He shook his head after a moment. “It wasn't you. Just...thinking about things. Sometimes I...get distracted, thinking about home and my family. That's all,” he replied quietly.
Xan had been big on family when he had been younger; his parents were fairly straight forward and simple. Hard working and honest, they celebrated the usual holidays but never made a big deal out of things. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter were mostly for big dinners with all of his family, including aunts, uncles and cousins. They were more of an excuse to see the relatives that lived far away and to have dinners with too much tasty food than anything else. Easter had always been the best though. Sleeping in while his parents hid the Easter eggs around the yard. Getting up and racing around with his sister and cousins. Bragging rights for whoever ended up with the most eggs. Trading chocolates for licorice or lollies. Finding the Golden Egg with the sweet chocolate bunny inside.
Despite the celebrations, his parents had never forced religion down his throat like a few of his friends. Xan considered himself lucky. And even though he knew the truth about his father, he still wasn't certain he believed in God. Rather, he believed there was a God, but well, what did God have to do with him? God had his life and his plans, and Xan his own to worry about. Religion had never been his thing but he didn't mind if other people were into it so long as they didn't try to convert him.
Now though, he wasn't sure about family. Not since he had found out his mother had essentially lied to him his entire life. Xan wasn't even certain his dad--not his biological father-- knew the truth. Would he look at his son any differently? Would he still call Xan his son? He wanted to think so, but the last two years at home had been difficult. The brunet had found himself coming home after midnight almost everyday, avoiding his parents. It had been uncomfortable in the house, as though there were a ghost living with them, suffocating them with its presence. Some days he hadn't been able to look his mum in the eye.
Pushing the morose thoughts away, the blue-eyed young man turned back to Jia. “True enough. I think it would be fun to work in the zoo and I don't mind kids. Being a vet though, I think I could go just about anywhere and find work,” mused the brunet. “It's a broad career with a lot of options.”
Xan grinned; he couldn't imagine Jia being too terrible at tennis. If she had the hand-to-eye coordination and the grace to dance, he suspected she'd be all right with a racket in hand. “Well, if you ever want to just whack a ball around, I could give you a hand with that,” he offered. “I like it because it takes my mind off things and it's good to get the blood pumping. Kind of like racing. Hobby-wise, if there's anything I like more than tennis though, I think it's riding my bike.”
“I'll definitely cheer you on at your competitions,” he promised with a boyish grin. “My house? Oh, I'm in Arvandor. I'm in a two-bedroom with a roommate. We have differing schedules, so I don't run into him too often. I wouldn't mind getting to know him better. That was actually one of the reasons I requested a roommate. So I don't become an anti-social hermit. How about yourself?”