It all started with a game

Chapter 21.1

The doorbell rang through the house, letting me know that Ryder was here. "I'll go get it," I informed my brothers before making my way down the stairs, my outfit far too fancy for such a run down house.

I swung the door open. Ryder stood in the doorway, dressed in a freshly pressed suit, his hair slicked back. I'd never seen Ryder try to do anything with his hair, let alone use hair products. He always looks great, but man did that boy look good in a suit.

He handed me his tie with a sheepish look. I laughed, thankful that this time I didn't have to force him to let me tie it for him like last time. I looped the tie around his neck, pulling it into a knot. "Perfect. You look really good," I whispered, pulling him in by the waist and kissing the underside of his chin.

His face slowly tinged pink, only succeeding in making him look cuter, a fact that greatly helped me as I'd rather think about how attractive my boyfriend was than the fact that I was about to have dinner with my mother, and to top things off, meet her new boyfriend.

"Come on, we're getting ready in Klaus's room." I led Ryder upstairs, letting him join the party. My mother was off in the kitchen, trying to put together a meal. She was the only one in the family who knew how to cook. The gene did not pass on.

My brothers greeted Ryder with a nod, continuing their business as usual, ignoring the fact that I'd brought an outsider in. "What time do we have to be downstairs?" Sonny questioned.

"In like ten minutes," Klaus answered.

"Okay, meditation time." I cheered, lining up with my brothers against the wall and dragging Ryder along.

"Meditation?" Ryder's eyebrow slowly raised.

I nodded. Meditation. We always did it before stressful events. It wasn't really meditation, more like group comfort sessions but that was too long of a name. I grabbed both of my brothers hands, taking a seat against the wall. Ryder stood awkwardly off to the side, with no clue in the world of what to do. "Take Klaus's hand." I gestures towards Klaus's empty hand.

Ryder's eyes widened. "What?"

"Take his hand."

Klaus chuckled. "She won't shut up until you do. Believe me, I'm not too happy about it either."

Ryder gulped. Hesitantly taking a step closer to Klaus. He stared at his hand before looking back up at me. I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. Ryder sighed, taking Klaus's hand which was completely stiff.

Of course, I could have been the one to hold Ryder's hand but I really wanted to see if he'd actually do it if I asked. It appears he would. "So what exactly are we doing?" He questioned.

"Relaxing. Just lean your head against the wall and think about life." Sonny answered.

Ryder nodded. "And how long do we do this for?"

Klaus smirked. "What? You're not enjoying my company, Ryder?"

"Best time of my life," Ryder mumbled.

I shushed them poorly, giggling the entire time. "We're meditating."

Sonny opened one eye. "I am meditating. Who knows what you three are doing."