Nicole walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs where the bedrooms were, following the voices of Marko and Xavier. As she had warned him before, Xavier was grilling Marko about basketball and video games. Nicole stood by the door, leaning against the frame as she watched her brother show Marko something from his phone. They were not aware of her presence yet and she took time to study their interaction.
Marko was listening, seemingly very interested in what Xavier was saying. He added a few of his own comments and nodded where appropriate.
A frown marred her face. She remembered a few years back when she had been in a relationship and the guy never showed interest in Xavier or even his hobbies. That relationship had nearly caused a rift between her and her brother. Seeing Xavier talk
