Joseph felt warm suddenly. He held her hand, kissing her forehead. His voice was soft but firm, "Listen to me. Just have a rest. Do not follow me."
And then he released her and went downstairs.
After a little while, the door of the hallway was opened and closed again. All the quarrels and noise disappeared as they went away.
The room was quiet again.
Irish stood on the second floor alone.
There was still egg-yellow light surrounding her, and then she heard the sound of the clock beating.
It was so quiet.
There was the buzz around her, instead. All in her mind were Jordan's sharp scolding and Joseph's cold expressions. They left, and there was only quietness left. What about Hampton?
Irish felt more anxious. She changed her clothes, regardless of Joseph's warning.
****
After crossing the boisterous Madison Avenue, other streets were tranquil.
Except for the vehicles, there were still few people. The night was quiet against the mixture of moonlight and neon light, hiding subtle uneasiness. Several red lights made Irish far away from Joseph.
Finally, she arrived in Hampton. She entered the underground garage with her finger, and she found that Joseph's car had been stopped there, as dark as a soul.
She stopped her car and ran into the elevator.
Just several seconds passed, but she felt as if the scene had been a century ago.
As the door opened, she heard a big sound of slapping and Joseph's scolding, "Shit! You dare to pay attention to her?"
At this time, there was a light warning from the elevator.
Irish felt shocked by this scolding.
In the living room and beside the sofa, Joseph stood in the direction back to Irish while Jordan stood by her side view. He covered half of his face, staring at Joseph angrily.
As they heard the sound, they all looked towards her direction.
As there was a warning from the elevator and the door was too close, Irish recovered herself and walked out of the elevator by pressing the key. Her feet became heavy suddenly.
They two had never thought that she would come, and Jordan was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do. Joseph also felt surprised that she finally came. He restrained his anger and kept silent.
Irish's breath became rapid. Joseph's shouting was still hanging around her. He knew everything.
He didn't express his feelings because he endured them silently. Jordan was his brother, after all.
Irish knew that she had to make something clear today. She walked to them step by step, trying to think of the best solution. Although her mind was blank, she had to force herself to think of it.
If she hadn't thought too much, she would have pushed Jordan away as he kissed her today and scolded her not to do this again.
The reason why she hadn't done it was that Jordan was Joseph's brother.
The moment when Jordan ran to Midtown Manhattan, she understood that Jordan and Joseph all wanted to have a debate on this topic without her presence. Otherwise, Jordan would have said something unpleasant, and Joseph would warn him not to have this kind of thought anymore.
They both made efforts to have a talk without her presence. Joseph had his pride, and Jordan valued his dignity. It was no good for her to be here; otherwise, they would not have been so shocked by her showing up.
Her appearance meant she was the reason for their quarrel. What could she do?
She couldn't let Joseph be angrier than Jordan, nor could she let Jordan hate Joseph more. Joseph kept her not present because he felt shame. One was his brother, and the other was his girlfriend. No man could bear it when his brother fell in love with his girlfriend.
Jordan was young and aggressive. Although he was embarrassed, Irish believed that he would counterattack with his personality. What would he say when he was angry?
He must say something to annoy Joseph. Whether his feelings were still vague or he had clear ideas in his mind, he would roar to Joseph directly and say, "Yes, I like her! Will you kill me?"
Did Joseph have such an ability?
No. He could hit Jordan, but he couldn't kill him.
The result would be that their relationship got worse. The misunderstanding arose because a woman would be hard to get rid of.
Jordan was in a rebellion period. He dared to do anything, and even something insincere.
Irish got it, so she couldn't just let Jordan shout out like "I like her" or something. Once such kind of words was spurted out, the reason for their quarrel would change. Everything couldn't get back. She couldn't become a "dangerous beauty."
She must impede it before Jordan expresses it, and then Jordan's dignity could be saved, and Joseph would not have many unreasonable behaviors.
Her guessing was true.
As Jordan saw her showing up in the Hampton, he guessed that she must have seen and heard it. His heart beat quickly, and his eyes were filled with disobedience and stubbornness. He stared at Joseph angrily and said suddenly, "I..."
"Jordan!" Irish toned up suddenly to interrupt him.
"You are old enough. Could you please not make your brother annoyed?"
Jordan looked at her, feeling hurt.
Irish didn't look at him but walked to Joseph's side, pulling his arm. Seeing him frowning, she covered his eyebrows lightly, "Look. You hit Jordan even for such a little thing. He is your brother. You love him, right?"
Irish's surprising action made Joseph lose. Her soft fingers touched his eyebrow like the fireworks lighting him up. He was not as serious as before, and he felt warm.
He found that he hadn't felt so warm from her.
"You really misunderstood me." Irish pulled his arms and lowered her head lightly. She raised her head again and sighed lightly, "Jordan thought it unfair to me. He noticed that we two had a bad relationship before, so he thought that you were bad to me. You know, your brother is aggressive, so it's you who spoils him."
Her voice was as soft as sweet spring water. He stared at her and clenched her hands, feeling uneasy.
"Jordan is kind to me. It's because of that..." Irish stopped here.
Joseph stared at her, waiting for her answer. There was a shyness in her eyes and eyebrows. His heart beat quickly.
She raised her eyes and licked her lips, "It is because I am already his sister-in-law in his mind. We are family?"
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