One hundred and thirteen

Seconds of silence pass, when Josh doesn’t seem to be leaving, I ask, "Who is Brendan?"

"Our brother, Brandon’s twin." I blink, my head spins from the sudden information and my thoughts crash to a stop when he adds, "He is dead." Josh’s smile is pitiful, I don’t know when I move to stand beside him. I pat his shoulder. "He died in an accident."

Brandon has a twin, a dead twin. It’s all I can think while my hand meets Josh’s shoulder in an awkward show of comfort. He pries my hand off him with a smile I don’t comment on because of how fake it is. I rub my hand against my hip. Brandon has a dead twin.

Seeing how shaken I am by the news, Josh pushes me into his seat, I sink gratefully into it. I shouldn’t have asked. My husband should have told me himself. "When did he die?"

"A while ago."

I snap. "How long is a while ago?"

"Five years," he replies and my shoulders sag with the full impact of his words.