Abelhinha

Brooke POV

I'm preparing my breakfast when a moist snout presses against the back of my knee, catching my attention. I look down to find a pair of green eyes, so light they almost seem to reflect the gray of the dog's fur, staring up at me.

"Good morning, Apollo." I pat his ears, stepping away from the counter to grab his food from the pantry. "You slept a lot today, didn't you? Your brothers already came by to eat," I joke as I fill his bowl. As if summoned by the sound, Cerberus and Banguela appear in the kitchen.

"You've already eaten," I scold them, who sit at my feet and look up with what I swear is a sad expression.

"Alright, alright!" I raise my hands in surrender and go back to the pantry to grab a treat for each of them. "If you tell anyone, we three will be in trouble," I whisper and get a lick from Cerberus on my hand.

I wash my hands and return to cutting my papaya and melon. I check the time on my phone and start brewing a fresh pot of coffee. The guys have a coffee maker that makes both filter coffee and the fancier kind, with a grinder and one of those milk frothers like at Starbucks, which of course I don’t know how to use. Apparently, only Raffi knows how, but he never wakes up before I leave for work.

I place my fruits on the granite kitchen counter and pour myself a cup, then fill a second one, leaving it on the counter.

I nearly choke on a juicy piece of melon as Seth enters the kitchen, sweat dripping down his bare torso, highlighting every muscle in his abdomen. His light hair is plastered to his forehead, and he combs it back with his hand as he approaches. Every day, I'm greeted with some version of this same image, but I still haven’t gotten used to it, and to be honest, I doubt I ever will.

"Good morning," he greets me with a smile, forming a dimple on each cheek when he notices the drink waiting for him. "Thanks." He raises the cup in gratitude and takes a sip.

He notices the dogs surrounding me and raises an eyebrow.

"You didn’t feed Banguela, did you? He already ate when we got back from the run."

I divert my attention to my plate, letting my hair cover my face like a curtain.

"Of course not, I only fed his siblings," I lie, stuffing my mouth with papaya.

"Brooke, seriously, I know you feel sorry for him, but he’s not starving," he complains. "And you, you sneaky bastard," he says, pointing at the pitbull. "Don’t think I don’t see you taking advantage of her."

"He’s always running with you or in the yard; I’m sure a little extra food won’t hurt," I say, and he looks up at me.

"At least did you make him wait to eat?"

"What classes do you have today?" I change the subject shamelessly, and he shakes his head.

"Same as always. Fight classes." He checks his phone. "It’s almost time for me to leave. Want a ride today?"

"No need, the classes end in the middle of the afternoon, and if I go with you, I'll need to get an Uber home." Home. The adjustment period has been zero; I moved in less than a week ago and already feel at ease, no longer thinking of this as their home but ours. “It’s temporary, Brooke,” I remind myself again; I can’t get too comfortable.

"I can pick you up; I'll be at Tristan’s tattoo studio. Between jobs, I can swing by and get you." He shrugs, as if it’s no big deal.

"That’s very thoughtful of you, but you don’t need to worry." My phone vibrates on the table, catching my attention. I check the notification and see a message from Liv. "Especially since I'll be anxious if you’re delayed or if something comes up," I add.

"Did the deceased make contact?" Seth asks, nodding toward my phone as I look at him.

"No," I say with a sigh. It's not like I want to talk to Patrick, but after four years, I thought he might at least try.

"He’s not worth a second of your time, Abelhinha," Seth says, and I smile at the nickname.

When we first met, the first time he came on vacation with Kyle to Palo Alto, I was still in high school, and Seth just called me by my name. It wasn’t until they joined the special operations unit and returned from their first mission in the Middle East that I got the nickname.

"I was always sitting on the porch waiting for his arrival, and I ran to Kyle’s house as soon as the car parked. Ky hugged me so tightly it felt like he might break my ribs, Raffi hugged me and kissed my cheek, messing up my hair. Seth, however, had his arm in a sling and a haunted look. Before I could throw my arms around him, he interrupted me, raising a hand and nodding his head in greeting before heading to my friend’s house without a single word.

‘Don’t take it personally, Brooke, Kandahar was… just give him time,’ Kyle said, staring at the door Seth had gone through.

That was when I noticed they were different, all of them were rougher, as if what they went through there had taken a part of them. Even Raffi seemed to carry a weight on his shoulders; all three of them had changed their posture.

‘What happened?’ I asked.

‘Nothing you need to worry about, Sunshine.’

‘We’re back, and that’s all you need to know. Come on, did your mom make that apple pie, babygirl?’ Raffi changed the subject.

During that first week, whenever I was with them, Seth stayed in a corner, avoiding leaving the house. He spent all day sitting in the basement game chair, with a lost and distant look or focused on some game. He didn’t talk or interact with us, but my vacation was ending, and seeing him like that was agonizing. A week was enough time, right?

‘The day is nice; should we go to the park or the arcade?’ I said, approaching Seth, who didn’t even look away from the fighting game. ‘Maybe have a picnic,’ I suggested. ‘Or we could go to the movies, what do you think, Seth?’

I walked in front of the TV, but he continued pressing the buttons as if I weren’t there. Kyle gave me a disapproving look and shook his head, signaling for me to leave.

‘How about we go to the beach?’ I tried again, ignoring my friend.

‘Stop buzzing in my ear, Abelhinha,’ Seth complained in his hoarse voice, waving his uncasted arm in my direction, specifically at my yellow and black striped shirt. I stopped instantly, smiling at finally having elicited a reaction. His mouth curved slightly in response, and I was satisfied, leaving him in peace."

I shake my head, brushing away the memory with a smile, and turn my face towards Seth. Sometimes, I still see that same haunted look in his expression, but after that day, he slowly began to return to his normal state.

"I know he’s not," I say. "But, I don’t know."

My alarm goes off, saving me from having to explain the conflicting feeling.

"Time to go," I announce.

"You and your thirty-five alarms," Seth mocks as I place my plate and cup in the dishwasher.

"Not everyone can have military precision without them," I say, giving him a light smack on the shoulder. "And it’s only four."

"Three more than necessary," he shouts behind me, and I can hear the smile in his voice.

"Good luck today," Kyle says as he passes by me while I’m grabbing my bag by the front door.

"Same to you guys. Make the world safer, even at night."

***