It Could Be More | ✔

26. Easy (2)

Boys are weird.

When Liah and Vik got back from the store with the pancake mix, along with cereal and fruit and whip cream and sprinkles, the four of us got started on dinner/breakfast.

Liah and I sliced strawberries and bananas at the table while the boys had a pancake flipping contest. The Lahiri's kitchen had a high ceiling and they were determined to hit it. They hadn't gotten that high, instead hitting everything else in sight. The refrigerator, the floor, Liah's head. It was ridiculous, but entertaining.

My good mood was mostly because Corey didn't run. We had our first fight, if it could even be called that, and things didn't end in flames. That gave me hope for our eventual showdown with my brother. He would obviously be upset at first, but once he saw how much Corey and I really cared about each other, he'd see he shouldn't keep us apart.

"You fixed it." Liah commented, chopping a strawberry like some pro-chef. She had a cooking phase a few years ago after getting hooked on reality cooking shows. I chopped more slowly, trying to keep all my fingers.

I smiled at her. "I did. Now there's just the part where we tell Gray."

Her eyes went wide. "You're telling him."

"I want what you and Vik have. You're relaxed and comfortable around each other. We won't be there until we stop lying to everyone."

She set her knife down, hugging me. "Finally! After all these years of watching you get all emotional over those romance books you read, I want to see you swoon over someone non-fictional. Especially after all those bad dates you've had this year."

Warmth filled my chest. She was right. With all my brother drama, it hadn't really sunk in that I have a boyfriend. Someone real I could use when my imagination goes wild when listening to my favorite songs.

Glancing over at Corey, I decided I was taking full advantage of the next forty-eight hours. No brothers or parents--just us two having our well-deserved honeymoon phase.

● ● ●

When we finished cooking, we moved our midnight breakfast into the living room. We watched some show about people surviving alone on an island and ate our pancakes. I topped mine with whip cream, bananas, and Froot Loops. They tasted heavenly.

Liah and Vik crashed on the couch at around three in the morning. Liah curled into his side, softly snoring, while Vik had a plate of half eaten pancakes precariously balanced on his knee.

Corey and I were on the love seat, my head in his lap, as we talked about nothing. I was past the point of being tired, running on fumes and syrup.

"Why hasn't that fallen yet?" I asked, pointing at Vik's plate. "Do you think it's stuck to his leg?"

Corey vibrated under me as he chuckled. "The two of them did use an entire bottle of syrup."

I got up, even as Corey protested and tried to pull me back. Tip-toeing over to Vik, I nudged the plate. When it didn't fall, I looked at Corey, who started laughing. I tried picking up the plate, stopping when Vik's joggers started lifting with it.

A laugh escaped from me and Liah stirred. "Go to sleep, Sereya," she mumbled before snoring again.

My eyes went to Corey, who was just barely holding it together. Before either of us could wake them, I grabbed Corey's hand and pulled him into the kitchen. We laughed the way you did when you were too tired to make sense of anything.

"My entire body fells sticky," I said through a yawn.

Corey snorted, reaching up to stroke my cheek. Instead, he wasn't. He pulled a piece of cereal from my cheek. "Because you are."