I have three basic rules to live by
Don't draw attention to myself.
Make it through another year.
My brother's friends are off limits.
My junior year, each and every single one of those rules will be broken.
**~~**
Blaine has always been the type to...
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Gus James wasn't kidding when he said his wife knew how to cook. The serving platters and casserole dishes were a pristine white, making all the sides pop. The broccoli was the perfect shade of green. The corn casserole was baked to golden perfection. The mini marshmallows melted into a gooey quilt over the mashed sweet potatoes. The main feature had been sliced in the kitchen and presented once we were all seated around the massive dining room table.
I could hear the younger kids laughing and talking in the kitchen while the adults sipped their wine and conversed on more serious matters. Gossip about the politicians stepping forward for the next round of election season. Debates over who, in their exclusive circle of friends, were going to have a bad quarter. The women were more focused on who was wearing what and the next big society gathering. A gala, or a dinner of some kind.
We were half way through the third back-in-my-day story from the patriarch when chimes echoed from the foyer. Colleen looked at her husband who raised a brow with just as much curiosity. The woman who had taken our coats floated past the entrance of the dining room to answer the door. A deep voice bellowing over the otherwise pleasant conversation made Finn sit straight and his mother to shift in her seat. My hand found his under the neatly dressed table.
"Sorry I'm so late everyone," Finn's father announced carelessly as he appeared.
The expressions around the table were divided between surprised and relieved. Uncle Robert had been one of those who looked happy to see the missing clan member. When I saw that his own parents were left speechless by his arrival, I knew that they honestly believed he wouldn't be attending the holiday festivities. Showing up unannounced not only threw off the mood of the room, but it also put our little trio on edge. Finn's fingers cutting off the circulation in mine was proof of that.
"That's perfectly alright, sweetheart," Colleen cooed. The way she shifted into doting mother mode, as she got to her feet, was impressive. My own mother took weeks to figure out how to be motherly again.
The guests scooted and shifted as another place was added to the table. Colleen set him up beside his wife. The sight of Finn's jaw flexing from the corner of my eye made me nudge him with my foot. The unmistakable scent lingering on the man as he passed had pushed the boy beside me closer to the edge. He was barely holding it together before the grand entrance.
"Mind showing me where the bathroom is," I asked softly. "I can't remember what hallway it was down."
"I can show you," Zoey piped in, clearly looking for a reason to get away from the tension filling the air.
"I've got it," Finn answered sharply. The sound his chair made as he pushed away from the table drew all eyes to us once again. I gave a nod of my head with a muttered apology as I mirrored his motion, but with less noise. The heels made it impossible to catch up to him without calling more attention to our sudden disappearance.
"What the hell," Finn growled. His fists were clenched at his when I finally made it to his side. We were in the hall near the library, and I did the only thing I could think of. Pushing open one of the double doors, I snatched his hand in mine and dragged him inside. My back was against the now closed doors as I looked up. I half expected to find him pacing or trashing the room, like my brother would have been doing. Instead, he was rooted in place between the reading chairs and the desk.
