgar gets comfortable, he looks up at Julien, and Julien looks down at him.
“Wonder what?”
”What you do when I’m gone.”
”The same things I do when you’re here.”
”Really?”
”Yes, really. I promise you aren’t missing out on much.”
Edgar takes a minute to process that before continuing with his questions
”You don’t have, like, friends over, or something?”
”I find friends that having friends around usually isn’t worth it. They just annoy me most of the time.”
“So you’re like, a loser?”
”I’m not a loser, I could make friends if I really wanted to. I just- “
Julien sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out what to say
“I could make friends if I wanted to, but I find it to be more trouble than its worth most of the time, because I can only stand being around people for so long, and that offends people when I tell them. I don’t know why. And we don’t usually have much in common, either. Maybe on the surface we do, for example- maybe we both like reading. But it’s not the same because we don’t enjoy it in the same way or for the same reason, and I just don’t quite understand them and their thought process or why they do things the way they do them. And they feel the same way about me. So it’s usually just an inconvenience, really.”
”Huh. What about like, a girl or something? Or maybe… a boy?”
“I’m not interested in finding a romantic partner right now.”
”Are you even interested in anything ever?”
”I’ll tell you what I’m interested in, and that’s keeping a stable job so I can support the two of us.”
”I guess, but… doesn’t it get lonely?”
”No.”
”How?”
”Because I have you.”
”But I’m usually not even around?”
”Yes, and thats keeping gives me plently of time to be by myself and prepare to deal with you again.”
”Oh.”
”Not that I usually need it when it comes to you. I enjoy being around you, believe it or not. I can understand your thought process and why you do the things you do the way you do them, mostly because I’ve known you since you were born, and that makes me less aggrivated with you than I get with other people. And I think we have a sort of mutual understanding, even if we do fight. I find you to be good company.”
“Huh… Really?”
”Really.”
”…Well, I find you to be good company, too.”
”I appreciate that. Now, what is it that you do when you’re not around?”
”Eh, I dunno… I usually just kind of hang around wherever… Theres this one band, or, at least they’re trying to be one, and they play out of this garage on Luke Ave, and I like to stop by and listen to them play.”
”Interesting. And they’re good?”
”They’re pretty terrible, actually, but I guess it’s apart of their charm, and why I keep coming back.”
”Maybe that’s why I enjoy having you around.”
”Hey! I’m not terrible!”
”That’s not quite what I meant.”
”What did you mean then???”
”Nothing, Edgar. Anyway, it’s already almost 2 in the morning, go get ready for bed.”
”Alright…”
Edgar sits up and gives his brother a hug, and Julien returns it. He stands up to go to the bathroom and get changed and brush his teeth, but before he does he calls back,
”Love you, Jules!”
”I love you too, Eddie. Goodnight.”