Page 57 of Intermission

“Well, are you being, you know, um...” He gives a deep, staccato grunt. “I mean, he doesn’t pressure you to, well, engage in—”

Clearing his throat, Ryan curls his fingers around my elbow, steers me out of the kitchen, down the short hall, and into the laundry room, where he shuts the door.

“Faith.” He turns the full force of his frown on me. “Are you sexually active?”

“What?” My mouth drops open. “No!” I hiss, wrinkling up my nose. “I cannotbelieveyou just asked me that.”

It’s then I notice that, peeking out from beneath his russet-brown hair, Ryan’s ears have taken on a deep shade of red. If I wasn’t so embarrassed myself, I might laugh.

“Are you blushing,DoctorPrescott?” To cover up my discomfort, I focus on his. “Don’t they teach you how to talk about this sort of stuff in med school?”

“Shut up. You’re my baby sister. It’s different.” Smiling lopsidedly, he lets out a huff of air. “But just so we’re clear... you’re not having sex?”

“No-oo! Absolutely not. Noah’s not like that, Ry. And neither am I. He’s a good guy. In fact, some of the girls in Noah’s church choir are worried thatI’mgoing to corrupthim.”

“You?” Ryan’s eyebrows lift and then narrow. “Seriously?”

“I know, right?”

“I want to meet him.”

“Today?”

“No. I have to head back home in a couple hours. But why not next weekend? I have tickets toLes Mis, remember? I figured you’d want to bring Jenna, but I guess if you’d rather bring Noah...”

“Really?” When he nods, I throw my arms around his neck and plant a kiss on his cheek. “I love-love-love you, Ryan!”

“I love you too, you little goofball. But it’s not set in stone yet. I want you to get the okay from Mom and Dad first.”

“Youask them. But wait until Mom’s over being mad at you.”

“And here I thought you were so mature.”

“Oh, fine. I’ll ask.” I bite my lip. “But you come with me. For moralsupport.”

“Fine.” He chuckles. “For moral support. But remember, Noah still has to pass the big brother test.”

“He will. I promise.”

“I won’t be easy on him.”

“You’re going to love him, Ry. You’ll see.” A grin stretches my cheeks enough to make them ache... then falls. “But if Mom’s still mad at—”

“Pfft,” Ryan says, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I wouldn’t worry about it. She burns hot but fizzles out just as fast. As long as neither of us mentions Grandma’s name, she’ll act like it never happened. You’ll see.”

Hair still wet from her post-run shower, Mom sits at the kitchen table opposite Ryan and me, sipping her coffee as she digests our request. True to Ryan’s prediction, she’s calm, rational, and unaware of the tension that has me digging my fingernails into the underside of my chair.

“And you’ll be home by what time Sunday night?”

I glance at Ryan.

“We’ll aim to get back to Iowa City by three,” he says. “That way Faith and her friend can be back in Kanton between four and five. Will that work?”

“Let me check the calendar. Hang on. I put my phone on the charger.” Mom rises from her chair and leaves the room.

“My ‘friend’?” I whisper at Ryan. “Nice.”

“Don’t be too happy, kiddo. If Noah doesn’t pass the big brother test, that’s all he’s ever going to be.”