After painting one claw on each hand with golden glitter nail polish, Alex cuddled her pillow and closed her eyes, so Cale walked into the living room. He thought he would be undisturbed.
But Alex had never heard Cale pray out loud when he was on his own and she cracked open the bedroom door to watch him. His bent posture and hands gripped together so tightly that the knuckles strained white against the golden-green of his leather hide both intrigued and alarmed her.
She crept closer to overhear him, disgust with herself warring heatedly with curiosity in her churning belly.
Cale tried to whisper, but urgency made him louder than he realized. "Creator of all, thank you for my brothers and Alex that you have placed in my life. Equip me to love them with a fervency and patience like Your own. Help me desire their good above my own. Drive out my fear of loving so intensely and help me to help Gabe, Rile, and Alex, to be a good brother to them all."
Cale's wings opened and spread, covering his face.
Alex didn't know whether to hug him in sheer admiration or run away in shame that she had eavesdropped. Instead she crawled into bed and fell asleep.
*
It was late afternoon when Gabe climbed the steps to Alex's apartment. To his annoyance, Rile followed on his heels.
Gabe opened the door with his key and Rile almost bowled him over entering the apartment.
Cale jumped up from the couch where he had been reading his tablet, maneuvering between his two brothers before a fight erupted.
Rile sidled to the bedroom door and opened it before either brother could stop him.
"Afternoon, Alex," he said cheerfully as he stepped in.
Gabe and Cale crowded in as well.
"It's time for a movie marathon," Alex declared while sitting on her bed.
She handed Cale a credit card. "Grange gave me this for minor expenses. Please hand me your tablet and I'll register for a streaming movie service. Once it goes through, I'll show you how to queue up the movies. Horror movies are forbidden, but comedies, action flicks, and sci-fi are fine."
"I want to pick movies too," Rile said.
"I need you for another mission. Please crawl under my bed and slice open the box spring by this post." She tapped the brass bedpost for emphasis. "You'll find my hidden cash and I want you to buy the obligatory junk food for a movie marathon."
Rile had slithered under the bed as soon as she had said 'hidden cash.' There was a sound of cloth ripping and Rile slid back out, hands full of cash.
"I'm not even going to ask where this came from," he said as he stuffed the bills into his pockets.
"I am," Gabe said.
"Cash advance from Grange," Alex said. "I used most of it on your cell phones and takeout food, but I always have hidden cash."
Cale handed Alex his tablet and she patted the bed next to her. "Watch and learn."
Before he could sit down however, Gabe said, "I want to learn as well."
"If he's learning, then so am I," Rile said. "I'll buy the junk food after."
Alex yawned. "You know what? I'm taking a nap now. When Rile returns with the food, we can have a snack and set up the movies. Goodnight and goodbye."
She snuggled under the covers, face down, and jammed the pillow over her head, her standard dismissal of the brothers.
Gabe huffed in frustration, but Cale tapped his arm and shook his head, face full of worry. After a long moment, Gabe nodded and his posture relaxed.
"I shall return." Rile declared and strode out.
"We'll be on the couch," Cale said tentatively, casting a glance at Gabe, who nodded again in defeat.
***
It was several hours later when Rile returned with stuffed grocery bags. Arms full, he nudged open the bedroom door with his foot before Gabe or Cale could stop him.
"Food of junk is here!" He plopped down on Alex's bed and dumped out the bags.
She popped up, blinking at him.
"Ha! I knew you weren't sleeping," Rile said in triumph.
"You do not know that," Gabe hissed as he shouldered past Cale into the bedroom.
"Sure I do. She would have jumped out of bed or kicked me or at least tried to blast me if she had been really asleep." Rile grinned at Alex and nudged her arm.
In return, she rubbed her head ruefully. "Busted, I guess. Show me what you bought."
Rile spread out the food over the bed. "These are all types of chips: potato, veggie, Cajun Crawdad, Voodoo. Are they made with real Cajuns and Voodoo?" he asked.
Alex giggled. "No. And Girl Scout cookies are not made from real Girl Scouts either. What else did you buy?"
"I bought these things called pork rinds," Rile said. "The big sweaty Cajun guy said they were good. He said that the chips and pork rinds are supposed to be dipped in these containers. He looked like he ate a lot of food, so I believed him."
"Hmm, queso, salsa, spinach artichoke, and even three types of hummus. A big sweaty Cajun guy said to buy hummus?"
"Nah, that was a medium-sized human female with frizzy brown hair in the cold section. She looked like a younger Mrs. Bonifay, so I decided to follow her advice."
"I'm glad I don't own a scale. I'll gain a hundred pounds from all this."
"Human females are too obsessed with their weight," Rile replied. "Why are the skeletal ones considered attractive? The ones in advertisements look like they have the wasting illness. Besides, this is the beginning. I'm hitting up Grange for a pastry allowance so we can eat fresh pastries every day."
"Do not ask Grange for anything," Gabe ordered.
"Too late," Rile replied happily, a smug grin on his face. "Strawberry napoleons, Italian wedding cookies, and 'sinker' cookies full of chocolate icing from Lawrence's Bakery, and Turkish macaroons from Your Daily Bread are all on the menu."
Rile proudly held up a box covered with gold foil. Before Alex could say anything, he opened it and popped something in her mouth. "Finest sea salt caramels enrobed in richest dark chocolate," he intoned, as if reading a script.
Alex chewed happily and reached in the box. She held one out to Rile, who lipped it out of her hand and kissed her fingertips. He locked gazes with her and her expression shifted to one of loss and grief.
"It's okay to come back to us now." Rile gently traced along her chin.
Gabe grabbed Rile's arm and tried to wrench him off the bed. "Leave her alone. How can she heal if you're always opening up her wounds?"
Alex clutched her head in pain as Gabe and Rile scuffled.
Cale entangled one of Gabe's legs while at the same time, he yanked Rile forward. Gabe and Rile pitched off the bed onto a tangled heap on the floor.
Cale sat next to Alex and stroked her hair. "Tell me how I can help you."
"It's nothing." Alex looked up with her blank, happy expression. "Let's register for a streaming movie service and queue up the movies now. Gabe, Rile, what are you doing on the floor? Stop sparring and let's eat and watch movies."
"Gabe, please learn with me how to 'queue' these movies," Cale said before his oldest brother could explode. He picked up his tablet and showed it to Alex "Let's register. Where do we start?"
It wasn't long before Alex had registered and taught the brothers how to scroll through the movies and select ones from her approved genres of action, comedy, sci-fi, and fantasy. Bad and funny movies like Sharknado and Kung Pow were also added.
Rile had sullenly sat on the other side of the bed and opened every bag of chips since Cale and Gabe had flanked Alex for the lesson.
At length, Cale stood and said, "Help me move the living room recliner in here, Rile. We'll need both of them by the bed so we can all watch the movies."
"We'll all fit on the bed, won't we Alex?" Rile watched her closely.
"Uhm." Alex ran her hand through her hair and looked quizzically at Gabe.
"Not for movies," Gabe declared. "Alex is hurt and needs her space. You and Cale each take a recliner."
Alex nodded quickly. "Of course, Gabe."
Rile hissed in frustration and Alex flinched away from him. Cale anxiously clacked his claws.
"Please help Cale," Alex said. "Please? His poor claws are almost nubs."
"He should quit that nervous habit," Rile replied and popped a handful of chips into his mouth.
"I can't learn to haul the recliner from our apartment up here by myself," Cale replied, but he smiled kindly at Alex to relieve her fear of conflict.
Rile rolled his eyes and grabbed another handful of chips.
"Please, Rile?" Alex asked. "I'll order a Doberge cake from Gambino's. Very New Orleans."
"Don't bribe him," Gabe ordered. "Do it, Rile."
Rile glared at him and deliberately, slowly, moved each of his legs onto the bed and reclined so that he was half lying next to Alex.
She watched him with wide eyes but before Gabe could react and a fight break out, Cale flipped Rile's legs off the bed so quickly and expertly that Rile was forced to stand or else fall off the bed.
Alex drew her knees to her chest and hugged them, her protected position when she was distressed.
"That recliner isn't moving itself," Cale said and dragged Rile behind him.
"It's okay," Gabe soothed Alex and stroked her hair. "You'll feel better once the movie starts." He brought his own long legs onto the bed and she snuggled against him.
***
A/N
I totally gutted this chapter and rewrote it. Thoughts? Is Alex healing too slowly? Or does the character development keep you interested?
Dedicated to
--nemo--
One of the faithful few to have made it this far ! ❤️🐲🐉❤️