Whispers

“You are so infuriating,” Brown told her, his hands and signing betraying his frustration. He looked like he was ready to strangle Khrystyn, even as she just stood there, a slight smirk on her face, not saying a word. “Do you have any idea how... how... how absolutely frustrating you are?”

“Some,” she answered, still smiling. “Lyosha tells me this often, using his hands more than his mouth. I tell him it is what big sisters are for.”

“You're not my sister,” Brown muttered, and she laughed, the sound abruptly cut off when Brown dragged her close and kissed her, making the smile disappear and the hands still and the room become unnaturally quiet. Seconds passed, several of them, and then he let her go, allowing her to suck in air. As though just realizing what he'd done, Brown cursed and went straight to the door.

Alexei looked at his sister. “You're not allowed to give him a sign name about kissing. It has to be one we can all use.”

Khrystyn blinked, taking a minute to look at her brother. He turned to Zoya, grin on his face.

“Look at this. He managed to get Khrystyn speechless. This is a day for the history books. My big sister is actually speechless. He is my new favorite person in the universe. Sorry, Zoya.”

She rolled her eyes, but he went on, clearly enjoying this more than he should. She touched Khrystyn's arm, getting her to look at her. “You okay?”

Khrystyn put a finger to her lips and smiled before nodding. “Better than okay.”