Chapters

“What are you looking at?” 

I snapped my attention back to my brother, cheeks slightly tinged red. He followed where my eyes had been laying for the past two minutes and looked back at me with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “Oh?”

“Shut up.” 

“She’s cute.”

“I know.”

“She’s older than you.”

“I know.” I glanced over at her again. Her dark brown hair was tucked behind her ear and flowing freely on the other side. She was laughing with her new roommate. Ever since she graduated, all she would talk about was college and dorming and pursuing her career as an elementary school teacher. I was happy for her, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling of abandonment. She said she’d visit every weekend and keep in touch, but I wasn't too sure she’d follow through. She was a busy girl with demanding ambition and an even more demanding schedule.

She caught my eye and stuck her tongue out at me. I returned the favor, but didn’t last long as her smile melted my entire composure. 

“What are you gonna do?” my brother asked.

I really thought about his question before I answered. I could do a number of things. I could tell her how I really felt - how even though she sees me as a little brother, I see her as so much more. I could sulk about it. I could act like I don’t care. I could ignore it all together. Or…

“I’m gonna let her live her life.” I said quietly, more to myself than to him.

“What?”

I waved it away. “Nothing.” I stole a few more seconds to look at her. Her eyes glimmered. She stood tall and confident, ready for the next chapter in her life. I had couple more years of my own to go through first. 

*          *          *

The two college girls were giggling about their overwhelmed parents when her new roommate tilted her head towards the boy she was smiling at before. “He’s cute.”

She blushed. “I know.”

“He’s a little young for you…”

“I know.”

“Are you gonna miss him?”

She glanced back at her “little brother” who wasn’t so little anymore. “Yeah. I’m gonna miss him a lot.”