Well, I find the silence awkward. Gray is just standing a few feet away, casually sipping like he’s posing for La Croix’s spring marketing campaign.

“Hey.” I give my brother a hug and am enveloped by the scent of bergamot. Noah has used the same brand of aftershave ever since he was old enough to. Probably before then, actually.

Noah glances between me and Gray, likely wondering why we’re standing next to each other. I know Noah wasn’t oblivious to my South Carolina-sized crush on the boy next door, growing up—just was nice enough not to say anything. He knew he had nothing to worry about when it came to his best friend and me.

“You getting settled into the new place okay?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I reply. “You and Emmett were lifesavers. I owe you each a beer. Or six.”

Noah smiles. He and his friend Emmett Baker helped me and Sloane move a seemingly endless stream of boxes into our new place last week with minimal grumbling. Despite the fact that she and I each lived in tiny places with multiple roommates in New York and Boston, respectively, Sloane and I managed to accumulate a surprising amount of stuff.

“Did you remember to get the cakes?”

Noah snaps his fingers. “Shit. I knew there was—” He laughs at the horrified expression I feel my face twist into. “Kidding. Yeah, I got them.”

I punch his shoulder and have to hide my grimace as my fist encounters solid muscle. Unlike me, my brother works out on a regular basis.

“I’m getting food,” Gray announces abruptly before shoving off the railing and heading for the buffet.

I’m grateful I no longer need to act like I forgot he was standing nearby. I’m less enthused about how his departure is setting me up for a healthy helping of some brotherly concern.

As soon as Gray is gone, Noah’s gaze turns worried.

Called it.

“You sure you’re doing okay, Evie?”

“Yes,” I state emphatically. I soften my voice when he continues to stare at me with obvious uncertainty. “I’m fine, Noah. Really.”

“It’s a lot. The move, the new job, Logan…” Noah scrutinizes me closely as he lists each life change off, lingering on the last one.

I sigh in response. Noah is taking my breakup with Logan Fitzgerald harder than I am. I ended our ten-month relationship a week before we graduated. Logan had sat beside me on the first day of orientation; we became fast friends from there. I knew he wanted more than platonic for a long time before I gave it a shot. Just like I knew he wanted to stay in Boston for his residency, and I knew I wanted to return to Charleston. A long-distance relationship with a guy who had always felt more like a friend wasn’t appealing to me.