When I pulled up to the counseling center's doors after work, Shayne wasn't there yet.
Which worried me, since he'd said that he was "ready to be picked up". His exact message, word-for-word.
I waited nervously for about 20 minutes, then I finally got out of the car and went inside.
I looked around, then walked up to the front desk.
"Have you seen my brother around here?" I asked the woman sitting there. "Sixteen, dark wavy hair, kind of short?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "He's in the waiting room, just chatting it up."
Interesting.
I thanked her and snuck into the waiting room.
Shayne was standing next to a black girl, who was sitting next to her dad and grandmother, and was talking to her. She looked like she was 16 and had dark dreadlocks, chocolate skin, and weary eyes.
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But when she looked at Shayne her eyes seemed to light up.
Same with Shayne. He looked as though he had forgotten about everything that had happened in the past few weeks.
I caught a snippet of their conversation.
"Sometimes I paint portraits," she was saying. "You know... abstract ones."
Shayne's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing," he said.
The girl blushed and looked down.
"What do you say, Brooke?" Her dad nudged her.
"Thank you," Brooke mumbled.
I felt bad interrupting them, but I didn't want to leave Bennet alone with the twins for too long.
I walked up behind Shayne and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Shay," I said. "We've got to go."
Shayne whipped around, and his face fell.
"Oh," he said softly. "Brooke, this is Jaison," he said to the girl.
Brooke smiled sweetly at me. "It's so nice to meet you," she said. "Shayne has said a lot about you."
"Good things, I hope." I smiled.
Brooke laughed. When she did Shayne's cheeks flared up and his eyes smiled.
I had never seen my brother act like this before.
"I... I, uh..." He nervously cleared his throat. "Like, can I stay in contact? With you? Or, no, like..."
Brooke pulled out her phone and showed him her phone number.
Shayne gave her an embarrassed smile and put it in his phone. She smiled back.
"Can I have yours?" she asked.
"S-sure," Shayne said. He told her the number after messing it up a few times and she put it in her phone.
"Th-thank you," Shayne said. "For, you know... talking with me. Er, no..."
Brooke laughed. "You're welcome," she said. "I think you're super sweet, by the way. Text me as soon as you get home."
Shayne's face lit up like a light bulb.
"Yeah," he said excitedly. "I will! And, um, I-I think you're sweet too." He blushed bright red.
Brooke smiled huge. "Thanks," she said softly.
I prompted them to say goodbye, and I walked out to the car with Shayne.
After we were on the roads, I glanced over at Shayne. He was looking down at his fidgety hands in his lap, his eyes sparkling and his cheeks pink.
A corner of my mouth lifted. "What's up with you?" I said. "Did Mrs. Acre really help that much?"
Shayne blushed harder. He just shrugged.
He looked out the window and tried to hide his face from me, but I could see the dreamy look in his eyes.
