Friday 13th
On Friday night at the Outset bar we all regrouped for drinks to celebrate our first two weeks back at school. Not all of us were there though. Victoria and Hugo's lack of a presence dangled in the air around us, the elephant in the room. We'd invited my brothers to join us but even with the extra numbers it still felt wrong.
Fleur obviously thought so too, she sat quiet beside me texting Victoria. I pondered over asking her to re-invite Vic but knew it would be a useless. She and Hugo would only refuse, not willing to see Ivy until she apologised.
But apologising seemed the furthest thing from Ivy's mind. She stood at the bar on the opposite side of the roof. Treading on her tiptoes and leaning up, she whispered something into the ear of the attractive male bartender. As she pulled away, giggles erupted from her red painted lips.
I watched her as she flirted up a storm, only tearing myself away when Oliver called out my name. Cluelessly I stared at him, a questioning expression written into my face, "Huh?"
"I said are you still ok to go out to dinner with me and Grace tomorrow?" he asked. I remembered him briefly mentioning it to me the other day after I'd nagged at him for not letting me officially meet his new girlfriend.
Knowing that this would be a rare occasion, my head nodded instantly, "Course."
"Ok, good," Oliver smiled, "She's really looking forward to it."
"So am I," I grinned, barely containing my excitement. I wouldn't deny how relieved I was for him, he seemed to be doing so much better with her around. Anyone who made my brother that happy, I had to know.
Caspian, who sat to the right of his twin, couldn't resist butting into the conversation, "I'd like to know why I haven't been extended an invite."
My eyes went to him from Ollie. He sat in the middle of the sofa, squashed in between his brother and Chester. We had all noticed that there was enough room around the table for him to sit somewhere comfortably but we'd kept our mouths shut for the simple fact being that he'd sat there to be next to Chester.
The two were pressed closely together. They'd been making discreet gestures towards each other all night, touching each other's arm when they laughed, nudging their shoulders together. No one else might have taken detected it but I did.
Ollie, who had been texting on his phone for a lot of the night, definitely hadn't bothered with noticing. But now he finally angled himself sideways and acknowledged his brother, "You're not invited because you humiliate me enough around her already."
"I do not humiliate you," Caspian scoffed, attempting to feign innocence. We all knew he was the furthest thing from innocent.
"When I brought her home the other night," Ollie began to point out, reminding Caspian, "You kept telling her about me wetting the bed when I was a kid."
Me and my friends watched on as my two brothers bickered, a regular occurrence for them. It was actually quite amusing. And unlike Victoria and Ivy's squabbling, there was no spite or malice behind the boy's words.
"Because you did," Caspian insisted, shrugging himself further into the back of the sofa and Chester's arm, "I thought she ought to know if she's sleeping in your bed."
"That reminds me. Another thing," Ollie's fuse blew, his hands wailing around as he spoke angrily to his brother, "You keep walking in on us without knocking."
"What's wrong with that?" Caspian questioned, completely aware of the frustration he was brewing inside Oliver. If anything, it only egged him on, "It's not my fault that you two can't sto –."
"Sister present," I cut in, not wanting to hear the rest of Caspian's sentence. While I was interested in my brother's love life, his bedroom antics were the last thing I needed to be filled in on.
Caspian's gaze travelled to me, smirking as he spoke, words aimed at Oliver, "Don't worry Andra. I'm nothing like that."
The biggest scoff left Oliver's mouth, disagreement rocking his head side to side.
"I'm not," Caspian exclaimed, his jaw slacking but mouth forming a smug grin, "I'm a good little Christian. Ain't that right Chester?"
The question dragged all attention to Chester who I was sure knew more than enough about Caspian's antic to prove him anything but a good Christian.
With everyone's eyes drawn to him, Chester's cheeks immediately burst out in a blood red blush. It was painfully amusing to watch.
"Stop embarrassing him Cas," I said disapprovingly, throwing daggers in my brother's direction. He took little notice, merely laughing and wrapping an arm around Chester's shoulders.
"You got to embarrass the people you love," He explained, his hand patting down on Chester's forearm, "How else will they know you care?"
It was a simplest joke but Chester's reaction was anything was amused. His eyes widened, lips dropping apart as he digested what Caspian had said. No one else caught on but I'd heard it too. From Chester's face, I gathered that he was not used to having Caspian class him as someone he loved.
As if to hide his reaction, Chester ducked his head downwards to his own lap. Beside him Chester sat oblivious, listening as Oliver responded, "There's literally hundreds of other ways you could show us you love us."
"But embarrassment is the funniest way," Caspian chuckled.
Ollie blew out an agitated puff of air, waving his hands at Caspian, "See that's why you're not invited tomorrow."
"Who cares about tomorrow?" Caspian shrugged, brushing of the rejection with little care. He tilted his chin right, smiling across to the boy rested in the crook of his arm, "Me and Ches have plans anyway."
Regaining Chester's attention, his head snapped back up to Caspian, "We do?"
"Course," Caspian nodded, his lips quirked all the way up his cheeks, two dimples denting the sides of his face.
It was the sweetest moment, the two of them smiling at each other. Chester flushed red again only pushing Caspian's smile higher.
Ivy was the one to break that moment. A high-pitched shriek hit our ears first and she appeared shortly after, a tray of alcohol balanced in her hand. She stumbled into the middle of the circle, laughter bubbling off her chest as she clumsily managed to lower the tray down onto the table.
"Friends," She exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, "I have drinks."
"Took you long enough," Caspian muttered, leaning forward and swiping two glasses of the table. He passed one to Chester and shot the other straight to his mouth, chucking the liquid down his throat.
In a similar manner Ivy grabbed one of the drinks and gulped in down in one mouthful. With the empty glass in hand, she waggled her finger in Caspian's direction, "Be grateful, I got that round free of charge."
Beside me Fleur, much slower than everyone else, reached for her alcohol-free lemonade. Sipping on it, she stared up at Ivy, "He must have liked you."
"They always do," Ivy teased, flipping her short blonde hair of her bare shoulder. Her white spaghetti strap dress hugged her body perfectly and the red heels on her feet made her naked legs look they went on for days. There was no wonder he'd given her a free round looking as beautiful as she did.
"Good news," Ivy chimed, propping her bum on the arm of the sofa opposite to me, "Not only did I get free drinks but I always got us both hot dates for tomorrow."
"Us?" I chorused, frowning.
Her eyes trained on me before rolling backwards, "Me and you obviously. The bartender said he has a mate perfect for you. I said we'd get drinks tomorrow."
I looked past her shoulder at the bartender wiping down the counter of the bar. As intrigued as I was to see if his friend could be as hot as him, I definitely wasn't feeling double dating. After coming out of a weird relationship with Thomas, only to enter into a weirder one with Asher, I decided adding more people to the mix would only confuse matters more. That in mind, I shook my head, "I'm not free tomorrow, sorry."
"What?" Ivy objected, furrowing her perfectly shaped brows, "Why?"
"She's out with me and Grace," Ollie informed her for me, exchanging a sympathetic shrug with my best friend, "Sorry."
"No fun," Ivy sneered, shooting me an unimpressed glare, "Can't you just meet us afterwards?"
"Not really," I told her though I probably could if I wanted to, "We'll probably be out till late, right Ollie?"
My brother, who had gone back to his phone, looked back up when he heard me call his name. I drew his attention, gesturing for him to agree by discreetly nodding my head and cocking my brows upwards.
"Um, yeah," He confirmed, bobbing his head up and down, "Sorry Ivy, she's all mine tomorrow."
Rolling her partially glazed eyes, Ivy conjured up an exasperated sound, "Urgh, fine. Fleur what about you? Fancy finally getting some?"
A shift in attention meant Fleur was now in Ivy's firing line. Just the suggestion of getting some sent Fleur's cheeks up in fire and had her mouth stumbling for words, "I don't think -."
Ivy's hand shot high into the air shortening Fleur's faltered response, "I'm not taking no for an answer. It's about time you let loose."
I could practically feel Fleur's hesitation emitting her petite body. The girl had always been a bag of nerves when it came to dating, sometimes even talking to guys. Which was a shame honestly, she was a catch. Kind, sweet, beautiful. She's have a queue of guys after her if she only just let them see all of that.
"You should go," I told her, smiling reassuringly at her, "It'll be fun."
A night of watching Ivy and the bartender fawn over each other and meeting a total stranger may not have been what Fleur concluded as fun, but there was no harm in putting herself out there. Who knew what might come out of it?
"I guess I'm free," Fleur breathed, her lips cracking out into a nervy smile.
"Great," Ivy squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement, "We'll get ready at yours."
"Get ready for what?" A new, deeper voice joined the conversation. I didn't even need to look to know who it was, I'd heard that voice too many times before.
I looked anyway.
Turning to where my brothers sat I watched as Isaac sauntered towards us, a smile nested comfortably on his round lips. Dressed up more than I'd seen him before, he donned a white dress shirt and tight grey slacks. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and hitched further up his arm as he reached up to brush his hair against his forehead.
"Isaac," I uttered, my voice barely audible against the pumped sounds of Caspian. Jumping up out of his seat, he rushed around and collided into Isaac, embracing him.
"Isaac man," Caspian cheered, patting his hand down hard on Isaac's back, "You made it."
Detaching himself, Isaac grinned. Deep laughs resonated in his chest as he bypassed Caspian and took Oliver into a manly hug.
"Can't ignore an invite from you two," He beamed.
Opposite me, Ivy scowled observing her brother and mine embracing each other, "You invited him?"
"Of course," Caspian grinned, brave enough to shoot Ivy a mockingly bold grin.
Isaac came walked through the middle, falling down on the same sofa his sister leant on. He jutted his chin up to her and acknowledged her with a gleam in his eyes, "Don't sound too happy to see me Ivy."
"Don't you have friends who you could hang out elsewhere with?" She sneered down her nose at him. I took it by her lack of enthusiasm they had yet to rekindle their sibling bond.
The chilled attitude he received from her made me question if my brother and I ever reunited, how we'd react. I hadn't seen Alex in almost three years now and while we still talked on the phone occasionally I had no clue what it be like the next time I saw him again. If I ever saw him again.
I prayed it would be nothing like the reunion of Ivy and Isaac.
"I'm with my friends Ivy," Isaac pointed out, gesturing to not only Caspian and Oliver, but the whole circle of us.
"Come on, Ivy," Caspian stepped in, a teasing pout to his lips, "We've barely been able to see him since he's been back."
Oliver joined in, nodding, "We missed the sod. Let him stay."
All three of the older boys peered up at Ivy, pleading silently for the blonde to agree. And while the stubborn frown stayed tightened on her face, a defeated sigh fanned her lips at the same time. Chucking herself off the sofa, she stumbled forward and grabbed another drink off the table, "Whatever, I'm going back to the bar," she mumbled, strutting away from the group once again.
Her foul attitude left Caspian in fits of laughter. Shaking his head side to side, he considered Isaac with an empathetic expression, "I don't know how you've put up with her your whole life."
"Neither do I," Isaac chuckled, relaxing back into the sofa cushion. With Ivy gone a calmer atmosphere rolled over us all and Isaac took the opportunity to finally look back at me, "Hey."
It was the most innocent thing someone could say but somehow, I felt like just by the way we were looking at each other had all our secrets were out in the open. With that paranoia seeping deep below my surface, I barely managed to croak out a coherent reply, "Hi."
He hesitated on me, swallowing down a mouthful of air before composing himself and looking to my side, "Fleur, how are you?"
"Good thanks," Fleur responded, her white teeth dazzling in Isaac's direction, "You?"
"I'm doing great," Isaac grinned, "Glad to be back."
"I don't know why," Caspian commented, his arm back to being slung around Chester's shoulder with easy affection, "I'd kill to be studying in Australia."
"Yeah well, I had to come back," Isaac admitted, "Missed you two too much."
"Damn right you did," Caspian cheered, "Soon enough you'll be taking us with you when you fly away."
"You're all still traveling next summer?" Chester asked, speaking for the first time in a while. Underneath my brother's arm, his gaze flickered between the three of them, halting when they reached Caspian.
"Course we are," Ollie answered for the three of them, almost too eager, "It's our last stress-free summer before we go to work for dad's company full time."
The daunting realisation crept on my two brothers, the apprehension visibly seeping into the tiny cracks of their smiles.
Though the reminder was too much to brew on, Caspian looked down at Chester and waggled his eyebrows mischievously, "Maybe you'll run into us."
"I keep forgetting you're all going off travelling together," Ollie confessed, only just then remembering mine and my friends plan for next summer.
"You are?" Isaac questioned, running his eyes back and forth between Fleur, me and Chester, "I didn't know that."
I could have easily snapped back some comment about how he'd know if he'd been here the past year. Or how if he had called his sister once in a while he might have been included in knowing. But instead my teeth clenched down on my tongue, extremely aware that right now was hardly the time or place. Remaining neutral with him around everyone else was far more important than getting out a quick jib.
Thankfully Fleur answered quicker than I could have, nodding, "Yeah. We figured it would be the last time we'd all be together."
"Where are you planning on going?" He asked, leaning forward we his ears perked up in curiosity.
"Everywhere," I thought, the mere idea of getting away from the city and all its problems pure heaven to me.
"Try convincing mum of that," Caspian chuckled sarcastically, "I hardly doubt she'll let you go wandering far when she knows you've got to be back home in perfect condition weeks before fresher's."
Just like that my relaxed mood was forgotten and my face twisted in uneasiness, "Mum's said I can go."
"Just wait," He said, clicking his tongue against his teeth, "The conditions will come soon enough."
"Cas," Oliver cautioned, his elbow nudging into his twin's ribcage, "Stop putting her down."
Caspian pinched his shoulders up into a shrug, "I'm not. I'm just warning her."
We all sensed the conversation touching on sensitive topics and in orders of salvaging it, Chester perked up. His hand met Caspian's knee and shook it gently beneath his fingers, "Maybe we might even manage to meet up at one point."
Caspian looked down to where Chester's hand sat, a tamed smile touching his lips, "I definitely wouldn't mind that. As long I'm not having to see my little sister hook up with foreign men she doesn't know."
Frustrated with the limelight being thrown back on me, I groaned and waved my arms around me, "Oh, so I'm supposed to stay inside the hotel and lock myself away from all men?"
"Of course not," Caspian denied despite the dancing gleam in his green eyes as he continued to pester me, "We're just going to have to vet them all first."
Throwing my arms up high, I all but roared at him, "You're impossible."
"For once Andra," Ollie pondered, pausing to motion towards our smug brother, "I might agree with Cas."
"Shut up," Caspian fired back, "You always know I'm right, you just never admit it."
Abruptly jumping up from my seat and trudging through the middle of everyone, I headed for the bar, barely glancing at anyone as I left, "You're all ridiculous, I'm going to talk to Ivy."
Having kicked up such a fuss I realised once I got the bar that I couldn't face going back alone. And considering Ivy's current position, leant over the bar giggling away with her bartender, I guessed I wouldn't be going back for quite a while.
Knowing so I slid further down the bar, away from Ivy's show of flirtation, and ordered myself a drink off a bartender who wasn't completely wrapped up in my best friend. A best friend who hadn't even noticed my presence.
With no one to talk to I hopped up onto one of the bar strolls and stared at the drink in front of me. Mindlessly I swirled my finger around the rim of the glass, again and again, bored already.
I must have stayed like that for minutes until Isaac's voice pulled me out of my trance, "Andra?"
"Yeah?" I croaked, gulping as I looked up from my drink and to his face which wavered close to mine. He stood beside my stall, his height still taller than mine despite the boost the chair gave me.
"You ok?" He queried, his expression a mixture of confusion and amusement at my withdrawn state.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I nodded, smiling reassuringly at him before dropping my gaze back down to my hands around my glass.
"Ok, good," He said just as a pause wavered between the two of us. I wondered if it I left it long enough it might feel awkward. When it didn't, I peered beneath my lashes, looking sideways to him.
He noticed me staring and took the opportunity to break the silence, "So I was wondering, do you reckon I now count as a foreign man your brothers should vet?"
"Isaac," I hissed, an instant sickening feeling plaguing my stomach knowing that Ivy was merely a few feet away. My head shot left so I could check that Ivy was still absorbed in her flirting and hadn't heard her brother.
"Andra," Isaac responded quickly, coaxing my attention back to him by pressing his hand to my wrist, "She hasn't even noticed we're here."
"Still," I fumed, the volume of my voice at its lowest, "You shouldn't flirt."
"I wasn't flirting," Isaac denied, a smirk playing on his lips. He paused for a moment, sobering in my pointed glare and then released a defeated chuckle, "Ok so I was flirting a little. Force of habit, I'm sorry."
"It's ok," I told him, unable to resist the faint smile that found its way to my mouth. When I spoke next, I dropped my voice even lower, "But to answer your question, yes you do count as a foreign man now."
He mustn't have been expecting me to carry on the joke, there not being a playful side to us anymore. There not even being an us anymore. So when I did joke back his eyes lit up, surprise and enthusiasm swirling in them, "You think I stand a chance of being approved?" He asked straight away, not wasting time.
I sucked in a breath and shook my head as I teased, "Definitely not."
"Well, worth the try anyway," He smiled but his enthusiasm fizzled quickly. A seriousness flashed across Isaac's features. He leaned closer an inch, lowering his voice as he spoke to me, "Andra. Look I know you said a couple weeks ago that you didn't want to talk-."
My guard arose instantly and my self-defence jumped in to stop him talking, "And I don't."
"But," Isaac sighed, his lips thinning out in a grim line, "I think I need to. I can't pretend as well as you can."
"Isaac," I breathed out his name. Unable to look at him anymore, I took to fixing my eyes on my drink, my grip around it so tight I thought I might shatter it, "Please don't put me in this position."
"Bu-."
It was Ivy who managed to cut Isaac short for me. Her loud voice boomed into our ears like warning bells. Isaac jerked backwards, stepping away from me and the stall and looked to his sister who frowned at us both, "What are you two talking about?"
Ripping my eyes away from my glass, I sent Ivy a beaming smile, "Nothing."
"Ok, well are coming back over?" She asked, tipping her head back in the direction of where the group sat.
Hoping of my stall, I said, "Yeah, coming," all the while linking our arms and steering us over to the group without a second thought. Isaac stood back, watching us as I all but dragged myself away from him.