The Inceptive Flame⎪✓

❨18❩

♀︎

Stepping inside the Eastbrook household, I search for my best friend. Her parents aren't home today and she wanted me to come over since it's weekend and none of us had any plans, hence me tiptoeing around the house, hoping I do not run into her obnoxious brother, Will. 

"I will literally kill you!" Her screechy voice yells from upstairs, followed by the booming laughter of her brother. Both of them storm down the stairs, Dani is chasing him with a shampoo bottle raised proudly in the air. Not really sure what type of damage she hopes to make, but whatever floats her boat. 

"You would have to catch me first," He sings as he runs into the backyard, she follows with no regard of his typical move. I roll my eyes but hurry into the yard. Spotting them nearing the pool I immediately know what his next move is. 

"Dani, you're an idiot!" I yell at her, making her halt in her steps. When Will nears her with a creepy glint in his eyes, realization dawns on her face. She backs away from him slightly, and I see my chance. Throwing my phone onto the bench outside, I run as quietly as possible. Just as Will lifts her up, I barge into his side. 

He, unfortunately for me, saw it coming. Because his rough grip on my arm doesn't let go as he falls into the pool, making both Dani and I fall in with him. A scream leaves my lips but is rudely cut off by the freezing water choking me. Swimming to the surface I splash his smirking face, "I hate you, Will!"

"Nah, you don't. Even if you did, I wouldn't care," He leaves the pool with a proud pep in his step and my scowling face zeroes in on his sister.

"You do know that you have a brain right?" I ask as she nods at me, "Why in the world won't you use it then!" 

Her laugh rings through the air, "He messed with my shampoo, my hair literally smells like shit. Of course, I had to chase him down."

"What? And murder him with a shampoo bottle?"

"That was the intention, yes. Don't be such a judgy little asshole," She splashes me with water. 

I laugh and leave the pool, she follows suit clearly not wanting to be sick either, "I'm not judgy, I prefer realistic anyway."

Our drenched bodies hurry up the stairs and into her bathroom, drying off with a towel I borrow some sweatpants and a t-shirt from Dani. She is taller than me and I am curvier than her, so it looks weird, but I would rather do weird than sick. All through the process her face is scrunched in concentration and I know she is plotting her next move against him, I won't interfere with that. 

"Maybe killing him will be easier," She suddenly speaks as we head down the stairs into their living room. 

Throwing myself on the couch I turn on the tv, "You know, that is probably the worst idea you have had yet. Are you running out of ideas?"

"No," She laughs. "But I am running out of patience, his need to throw the two of us into the pool is getting on my nerves."

"That's one thing we can agree on, I'm tired of being sick because of the cold water. Maybe the first move should be to remove the water in the pool altogether, you don't even use it anymore, he only does to throw us in it."

Dani scoffs, "Yeah, and allow him to throw us into a concrete hole, I think the fuck not."

"Don't be a bitch, I'm only helping you here. Killing your own brother isn't the best move," I laugh at her. This is very typical though, it's almost every single time I come here, he throws us into the pool and I have to talk her from killing him. Dani thinks he has mental issues, I think he enjoys pissing the two of us off. Therefore I won't allow it to annoy me, that is exactly what he wants.

"You're probably right," She sighs. "William has you to thank for being alive to see tomorrow, or else I would have choked him with a pillow in his sleep tonight."

"So violent, sis," He walks into the room, sitting down only to throw an arm around her shoulders. "Thought you loved me more than that."

A person follows behind him and my eyes widen when I spot Elijah, he smiles at me and sits down next to my spot on the couch. His eyes are gazing into mine and I urge myself to breathe, "Hey, love." 

"Hi, Elijah," My stomach jumps by his proximity, and his wonderful scent engulfs me completely, smiling at him I tuck a wet strand of hair behind my ear. 

"Well you thought wrong," She spits at her brother again and I can see her push his arm away from the corner of my eye. "I will only accept you as my brother if you stop messing with me, I'm tired of having hair that smells like shit and checking under my bed in paranoia all the time."

"Oh come on," He whines. "The needles were a one-time thing. I promised not to do it again."

Dani crosses her arms, "You only agreed because mom finally found out how you're treating me behind her back, clearly I'm the favorite child."

"The youngest child is always favorite," He scoffs.

"Especially when the eldest is a mixture between a pig and a cock-sucking idiot," She counteracts. 

Her harsh words should shock me, but I'm so used to their banter by now, deep down they love each other, they just don't know how to show it. I think. Focusing on Elijah, his humored green eyes jump between the siblings during their banter, he's clearly very interested. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask him curiously and ignore the siblings, he looks at me with an easy smile on his lips.

"Will and I met at the party and talked for a bit, he wanted to hang out," He explains and raises an eyebrow at me. "Although, I'm pleasantly surprised to see you here as well."

Ignoring the butterflies by his last statement I nod my head, "Yeah, you probably didn't expect him and Dani to be siblings, right?"

He laughs with a shake of his head and I smile at him, "Definitely not, no. Seeing them fighting makes for some great entertainment though."

"Sure it does until they start physically assaulting each other."

"They do that?" He laughs again and the sound makes my body hum. 

"Don't doubt for a second that the two of them will attack if needed, their fights have tendencies to escalate," Shaking my head in humor Dani raises her voice again and I roll my eyes before looking at her.

"Guys," I start in defeat. "Why don't we all just take a deep breath? Feel the good vibes hugging our souls and all that."

Will frowns at me in humor, "What the hell are you on, Kota?"

"Nothing, but I want to watch Love is Blind and you two are acting like bitches. Now, if you wanna keep fighting then please be so kind and leave this room, this is officially the quiet zone. You invited me over, Dani, now deal with the fact that I'm here and that I want some peace and quiet to watch reality-TV."

I may seem rude, but this is the only way to make them shut up and I really am not in the mood to break up a fight. If I hadn't meddled, they would have kept up the bantering for hours and my headache would be tripled by the time I left them. This is me saving my own head from the pain. 

Dani and Will scoff and cross their arms, both at the same time while Elijah and I laugh at them. When they realize why we are laughing they change positions quickly, ensuring they aren't seated the same and I roll my eyes in amusement. Sometimes I feel lucky to be an only child. Will nods to Elijah and gestures for them to leave the room, Elijah follows along after giving me a look that seemingly shows that he wants to watch Love is Blind, too. 

Laughing at his reaction, he reaches the stairs and sends me a small wink, the smirk playing on his lips causes sensations in my humming body. It's literal insanity how I react to having him near and I allow myself to give him a smirk in return before he walks upstairs. The surprise on his face by me reciprocating was worth the suggestive stare Dani is giving me right now and I wave her off, I won't hear the end of this now.