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“Where are you headed?” I check the time on my phone. I only have about an hour now until I need to be at the venue for sound check.
“To your hotel,” she answers matter-of-factly.
My head shoots back, bumping into the headboard, and I grimace at the sharp pain. “What?” I ask, even though I heard her clearly.
“I’m about two minutes away from your hotel. Want to meet me down in the lobby or should I come straight up to your room?”
My mouth opens and closes, no words coming out as my mind races to catch up.
What the hell is she doing in Texas?
“I wanted to come see you, you idiot,” Jane responds and I realize I must’ve said that last part out loud. “So, lobby or room?” she repeats.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed, sweeping the room for my pair of jeans I shucked off earlier before climbing in for a nap. “I’ll meet you down in the lobby. Let me throw pants on and I’ll be down.”
“Ugh, I hope you’d put on pants to greet me. See you soon.” She ends the call before I can respond.
Surprise aside, excitement starts to fill me at the anticipation of Jane being here. I haven’t seen her since Christmas, which for some siblings might not seem like a long time. But for us, growing up, we never spent a day apart until Whisper Me Nothings pulled me to L.A., and law school pulled her to Massachusetts. Anytime we get to see each other, we want to make the most of it.
I pull my jeans on and throw a t-shirt over my head, running my hands through my hair. Taking a look in the mirror, I cringe a bit, the wavy strands having taken on a life of their own while I laid in bed. I throw on a pair of sunglasses, which I know make me look like a tool wearing them inside, but so far, I haven’t been recognized at the hotel yet and I’d like to keep it that way.
Grabbing a room key and I’m out the door heading down to greet her. I have the elevator to myself the entire ride and I enjoy the brief calmness of the music floating overhead.
The doors ding as they open, spilling me into the lobby and my eyes immediately find Jane, holding her long, black hair off of her neck with one hand and fanning herself with the other. She spots me as I’m making my way over to her and she shakes her hand in an excited wave, but otherwise doesn’t do anything else to draw attention to our interaction.
She instead scoops up her weekender bag, the hot pink matching perfectly with the color of her wedges and meets me across the lobby in a big hug.
“I missed you, big brother,” she says into my shoulder, letting her weight sink into my embrace.
I wrap my arms around her back, squeezing her a little at her words. “I missed you too, little sister.” Little sister by only four minutes, but still.
She pulls back, keeping her hands on my shoulders as she looks me over with green eyes that match my own, only hers have a sharper edge to them, used to sizing people up in court and analyzing every word spoken to her. With her heels, she’s just about my height. Even without them, she’s tall, standing at about 5’11”.
“You look like a prick,” she teases, flicking my sunglasses with a perfectly painted nail.
“Good to see you too,” I answer, sarcasm dripping but a smile on my face. With a quick glance around the relatively empty lobby, I don’t see anyone watching us, so I grab the bag from her shoulder and steer her over to the elevator, taking us up to my room.
I open the door and hold it wide, allowing Jane to enter first and follow in behind her.
“You think you’d be staying in suites by now,” she jokes, surveying the basic but nice room.
“Some places we do, but just the standard for this one.” I plop her bag next to the desk and settle into the chair next to it while Jane flops backward on my bed, letting out a long sigh.
“You know I love a good surprise, but wanna tell me what you’re doing here in the middle of the semester?” I fold my hands across my stomach, leaning back in the chair as much as possible without tipping it over.
Jane groans and sits up, leaning back on her hands, and when she meets my eyes again, I can see the exhaustion settled deep into them. The usual spark has dimmed, replaced by dark circles that she’s tried and failed to hide with makeup.
“I just needed a break,” she says.
“That’s not like you,” I reply. My sister is usually full steam ahead at all times, often pulling all-nighters studying or working, pausing only to re-caffeinate and change her clothes.
“I know…” she trails off and ducks her head to her chest, shoulders slumped in defeat and exhaustion.
“Hey, hey, hey.” I’m up and crossing the room, pulling her into my arms as I sit next to her. “If anyone deserves a break, it’s you.”
She relaxes into my hold and nods her head silently. We sit there for a few moments, relishing in the safe embrace that only someone who has existed by your side since day one can give.
Jane pulls out of my arms and straightens her spine, lifting her chin high and wiping the dampness from under her eyes. “I only have twenty-four hours here before I’m on a plane back to Boston, so I want to make the most of it,” she says, her tone resolute. “After your show, we’re going out.”
