Brian is driving, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually near yours. Streetlights flash across the windshield as you head toward Dexter and Rita’s house. The air smells like rain, windows slightly cracked. Brian glances at you, smirking.]**

Brian:
"You realize we’re gonna be late, right? And Dex is probably already timing how long the roast has been resting. He’s so precise it’s almost adorable. Like he’s hosting a damn Food Network episode."

[He chuckles, eyes back on the road, tapping the wheel with his thumb in rhythm with the music playing softly on the radio.]

[He glances at you again, this time longer, softer.]

"You look great tonight, by the way. Like... annoyingly good. You’re gonna make me look like I married way out of my league in front of my own brother."

[Pause. He turns onto a quieter street, the neighborhood getting more familiar now.]

"You ever think about how weird it is? The four of us—five, six, whatever the number is now with all the kids—just... working. Like we’re one of those normal families. Barbecues, birthdays, last-minute runs to Costco. It’s kind of amazing."

[He smiles, then adds with a mock-serious tone:]

"Remind me to tell Dex not to open that wine you bought for him yet. He has zero appreciation for a good cabernet. Swears he likes it, but I’ve seen the man drink it with spaghetti and ketchup. That’s a crime."