Nick grabbed his baseball hat and flipped it around so it was facing the right direction. The move shaded his eyes, and I mourned the loss of being able to see them clearly.
“Where did you grow up?” he asked.
Easy enough. “The Valley. You?”
“Orange County.”
I nodded, but then wanted more specifics. “Where in Orange County?”
“Laguna Beach. Where in the Valley?”
“Studio City. The nice part.”
He smiled. “Parents still married?”
“Yep. Yours?” I had no idea why, but I figured Nick would say his were divorced.
“Yep.”
“I think we’re like a rare breed or something,” I said, keeping my tone light. Very few people I knew had parents who were still together.
“Tell me about it. But their relationship is so fucked. I almost wish they’d split up.”
“Really?” I thought about asking more, telling him to give me reasons and examples, but it seemed too personal a topic to press, so I added a little bit about my own. “Not mine. They’re ridiculously in love, and it’s gross. And sweet. But mostly gross.”
“Siblings?”
“Nope, you?”
“Two brothers. Older,” he explained before I could ask.
“How much older?” I cocked my head to the side as he grinned.
“Ryan and Frank are eight and ten years older than I am, so I don’t see them as much as I’d like. I was definitely an accident.” Nick snagged one of my chips and tossed it into his mouth, chewing while I processed his words.
“I always wanted an older brother,” I confessed, feeling silly.
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Not a sister?”
I shook my head sharply. “No. I wanted to be the younger sister. It always seemed cool to have an older brother watching out for you. You know, beating up the guys who tried to date you, and stuff like that.”
“You want someone to beat me up?”
Nick’s mock hurt made the already gooey parts of me melt even further.
I laughed. “I just want him to give you a hard time.”
“Cruel. Any pets?”
“One dog and three fish,” I said with a big smile. I loved those stupid fish.
“Fish? Really?”
I punched his shoulder. “Hey, I won them at the carnival and they’re still alive. That was six years ago, and that’s a major accomplishment.”
He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. “That is a major accomplishment. I think those things are meant to die the second you bring them home.”
“Well, Ron, Snape, and Harry are never dying,” I said over his laughter as he repeated the names of my goldfish. “Shut up, Nick. Stop laughing at me.”