A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

AJ's POV

"He'd rather spend time with his new best buddy than go to the airport to welcome you back," Euro had remarked with just a hint of bitterness in his voice,

"And who is his new best buddy?" I asked, suddenly curious now because ever since elementary days JJ, Euro and myself would always hang out after school.

"Someone named Lotte," Euro replied.

"Shut up, Euro," JJ said angrily. "Lotte had invited me to dinner to congratulate me for getting a perfect score in our World History exam."

"Oh, wow," Euro said, again with just that hint of bitterness that I had noticed earlier. "He must like you so much that just because you perfected the exam he had to go and treat you to a dinner date."

"It wasn't a date, dummy," JJ said irritably. "But you, I turn my back on you for a second and I catch you sharing a sweet, sweet hug with my brother here."

I gave JJ a painful flick on his forehead.

"I have been away for almost a year and you expect me and Euro not to hug when we see each other?" I asked although it was more of a statement than a question.

"Stop bickering, both of you," my mom scolded me and JJ. "Come inside the house. You too, Euro, come and have dinner with us."

Euro looked undecided. I grabbed his wrist.

"C'mon, Euro, you know my mom, she always makes the most delicious dinners," I said in a persuasive tone of voice.

My father had already drove the car into the driveway and had pulled out my luggage from the back of the car and had ordered JJ to bring it into the house. JJ grudgingly did so.

"Let me text my mom first to let her know I am going to have dinner with you," Euro said, taking his phone out of his pocket.

Mom had already cooked dinner even before leaving for the airport so all she had to do was to warm it. It consisted of sesame seed covered breaded pork chops and spicy shrimp curry and herbed fragrant jasmine rice.

"Did your mom say you can stay with us for dinner?" I asked Euro.

Euro nodded. For some reason he seemed a bit absent minded, like he was not really into the conversation I was trying to have with him.

I motioned for him to sit on the couch.

"Where's JJ?" he asked as he settled into the couch.

"I think he's gone off to help Mom set the dinner on the table," I replied as I sat down beside him on the couch and made myself comfortable.

There was a brief pause in our conversation and then I asked, "So how have you been? How's school? And your life in general?"

"Whoa, one question at a time," Euro said. He sounded like he didn't want to answer my questions.

"Okay, you can start anywhere," I said. "And then after that I have one more question to ask, a very important and sensitive one."

"And do I have a choice not to answer it?" Euro asked. He looked and sounded anxious.

"No, you don't," I replied firmly. "And I will be expecting a truthful answer from you."