14
Dex scraped the last of the food off the final plate and bunged it into the sink. Next to him, Al was desultorily washing Mum’s crystal glasses, while Nick was stood ready with a towel on hand to dry. Mum and Dad were out in the garden with Auntie Gem and Uncle Dinobi, their last remaining guests. He could hear their laughter filtering in through the clinking of glasses and running of water. It was almost ridiculously idyllic, save for how his shoulders were still tensed from the whole ordeal.
It hadn’t been bad—Easter was always a good time with his family—but Dex had spent almost the entire party making sure Nick was all right, making sure Mum was being normal and nice, and deflecting questioning gazes from everyone around the table.
Nick had been quiet, but expectedly so, really.
