Had he just created a trap for himself? The thought only occurred to Steve after he’d seen the look passed between the siblings and heard how exasperated Ethan sounded about taking his sister to the mall. It would definitely be good to reach out to his parents and see if he could arrange for his sister to come over for a weekend. It would at least give Olivia someone a bit closer to her own age that she could hang out with. 
 
The fact she brought up the offer was when he tuned back into the continued conversation. He blinked, realizing he’d probably missed something else. It wasn’t surprising.  He’d been up for a while troubleshooting at work. A nervous smile spread on his face when Olivia turned on him, not because she’d focused on him but because he wasn’t sure if there was something else he’d missed. 

A soft chuckle escaped him. “She’d love that. Growing up in a house full of brothers makes her appreciate girls weekends, or so she tells me.” 
 
A soft, more at ease, smile stayed on his face as he put up a hand in a goodbye wave. “Goodnight.”
 
His attention turned back to the pizza all but forgotten in his hand. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea for all of them to get off to bed. He took a bite as his gaze shifted to his friend across from him. “It makes sense,” he said around a mouthful of food. “It probably hasn’t been any easier on her than it has been on you,” he said around a bite of food. 
 
He shrugged, swallowing before he continued to talk. “I’ve been good. Busy, but good. Marissa stayed over a few times so it’s not like I’ve been completely alone here. Plus work’s been crazy, so I’ve been grabbing up more OT than usual. Crazy to think that it’s only been like two years at this place and I’m already a senior tech for it.”
 
After finishing another bite, Steve threw the rest of the slice away. He’d been full the minute he stopped actually eating, but couldn’t bear to throw out a half finished slice of pizza. Assessing his friend, he looked a bit more somber. “Worried about being swamped going back to work?”