“Adinah, enough,” my uncle practically hissed.

Aunt Adinah’s head shot up, and she met my eyes from across the table. “I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s okay,” I murmured.

“How was your Hanukkah?” Alex asked, interrupting us.

“It was good,” Uncle Isaac said. “Maybe next year you guys can come to New York and spend it with us.”

“We could do that,” Alex said, raising his eyebrows questioningly at me. “Maybe?”

“Maybe,” I confirmed.

“Passover?” my aunt asked, smiling gently at me. “Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long to see you.”

“Sure—” Alex began to say before I cut him off.

“Not this year,” I corrected with a small shake of my head. “I’ll still be in school.”

By the time we were done with dinner, I just wanted to crawl back into bed. It had been a long day even with my afternoon nap, and seeing my aunt and uncle was draining. I wished that I felt excited or even happy that they were there, but I didn’t. I was searching every word they said for hidden meanings.

Alex was fully capable of handling them himself, and I wasn’t really worried that they would hurt his feelings. No, it was embarrassment that had me listening to every inflection and watching every facial expression. The Evans family had welcomed me with open arms, no reservations, and I was afraid that my own family wouldn’t extend the same welcome to Alex.

“I’m very tired,” I said as Alex began to clean up the dishes. It was rude, and I’d been taught better, but I still left that sentence hanging in the air until my aunt and uncle understood my meaning.

“We should be getting back to the hotel,” my uncle said to my aunt finally, while she looked at me in surprise.

“Sleep well,” my uncle said, kissing my head. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

My aunt was next, and she held me for a long time before speaking. “Sometimes I’m not very good at saying the right thing,” she whispered. “But I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” I replied as I pulled away.

I turned to walk toward the bedroom, then paused.

“Good night, Alex,” I said softly.

“I’ll be right behind you,” he said, looking over his shoulder as I walked past him. “Just going to finish up here.”

I nodded and let my hand touch his back in solidarity, just for a second.

I stripped to my underwear and got into bed, forgoing my nighttime routine. Who cared if my teeth were unbrushed or my face unwashed? I was too tired for it to bother me.

As I settled into bed, I heard Alex and my aunt and uncle talking. I froze when I heard my name, barely breathing as they discussed me as if I were a child.

Chapter 17

Alex