Brotherly Love

My little brother was the cutest thing last night. He is so sweet and so loving and he teaches me that love is bigger than my fear of no love.

We were getting ready for the vanilla ice cream to be done. Well, actually we were waiting for the ice to arrive after the yogurt maker wouldn't work and we needed to use our old method of churning. My mom makes the BEST ice cream and she had the whole Sundae Social thing going. My brother Colin was celebrating his 14 birthday, and he got 10 movies, a Chicago Bears cover and stainless steel thermos, a flashlight hat for checking his blood sugars in the night, and other things.

As we were waiting, this unfolded:

Brandon sets a half-filled glass in front of me before bending his legs to jump up in the chair at the table and I reach to pick up the glass. 
"Oh, that's mine." 
"Oh, ok. Sorry." I dismissively look away and smile at my other brother who is making a joke.
He comes back with another small glass with a shot of water and I take it in a gulp, "Thank you!"
He giggles and we pretend to be drunk and talk slurring our speech.
He runs to the cupboard and grabs the shot glass we own for measuring liquids and fills it with water. Coming back, his eyes open wide and he makes a comment about how much I can drink. For the next ten minutes he rushes back and forth, all of us giggling about the "drunk" She She (a nickname I have). My sister Kaitlyn joins in the drama and he gets her a few shots, making them salt water.
"You're good at that She She," he says, kissing my cheek, both of them. I smile, warmed by his intent to spread joy.

Later we chose names for secret santas and Brandon and Kaitlyn were both, "That was really fun. This is really fun."
"Good. That's what it's supposed to be," I said. They were all enjoying themselves, and that's what made my heart glad, that warmth in the chest like drinking apple cider vinegar, it hits like a giggle bubble in your heart and it holds it like a little kid holding a grasshopper, nice and tight.