My blood approves

“Considering this isn’t the first time you’ve painted my nails, I probably should’ve figure out sooner that you were gay,” I teased him. Milo had been painting my nails for as long as he could paint anything. When I really looked back at life with him, there were a lot of really obvious hints that I should’ve picked up on.

“Probably,” he agreed. He was pressing hard on my nails with the cotton balls to get off the remainders of my chipped nail polish. “You really need to stop biting your nails. It’s a horrible habit.”

After he finished painting my nails, he sat with me on the couch. He talked a little bit about how much he liked Mae and everybody, and that he hoped that I wouldn’t mind if he went back over there again. Honestly, I didn’t mind at all. It was nice being able to be around him and Jack at the same time. Then he pointed out that he’d never met Peter, and we both thought that was strange.

He hadn’t come down from his room all night, and Mae hadn’t given Milo a tour of the upstairs. Like they were purposely trying to keep them apart. Then my heart pounded painfully when I realized that Peter might actually be dangerous, and maybe it wasn’t the safest place for Milo to be hanging out. I considered saying something to that effect when my phone rang.

“Hey, sorry, I didn’t call you sooner,” Jack said when I arrived. Just hearing his voice made me elated, but then I realized there was a tightness to it.

Something was bothering him. “I ended up having a really late night last night, so I just woke up.”

“Sorry. I hope none of its my fault.” But I knew it was my fault. I had done something wrong last night.

“No, it’s not,” Jack reassured me warmly. “It was just … a little family crisis, I guess.”

“What happened?” Anxiety gripped me, and Milo shot me a confused, concerned look, but I just shook my head at him. I couldn’t explain it now, and maybe not ever.

“Um… I’ll tell you when I pick you up, okay? Will you be ready soon?” He was definitely keeping something from me.

“I’m ready now.” I was really glad that I had gotten up and gotten ready before he called. If I had heard this when I first woke up, I would’ve rushed to his house in last night’s clothes with greasy hair.

“Good. I’ll be there soon.” He hung up, probably to prevent me from asking more questions, so I flipped my phone shut.

“What happened?” Milo’s worried expression mirrored my own, but I was too frazzled to really answer him. Hurriedly, I slipped on shoes and grabbed my dark blue cardigan to throw on. “Alice?”

“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me.” Why did I have to feel like crying? I swear, I didn’t really cry this much. Most of the time, I was a really sane, normal person. But something about Jack and Peter made me want to burst into tears all the time. My emotions just seemed to be on overdrive. It was like I had lived my whole life using just the bare minimum, and now this family had switched them into max and I couldn’t get a handle on them.

“Is everyone okay?” Milo leaned over the back of the couch, watching me rush about. I probably had everything I needed, but I kept feeling like I was forgetting something, then running back to make sure I had it.

“I don’t know, Milo!” I snapped. “He didn’t tell me anything!”

“Sorry.” He sounded hurt, and I wanted to apologize, but I didn’t have time. Jack would be here “soon,” which could mean anywhere from five seconds to fifteen minutes in his time. “Do you want me to come with?”

“Not today.” I finally managed an apologetic smile, and he slumped down in the couch. “Another time, I promise. Just… not today, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just go.”

“Sorry. I’ll talk to you later.” And with that, I was out the door. I know I should’ve said more, but I couldn’t even wait for the elevator today. I pushed the call button, and when the doors didn’t immediately open, I ran down the stairs. It didn’t feel right to sit still anyway. My mind was reeling about the possibilities of what a family crisis could mean for them.

Even in the rush I had been in, Jack had still managed to beat me outside.

He’d driven the Jeep, and I practically dove into it. Then I looked at him expectantly, and he just smiled grimly at me.

“What happened?” I demanded as we pulled away from my apartment building.

“And a ‘how do you do’ to you too,” Jack replied dryly.

“Jack!”

“Sorry.” He stared out straight ahead but kept taking sidelong glances at me. “So… last night, after you left… Peter left.”

“What do you mean ‘left?’” My heart had already started pounding and my stomach twisted in knots, and Jack just groaned. “Jack? Where’d he go?

Why’d he leave? Because of me?”

“You have to calm down,” Jack sighed. “This is why I didn’t do it over the phone, but maybe I should’ve.” Then he looked at me somberly, his eyes pleading with me. “Please calm down.”

“I will if you just tell me what’s going on!” Just the same, I tried to slow my breathing and the frantic beating of my heart.