Lover // the fisher brothers

019

Eleanor 🎀

"So, James, mind if I call you Lewis?" Jeremiah questions casually, his tone filled with curiosity.

"Yeah, man. Feel free," James responds with a nod, his London accent adding a unique charm to his words. We're all gathered for dinner, with me and James seated together. Isla and Taylor are across from each other, while Belly and Cameron sit opposite. Susannah, our host, has adorned us with flower crowns she specially made for the occasion.

"I'm glad you're here, James and Cameron," Susannah says warmly. "Cameron, I know your mom, Denise, from the club. I've heard a lot about you."

"Thank you so much for having me, Susannah," Cameron replies gratefully. "My mom says hi."

"Hey, guys, ever had miyeok-guk before?" my mom asks Cameron and James.

"Nope, never tried it," James admits.

"It's a Korean birthday tradition," my mom explains, passing plates to Cameron and James. "Belly and Ellie told me you're both vegetarian, so I didn't put any meat in it."

"Thank you, Miss Park," James acknowledges.

"Feel free to call me Laurel," my mom offers with a smile.

"Why don't you eat meat, Lewis?" Jeremiah inquires.

"Mainly because it can protect the environment, and plus, I like animals. It can also cause cancer," James explains, his London accent still evident in his words.

"Shit, I didn't know that," Jeremiah responds. "You know, uh, actually, Nemo eats meat," Jeremiah adds, pointing towards me.

"Who's Nemo?" James asks.

"That's Ellie, just a nickname I have for her," Jeremiah clarifies.

"Okay," James replies, seemingly unfazed.

"So, you let her kiss you with those lips?" Jeremiah presses on.

"No, I don't judge people for eating meat. It's just like a personal choice. I don't care," James responds calmly.

"Leave her alone," Isla interjects, coming to my defense.

"I don't mind at all. In fact..." James starts, turning towards me and giving me a peck on the lips. I glance over at Isla, who is seated next to Conrad, noticing his annoyance, but I choose to ignore it. Jeremiah and Steven both pretend to retch, adding a touch of humor to the situation.

"Alright, alright, alright. Ellie's allowed to kiss, but that's it," my mom declares, casting a meaningful glance at me and James.

"I'm sorry. I just don't understand why anybody would want to kiss somebody who cried over a fictional character being dead," Steven remarks, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up, Steven," Isla snaps, shutting down his comment.

"Aw, I remember that. God, that feels like a lifetime ago," Susannah reminisces, her voice tinged with nostalgia.

"I remember when I visited last summer, and you dared him to pee in the fireplace, and you stunk up the entire house for days. Do you remember that?" Isla teases.

"I blamed the neighbor's cat," Susannah admits with a chuckle.

"We were drunk. We were drunk," Steven interjects, trying to explain away their antics. I glance over at Belly and Taylor, who have been unusually quiet the whole evening.

"On, like, half a White Claw," I add, teasingly.

"She got you there," Jeremiah agrees, laughing along with the conversation.

"You know what, um, I'm thinking maybe we should go to Nicole's party," I suggest, changing the subject.

sorry for the longer paragraph in the chapter before.

Word count: 550 words