Antihero (Indefinite Hiatus D: )

Chapter Thirteen

It was awkwardly quiet in the room; the only noise was coming from Paulo who was rudely crunching on biscuits that had been served with the tea and coffee. Mira sat next to him, her back straight and her eyes darting between Christopher and me who sat in icy silence.

Christopher was dressed in some black sweats and a plain shirt now, courtesy of me, of course. I couldn't let him sit around in a bathrobe feeling all vulnerable, especially not at a table with DeMarlo. He was intimidating enough as is, I can't imagine how it would feel if you were practically naked. Yet, even when he wore my clothes, Christopher still managed to look at me with unhappy, narrowed eyes. I rolled my own at him and took a sip of my coffee, savouring the bitter taste as it warmed my body. DeMarlo had ordered us all to meet him in the coffee room, yet he was still nowhere to be found. 

The coffee room was one of my favourite rooms. Or, it had been, until it became one of DeMarlo's favourite rooms, at which point I decided it was no longer mine. The floor to ceiling windows overlooked a green slope of the hills outside and the room always received the best afternoon sunlight. We sat in uncomfortably antique chairs, which would clash against the modern design of the rest of the house, yet they suited the coffee room, due to the large, wooden bookcases lining the walls. Each shelf was filled with a number of dusty, unread books, all there for display more than use.

 Mira used to read a bit when Mother was still here, but since she disappeared Mira hadn't bothered to use her brain as often, instead relying on her looks to get her through life. Not that she needed to do much to survive, being DeMarlo's daughter and all. We were looked after well. I couldn't blame her - if our roles were reversed I was positive I would have done the same.

I eyed Paulo as he grabbed another biscuit, what must have been his fifteenth one, before looking at Mira and raising another eyebrow as he crunched down loudly on it. She shrugged and took a sip of her tea, looking out the window again. She obviously wasn't going to say anything, so I decided to pipe up. 

"Paulo, darling, do you have to eat so goddamn loud?" I asked oh-so-nicely, eyeing him over the rim of my teacup. He paused and glared at me, his blond hair flopping into one of his eyes.

"Mickey, leave him alone," Mira sighed, nudging me gently as she tried to find a way to sit comfortably in the skin-tight dress she wore. 

"Mira, he sounds like a camel."

"Oi, that's a bit rude, you asshole!" Paulo said between gritted teeth, biscuit crumbs flying from his mouth.

"Gasp!" I said sarcastically, placing my cup down and holding my hand to my chest in fake pain. "Is that any way to talk to your beloved future-brother-in-law?" 

"Like you can talk!" Paulo snorted leaning back in his chair, throwing his arms behind his head. Mira rolled her eyes at us both and grabbed a biscuit herself, taking a small bite before she looked at Christopher, who was sitting frozen at the end of the table, looking between us all with worried glances.

"Why don't you eat something?" She offered nicely, stacking a few biscuits on a plate and handing it to me to pass to Christopher. I grabbed it and handed it to him, eyeing his bony fingers as they reached out to take the plate. "Don't mind them. Michaelson's always a bit on edge after work," she said with a smile, sending me a small glance. I looked away and took a sip from my coffee, not bothering to acknowledge her comment, no matter how true it was.

"Thank you," Christopher said lowly, his eyes looking up at Mira's briefly before he took a biscuit and ate it. He watched me closely, his eyebrows knitting together as I met his gaze unflinchingly.

"So, who's this?" Paulo asked, eyeing Christopher warily. He probably should be wary. Once Christopher had filled out and cleaned up a bit, I was sure he was going to be a looker. One that matched Mira's type. Although, my sister was engaged, and I knew her personality was too forth-coming to ever dream of cheating on Paulo. She would simply dump him before she made her move.