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I had been told Peter wasn’t always a shy boy. In fact, Isabella had told me there was a time when he was the most annoying brother someone could have. That wasn’t the case now though. Whether it was an awkward young man conforming to his position or a simple case of growing up I couldn’t tell but I do know he was decidedly different when I saw him that summer. It seemed that whatever was left of the kid with a crush had died in the letter I kept at the bottom of my bag.  

We hadn’t heard from Isabella, and I didn’t keep up with Peter at all, so it was a surprise when he walked into the café. He still had the same beach blonde hair that always seemed to have been brushed a week ago. He almost seemed scared by the welcome bells as if he didn’t know what he was going to find. He couldn’t have known I worked here though. It wasn’t me he was afraid of finding. Still, when our eyes met, I saw a moment of hesitation before he broke into his trademark grin. I had never seen a situation where that grin didn’t make an appearance.

“Peter!” I exclaimed. After all, I knew this could get really awkward, really quickly. “What brings you back?”. “Oh my God, it’s Mary Wiess!” he said with mildly convincing excitement. “How on earth did you end up here again?” We continued the obligatory small talk until a question about Isabella seemed to stop him in his tracks. “No yeah she’s doing well” was the best he could manage. “She’s not here with us this week though. I guess something important came up.” It was the first real pain I had ever seen in his eyes. He must have noticed my concern because he suddenly had an important appointment and was gone without even ordering a coffee.

I assumed that would be the last time I would see Peter. Afterall now that he knew where I worked, he would certainly find some other café. One where a simple nod would be a sufficient conversation with the barista. But I did wonder why he had shut down so fast upon the mention of Isabella. They had never been the closest siblings, but I hadn’t ever seen them fighting either. I suppose it had been a few years. They were verry different people. Peter always seemed to know exactly where he was going but I had never once seen him express an emotion that felt genuine. Maybe he had just moved on. Even perfect families grow distant with time, I guess.