Page 24 of Dan.
There is no soft summer grass this time, or giddy laughs shared between two people young enough to still find something so small as sneaking out at night to look at the stars exciting. This time, there is a lot of heaviness between Johan and me as we stretch out on the loungers by the pool, our two seats pressed together so it forms a sort of loveseat for us to recline on and look at the deep dark sky.
Of all the serious things he and I should talk about, I can’t decide on a single one. I don’t want to broach the subject of what we are to each other now, or how to repair a friendship that has been nonexistent for three years. Instead, I find something else to talk about. I can’t deal with much more seriousness tonight.
“So how was your day away from all of us?” I ask teasingly. “Was I that unbearable that you had to go hang out with Andries and Dan?”
“Of course not,” he assures me, his lips twisting into an amused smile. “But we did have a great time, all things considered. Things didn’t start to go off the rails until all the sailing was done with.”
I prop myself up on my elbow, head in my palm. “You’ve done that kind of sailing before, haven’t you? I know my brother has, but I’m almost positive Dan hasn’t.”
Johan nods. “Yeah. We knew Dan was a rookie, but he kept up surprisingly well. Do you want to see the pictures and videos?”
“Yes!” I exclaim, sitting all the way up and leaning forward as he pulls out his phone and begins to show me some of the footage taken from the day. From the drone footage, it seems much more fast-paced than I would have thought. The foils lift so high out of the water that I audibly gasp watching the three of them maneuver without panicking. “That’s so crazy! I can’t believe Dan let himself be coaxed into doing this.”
“He did great, actually. He was a really good sport. We had to help him get the hang of it but afterward he was a great teammate.”
I snort, laying back down on the lounge and turning my eyes skyward. “That’s something I never thought I’d hear you say about Dan. How did you guys manage the entire day without killing each other?”
“When I say he was a good sport I really mean it. Dan is a true gentleman; he apologized to me for his behavior yesterday and we came to an understanding. As of right now, there isn’t any bad blood between us.” Johan turns his body towards mine, but I don’t do the same, processing what he’s just told me.
I’m shocked that Dan would apologize all on his own, but it makes me feel warm inside to know that he would. We spend so much time antagonizing each other that it’s easy to forget that Dan is a good, generous, caring man at his core.
“In fact,” Johan continues. “Your brother said something about Dan and me that I totally agree with.”
My interest is instantly piqued causing my gaze to meet his. “What did my brother say?”
“He said if we weren’t interested in the same woman, then we would be great friends.”
Feeling thunderstruck, I close my eyes. “Are you saying that it isn’t you coming between Dan and me, butmecoming in between you and Dan becoming best friends?”
Johan chuckles, his voice low. “I don’t know about best friends, but he’s a guy I could definitely get along with. He’s definitely less dramatic than Andries, that’s for sure.”
Now I do laugh, despite being a bit shaken up by this conversation. “Yeah, well… isn’t everyone?”
With nothing left to say, there is a long period of silence between us, and things have just started to feel awkward for me when Johan breaks the silence. “How is the rest of your family doing, El? I don’t know all the details, but I’ve picked up they didn’t attend the engagement party. There is some tension between Andries and your parents, huh?”
“Ugh. That’s an understatement.” I throw my forearm over my eyes. “This is a really long story, are you sure you want me to get into it?”
“I feel like it isn’t going to make sense unless you describe it fully, so yeah, go ahead.”
I peek out from under my arm at Johan, and his open, earnest face. He’s such a gentleman that I know I could tell him about Roxanne’s past jobs without him being judgmental, but it’s not really my story to tell, so I decide to keep that part of it vague at least.
“Let’s just say that my parents aren’t very fond of the bride-to-be. So much so, that they’re boycotting the wedding, just like they did the engagement party. When everyone realized that they weren’t going to celebrate their oldest son’s engagement, Dan stepped up and threw Andries and Roxanne a huge engagement celebration and then booked this trip. No matter how much Dan tries to make up for it, I know my brother is still hurt and missing our parents.”
“That’s awful,” he says, sounding genuine. “Roxanne seems great. I’d like to say it’s their loss, but even though that’s true, I’m sure it doesn’t make Andries feel any better.”
“No, it doesn’t.” I sigh deeply. “Andries has always said he will only ever have one love and marriage, and if he sticks to that, then my parents will miss out on the most important event of his life thus far. At least as far as Andries is concerned.”
“I take it since you are here that you are on your brother’s side?” Johan asks carefully. There’s no way I can tell him the honest truth about how I’m balancing so carefully between both warring parties, and I have to think quickly about how to explain it.
“It’s complicated. I work at Dad’s company now, which muddles things a bit, but yes, I’m supporting my brother right now.”
“Huh. That makes sense. Well… how about your other siblings? How is everyone else? Does Hannah still collect random things she finds?”
Now I do sit up and look at him fully, not having any idea what he’s talking about. “Does Hannah do what?”
Johan tucks his arms behind his head, a smirk on his face as he recalls the story to me. “When you introduced me to your family Hannah showed me her collection of random treasures. It was all just little things that she found interesting enough to bring home––fossils, coins, broken jewelry, things like that.”
“Uh, wow…” I’m thrown through a loop at this new information about my sister. How is this all a surprise to me? “To be honest, she’s never told me about it. Hannah is the most reserved child in the entire family and the fact that she opened up enough to show you something like that is impressive.” I wrinkle my nose at the next thought. “Even if it does make me feel like a crappy sister.”