Heart and Soul [bxb]

Chapter Thirty-One

*This chapter contains multimedia relevant to the plot*

**There is also MILD sexual content ahead**

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving day, Carter found himself alone in the house for the first time ever.

School was out until next Monday, but his mom was at work. Tony had taken Charlie to the Ristorante with him and the rest of the Santoros had driven with Mike to pick Richie up from Miami International Airport.

Tony had established an exception on Frankie's punishment so he could go with his siblings. Though that topic appeared to be unanimously ignored since the day of the parent-teacher conference. The Santoros kept interacting with each other in the same way they did before, but Carter had the impression there was still some tension between Tony and Frankie. A strange kind of tension. Like one didn't know how to be mad at one of his kids and the other didn't know how to deal with feeling he'd been a disappointment.

Carter simply told himself it wasn't his business. It wasn't his business to notice it and it certainly wasn't his business to interfere.

Jack got home later in the evening. He drove down from Gainesville with a few friends and joined his siblings in their loud reunion in the living room. Richie and Jack hadn't even bothered bringing their stuff upstairs to Mike's room, where it turned out they were staying. Carter could hear them talk and laugh downstairs, in the kind of disorganized loud harmony he'd come to associate with this family.

The dinner table was a little tight that night. Carter found Richie looked like a carbon copy of Tony, much like Jack. If he didn't know they had two years between them, he might've mistaken the two oldest Santoros for twins. Richie had perhaps a squarer jaw, with visible dark stubble.

Carter listened as everyone asked Richie about USC—that's where he went—, his job as a nightclub promoter—which Tony was having trouble understanding—, and life in the west coast in general.

Carter's mom asked Jack about college again. Richie asked Mike about college applications and Bella about her photography project for an elective Carter didn't even know she was taking. Jack asked Luca about basketball and Frankie about school—then changed the topic back to Mike as he noticed the environment.

Richie seemed glad to hear Mike was still considering Stanford, in California, within driving distance of Los Angeles. Carter was somewhat surprised to see that Richie and Mike had the same kind of easy intimacy Jack and Bella seemed to share, despite appearing to be polar opposites. 

Tony didn't talk much. He sat in his chair, eating the dinner his oldest sons had helped him prepare and watching his children catch up with each others' lives, despite the fact they seemed to maintain constant contact through a rather active group chat Carter had never heard of until that night.

Charlie told them about his school at some point, deciding it was his turn to give an update, and everyone listened in delight. After dinner, while Carter went upstairs to his room, the Santoros decided sleep did not take priority over spending time together. 

When Carter came down the next morning, Richie and Jack's bags were still in the living room. Richie slept in the armchair, with little Charlie curled on his lap like a cat. Bella was sprawled over Jack's chest, who was stretched out on the couch. Frankie and Luca were cuddled on the floor. 

Mike smiled at Carter from the stove, when he walked into the kitchen.

"Morning."

"Good morning," Mike replied. "My dad and your mom are still downstairs. The rest only fell asleep a couple of hours ago. Well, except Charlie. He dosed off around midnight."