It all started with a game

Chapter 21.1

"Well I believe at the moment Ryder is putting the moves on our brother."

Ryder laughed. "I hate you."

I grinned. "You know you love me."

Ryder grumbled in response.

We fell into a comfortable silence, finally 'meditating'—if you could even call it that—for about thirty seconds before my mother was calling us downstairs. The four of us stood from our spots, making me quickly realize that I'd forgotten shoes. "I'll be right back," I informed them, dragging Ryder with me so that he wouldn't have to face my mother alone.

I grabbed a chair from my vanity, snagging the only pair of shoes from the top of my bookcase.

"Would you like me better if I looked like Klaus?" Ryder asked out of the blue.

My lips curved. "No, I can't say I've ever found my brother attractive," I joked.

This earned me a small smile from Ryder, who looked ready to pass out any moment. To be fair, I felt the same way when I met his mother. "I mean like, buff," he clarified.

I didn't have to think about it. "Hm, no. I like you how you are. I'm not into all that huge muscle stuff." I liked Ryder how he was, toned but not bulky, not overkill. I love Klaus but no one needs that much muscle.

Ryder soaked in my answer, nodding slowly. "I thought all girls were into that stuff, then again maybe it's just Alexia. I believe her motto is 'the more muscle the better'."

Oh, great. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll just never meet Klaus.

I slipped on my shoes. "Ready?" I asked Ryder.

He shook his head. "Not at all." And with that, we made our way onto the battlefield.

My mother ran around the kitchen frantically, trying to pull everything together in the last few minutes. She pulled her hair back, clearly out of breath. "Okaysonnyyousitthereklausyousitthervioletayousitthereandrydelyousitthere," she rushed out, the only part of the sentence that was actually understandable was her mispronunciation of Ryder's name, again.

"Ryder," I corrected.

My mother glared at me. "Violeta, we are in a time crunch, do you really think this is the time for that?"

I nodded. "His name is Ryder."

Ryder squeezed my hand, as if to let me know it was okay and that I didn't need to harass my mother about it.

"Ryder." She sighed. "Happy now?"

I nodded. The least she could do is learn his name.

The doorbell rang, causing my mother to nearly jump out of her skin. "They're here!"

They, as in plural?

"Violeta, go open the door."

"Can Klaus do it?" I asked at the same time Klaus offered, "I'll go get it." He already knew I wouldn't want to, way more pressure than I could handle.

My mother shook her head. "No, Violeta will do it. Klaus, you will stay seated. No offense, hunny, but people tend to wet themselves when they meet you and I would prefer not to scare this man away." The statement was an arrow through Klaus's chest, but he tried his best to hide it.