Happy and relieved tears still stung in Myle’s eyes as he grinned down at the number, it was Sheila, his sister. Wiping away the tear stains and glancing at Sean -who was also trying to wipe the saltwater tracks off of his cheeks- he cleared his throat and picked up. “Hi Sheila, how’s it going?” he asked, picking at the little yin-and-yang pin on his breast pocket and trying to mask the exhaustion in his voice.

“Myles, where are you? You were supposed to pick me up from the airport half-an hour ago! Is that Sean person holding you back again?” She accused, her british accent giving away where she had been for the past year. “I swear, he is a bad influence on you Myles. You should’ve ditched him back in freshman year when you had the chance!” She continued, and Myles’ smile fell, as he hastily clicked the button to turn off speakerphone. Behind him, Sean glared daggers at the floor, wringing out his hands in anger.

Myles swore under his breath and ran his fingers through his unwashed hair, “Sorry about that, I got caught up in work. The project's gone flat again and I had to fix it.” He shot an apologetic look at Sean, who did not see it, as he was too busy inspecting the cracked ceramic tiles below his feet. Sheila scoffed from the phone, “Why doesn't Sean do it? Oh wait, he's too lazy and codependent to make anything worthwhile with his life.”

“Now sis-”

“No! Don't try to tell me otherwise, Sean has been holding you back for too long! So you can either ditch him now and come pick me up, or I'm boarding the next flight back to England!”

“Sheila wait!” Myles was yelling into the phone now, but it didn't do any good, the telltale click sounded from the other line; signaling the end of their conversation. A long, exasperated sigh escaped his lips, as he put the phone away and faced his friend. “She doesn’t approve of our friendship, apparently I’m still ten-years-old in her eyes. Please don’t take it personally.” He begged as tears began to flow down Sean's face once again, this time in anger. “She's not the most...forgiving...of people.”

“Then why do you put up with her?” The sudden snap in Sean's tone was louder than he had intended, and echoed around the room, making Myles wince at the noise. “She's my sister…”

“So? From what you've told me all she does is worry about you and disapprove every choice you make! That's not a healthy relationship, especially if it's family.”

“I can't just-”

“Why not? What has she ever done for you that has actually benefited you, without expecting something huge in return?”

“Well-”

“She's trying to control your life! And that's not right! You should be able to make your own decisions, so go tell her to board that stupid plane and never come back!”

“I can’t!”

The room went quiet, the only noise being the deep, raspy breaths that Myles and Sean were both taking in, and the whirr of the machinery behind them. When Myles spoke again, his voice was a whisper, almost inaudible. “My parents pride themselves in having a functional family, they have for years. Now that they are getting older, who am I to shatter that fantasy.”

“You're the guy who has silently born the burden of an abusive relationship for years. That seems like reason enough to tell them.” Sean's fists shook at his sides, and he spoke through clenched teeth. He only wished the best for his friend, but his methods for showing that have room for improvement.

Myles didn't reply, and instead began to cross the room, passing the machine and heading towards the door. “Where are you going now?” Sean asked, jogging after him. “To pick up my sister. Like I was supposed to do thirty minutes ago.” Myles snapped at him, spinning around on his heel and glaring daggers, his face completely overtaken with rage.

Sean glared back with just as much ferocity, “Well tell her I said that she can go cry herself to sleep, because there's no way in ever that I'm letting her win this.” A staring contest ensued, neither friend backing down from the argument. The machines whirred and sparked as they continued to gaze at each other, bats dined outside, providing high-pitched background noise for their unspoken argument.

Myles blinked first, and shortly afterwards Sean's eyes fell to the floor, masked by his hair. “Goodbye. Hope you get home safely. Contact the doctor if that new persona gives you problems.” Myles turned around and opened the door, pulling his car keys out of his pocket, he was about to step outside when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Oh no, Myles, you aren't leaving yet, I think your sister can wait a little longer. After all, a little overtime never killed anyone.”