"You're late."
The clock on the wall showed some godforsaken time passed midnight and before dawn when the doors fluttered a tiny bit, carrying in the cool night wind and her brother. He took his time with the lock, and though Casita could do it itself, the house let him collect his thoughts before facing her. Their eyes met briefly.
"I never said when I was coming back."
"It's late, then."
"And?"
"Dolores said you left La Casa Nuñez nearly four hours ago."
"And now I'm home."
He cast off his ruana, his sandals, and traveling bag, going through the motions stiffly. Too stiffly. She shook off the torpor that had settled over her as she sat and waited and worried, rising from her seat and coming around to see her brother in the remaining candlelight. The dark circles under his eyes were not new, but the gray and purple and yellow edges that slipped down across his cheekbones were.
"Bruno..."
"Drop it, Julieta." Only he couldn't quite say her name right through the busted lip, and he kept his gaze averted. "Please."
"They – he – you..."
"I'm home, and I'm tired, mana." He shouldered past her, doing a poor job of hiding a limp as he was hissing with every other step.
"You should eat."
"I'm fine."
"You know what I mean."
"I'm not hungry."
"Bruno –"
"I'm fine, mana, please." He snapped. "I just want to go to bed. I'll eat in the morning."
"No, you won't," she whispered after the fading footsteps. "You never do."
