Chapter 3

Leo came back into the living room a few minutes later, his face back to its usual blank expression. The menacing look was gone, replaced by a forced, awkward attempt at sibling affection.

"Hey," he said, "Sorry about that. My neck is just stiff."

He sat down on the armchair opposite me. The silence was thick and heavy.

"I was thinking," he said, breaking the quiet. "I know I was a jerk about that t-shirt you wanted. The vintage band one. I'll buy it for you. To make up for it."

He was talking about a fight we had. A stupid, meaningless fight. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Which one was it again?" he asked, pulling out his phone.

My mind went blank for a second, then I remembered. "The limited-edition one. From the concert last year. The 2023 tour."

Leo's fingers stopped moving over his phone screen. He looked up at me, a strange, confused expression on his face.

"The 2023 tour shirt?" he repeated slowly, as if the words didn't make sense.

He stared at me for a long moment, then his face clouded over with frustration. He shook his head.

"It's sold out everywhere," he snapped, his voice suddenly harsh. "Can't find it."

He didn't even look. He just tapped his phone a few times, and a notification popped up on mine. A $200 transfer.

"Here," he said, not looking at me. "Just buy something else. Just be happy."

He got up and walked back to the kitchen, leaving me with the money and a growing sense of unease. He wasn't just acting strange. He was disconnected, like he was missing a piece of time. Like he didn't know a whole year had passed.