I don't think there's a point to people-watching. You either mind your own business or make a friend. But even as I think this, I know I've always been swept up in people-watching. Or really person-watching: my late grandfather's best friend.

"You know," Roman sighs, drawing my attention to him and away from the window. He sets his pencil down on his notebook and sits forward, resting his forearms on the table. "I said you can take a break from homework to work on the mural because I thought you'd actually work on it. Not stalk some old man."

Roman's younger brother, Idris, glances up from Quiet Night, the first book in The Quiet Nights series. He blinks, glancing between me and Roman. At thirteen, his chestnut eyes still have a certain naivety to them as they widen.

"Huh?" he asks, sitting up.

Roman waves him off. "Nothing, Idris. Just Marlowe being... Marlowe..."

I cross my arms over my chest, bending at the waist as I lean towards the Laxamana brothers. "You mean being amazing."

Idris laughs, earning me a glare from Roman. He glares harder when Idris fully turns his attention to the mural. It's almost impossible to drag Idris out of a book, especially if it's The Quiet Nights series. Kid has extensive knowledge of the universe. As he should. And if he's putting a pause on reading to laugh at Roman with me, then I know I really am amazing.

"I like the sketch you made," he says, his eyes darting across the wall.

I turn around to take it in myself. It's an image of two of the main characters in The Quiet Nights series, Hien and Lanh, standing back-to-back. Their heads are tilted up, so they're looking at the same expanse of sky, but Hien has mountains on her side of the wall and Lanh has the ocean on hers.

Everett, my late grandfather's best friend and the owner of this café, loves the series. So much so that he based the entire café on it. He even set up a system where patrons can borrow books like a library, but they're also allowed to annotate them so anyone can add their own thoughts and see what other people think. He claims it's to promote reading and discussing all books, but he's admitted to me more than once that it's really to advertise Gareth Chiem's series. As he should.

I turn to face Roman and Idris again with a smile. "Thanks, kid." I eye the book in his hands. "Got any ideas about what I should add?"

Idris leans forward, squinting at the wall. "You can add Hai—"

"Nope."

Idris laughs. "He's a main character."

I make a face. "An annoying one."

Roman smirks, twirling his pencil in his hand. "Like you."

I narrow my eyes at him, but before I can insult him back, the bell above the door goes off. My eyes immediately snap to Everett. He's been sitting at one of the tables right outside the café all day. He always sits there during his free time, but he practically lives at that table whenever he closes the café for renovations. And whenever he comes back inside, his expression is unreadable and his shoulders are slumped. Exactly like they are right now, but the moment he sees me watching, he straightens, the corners of his mouth turning up.

"You know I only let your friends in here when the café is closed, so Roman can tutor you, right?" Everett asks, planting his hands on his hips.

I give him an innocent smile. "Roman is tutoring me." Everett turns to Roman who doesn't hesitate to shake his head and mouth "no." When Everett swivels back to me, I gesture to the mural. "I was working on the mural as a break." Roman snorts. Through gritted teeth, I say, "Shut up."

But really, a part of me wants Roman to keep trying to antagonize me because my responses bring a smile to Everett's face. The smile that feels rarer and rarer with each passing day that he sits at that table.

"Well," Everett laughs, gesturing to the sketch. "I think it looks really good. As always."

"And it fits the ending of the second book," Idris adds.

Roman rolls his eyes. "You should know. This series is the only thing you ever read."

Idris shrugs, holding the book a little closer to his chest. "It's a good series, and the third book is coming out, so I have to reread all of it in case I miss something in the last book."

Roman gives Idris a blank look, but Everett claps Idris on the shoulder, drawing his attention away from his condescending brother. "I'm glad you enjoy the series so much, Idris. Everyone should give it as much of a chance as you do."

Idris smiles up at Everett. "They really should."

It's not like he outright directed the comment at Roman, but Roman's expression hardens. "Whatever." He turns to me. "Are you going to come do your homework or not, Marlowe?"

I sigh, setting my watercolor pencil down with all my other art supplies. "Fine. I'm coming."

Everett offers me a smile before he heads behind the counter. He makes himself a cup of coffee before returning to the table. My eyes flicker to him every time Roman is too boring—so all the time. Roman knows, and he tries not to make any comments. But in the end, he lets out a sigh.

"Marlowe, I'm sure he's fine," Roman says. "He does this all the time."

I nod, not bothering to argue. I will never admit this aloud, but I guess Roman has a point. If Everett doesn't say anything about it, it's not really any of my business anyway. He can do whatever he wants. I have an economics class to pass.