Pleasurable Expectations

s e v e n t e e n

The next week breezed by, Christmas preparations taking the main focus of my mind. I spent my days shopping for gifts for those most important in my life, the stress of work falling to the back burner as the Christmas season raged on, a season I decided to start paying attention to just days before the big event.

That's why I was racing through the mall, Heaven on my left side carrying a bag of my stuff, Michael on my right as he carried two. In my own arms, I struggled to keep hold of four more of my bags, their weight causing my shoulders to ache.

"This is why you don't wait to do last-minute Christmas shopping, Tiara," Michael scolded as he strode next to me. There wasn't a hair out of place to even suggest that he was struggling. "You do this every year, and you never learn." He tutted his tongue at me, his lip quivering as he attempted to hold back a smile as he watched over me, struggling with my bags.

"I don't need this lecture every year," I retorted, a scowl on my face. It was directed towards the shopping bags in my hands instead of my brother. I didn't want to turn my attention from them and have them tumble to the ground. "You know, Venna, you could help me out a little more."

Heaven looked me over briefly, her gaze then falling upon the one bag she held, it swinging in her fingertips from her loose grip. "I wouldn't have enough hands to carry my bags, though." She shrugged and pulled her phone from her back pocket, shooting off a text before returning it to its place.

"You don't have any bags!" I struggled to gesture towards her hands, the only bag in her clutches one of mine.

"Not yet," she stated, her head cocking to the side.

"You're unbelievable, Venna." Michael scoffed loud enough for her to hear before lifting a literal weight off of me as he grabbed a bag from my hand. "You can't carry another bag until you get your own?"

"Not my bags to carry." She waved a hand over her shoulder. Another chime erupted from her phone, her wasting no time to reply. "Ara's lucky I'm carrying this one!"

"Venna are-"

"Just leave it, Michael." I rolled my eyes as I adjusted the bags in my hand, shifting them so they're more comfortable in my grip. "When has Heaven ever acted in anything but her own self-interest?"

After I finished the last of my Christmas shopping, Heaven insisted that we have a celebratory brunch. When explained to her by both Michael and myself that the places around here only do brunch by both reservations and only on the weekends, she shushed us and pulled out her phone. Ten minutes later, she revealed that she had set up brunch for us at the Palisade.

"So you have a lot of pull, I see," Michael remarked as he picked up his mimosa. He gestured towards the view in front of us, the sun sitting high in the sky, reflecting brightly against the water peeking out between the docked boats. "Got the Bravern to open early just for you, and now brunch when brunch shouldn't be."

Heaven shrugged easily as a small hum sounded from her throat, the sip of mimosa she took disrupting it. "Latrell's the one with most of the pull, but throwing around our last name does get the job done for me." She took another sip of her mimosa, using it as a filler before we decided to go to the buffet for our next round of food.

"I hear that you still got a little pull, though," I jumped in. "No matter how hard I wish, I couldn't have a restaurant arrange a brunch for me that quickly." I sighed dejectedly, a swig of my mimosa following.

"Don't sound too upset," Heaven joked. "Besides, with that businessman-to-be on your arm, you'll have your life back in no time." She nudged her elbow at me smally, a conspiratorial smile tugging her lip corners. When she noticed my tense smile, hers fell. "What's up, Ara?"