Should he be concerned? There was privilege in being a middle child – and a middle child in the midst of triplets, no less! Decision-making had never been his strong point, and so he quietly assigned Darius’ current state of mind as Someone Else’s Problem.

Roderick dry-heaved and tried to smile when Darius noticed him again, nodding along with him.

“I-uh, I have never been a man of many words!”

Bullshit. He was always talking the neighbor girl’s ear off.