"What smells in here?"
Mom looks at my feet in Emery's lap.
"Brandon Roman Benson, take your foul, sweaty feet off of that poor boy's lap this instant and go take a shower like I told you to."
Ugh, my mom is always screaming at me and telling me what to do.
I pause the game and we put our consoles aside.
"Wanna come with me, Em?"
Emery nods and we run up the stairs, strip out of our clothes and giggle as we race each other into the shower. I hold Emery from behind, getting so distracted with his soapy curls that I forget the point of the shower. Emery makes quick work of cleaning us both and we blow-dry our hair quickly before mom can bother us again.
Then we go back downstairs to continue playing on the couch. I put my head in his lap this time.
My mom comes in to check on us again, this time drying a plate, and narrows her eyes when she sees that Emery has changed into my clothes. Blessedly, she chooses to ignore it.
"Emery, your grandma is here," she says, and Emery sighs but gets up to go.
I follow him to the door, promising to call while I'm playing video games so I can screen-share them.