“It sure looks like something,” he exclaimed, spinning and getting within a foot of Tyler’s face. His eyes were wide and wild, and his breathing was growing labored, like he was preparing for a fight.
“Seriously, Nick,” Tyler said.
“I don’t want to hear it from you,” Nick said, sticking a finger in Tyler’s face and waggling it. Then he spun to where I was now standing at the table, the wineglass still in my hand, though I was gripping it so hard I half expected the stem to shatter. “Becca? What the fuck?”
“It’s nothing Nick,” I stumbled out, my voice meek. “There’s nothing going on here. I just came over to talk.”
“Talk? Talk about what?” Nick bellowed.
“If you’d calm down, we would tell you,” Tyler said, sounding like he was trying to be nonchalant.
“You shut up,” he said and turned back to me. “Talk about what, Becca?”
“We’ve just been helping each other out with some stuff,” Tyler interjected again.
He turned slowly, his eyes bulging with anger as they fell on him.
“Helping,” he said, spitting the word out like a curse, “each other out with what stuff?”
He was beyond angry. I had only seen him this upset a few times in our lives, and it had never been at me. Even though he was smaller than Tyler was, I was still a bit apprehensive that he would do something stupid and try to swing on him or something, and Tyler might not see it coming. I wanted to calm him down, but I had no idea how. Everything we said only seemed to make him angrier.
“Nick, calm down,” I said, my voice suddenly a bit stronger, trying to maintain cool and calm in the face of my angry brother. I straightened up and walked around the table, getting closer to my brother.
“I think,” Nick said, turning back to me, barely containing the rage in his voice, “that you need to get your shit and come home with me. Right now.”
I blinked a few times at him, turning my head to one side. “Excuse me?”
“Seriously, Becca. Let’s go,” he said.
“You do realize,” I said, anger coursing through me now, “that I am almost thirty years old.” Nick sighed and hung his head exasperatedly. He lifted it again and opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “When I moved in with you, the reason I did it was because I was tired of being parented, even though I was an adult. And here you go, trying to control my life, too. I left your house because you were acting just like them, and I don’t need you barging in here and doing it, either.”
“You certainly seem to need someone to tell you what the hell to do,” he yelled. “I don’t give a crap where you go or who you go with. Just not here.”
“Not here?” Tyler said, stepping closer to him. “Why? What’s so wrong with me?”
“Get out of my face, Tyler. I can’t believe you would have the balls to act offended right now,” Nick said.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Tyler shouted. “You just barged into my house and started accusing me of things, and now insinuated that somehow I wasn’t worthy of spending time with your adult sister? Who can make her own damn decisions about who she wants to spend time with, by the way.”
“You fucking know better!” Nick shouted. “If you had a sister, I would never do something like this.”
“Like what? Have dinner? Talk like adults?” I shouted back at him. “You do not get to police my life, Nick.”
“Becca, I swear to God, get your shit and let’s go,” Nick spat. “This is Tyler. My supposed best friend. What are you thinking?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, offended.
“You know what I mean,” he said, quieter.
“No,” I demanded, the anger building up inside me along with the hurt at a level I hadn’t felt in a long time. “Explain it to me.”
Nick rolled his eyes and threw back his head dramatically before sighing heavily. “This,” he said, gesturing at the table. “If you want to get over your ex by getting under somebody else, fine, that’s your business, but you chose my best friend?”
“Get out,” Tyler said from behind him. He didn’t shout it. He didn’t bellow. But the words cut through the air and the noise and the music like a chef’s knife. Everyone froze, holding their positions for just a moment like we were a still-life painting, and then Nick turned on his heel and walked to the door. He snatched it open and looked back over his shoulder at both of us.
“You both should be ashamed of yourselves,” he said and slammed the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, I collapsed into the chair I was nearest. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes, but I was too angry to cry. Instead, I blew the candles out and stewed. I shook with shock and anger when there was another knock at the door. Tyler swung it open, expecting to see Nick there, and instead a suddenly terrified delivery kid stood on the step. Tyler bowed his head and shook it, then held out his hand for the bag of food, took it, and tipped the driver before shutting the door.