My sister was definitely creeping Emery out, which was a feat to me. Emery, the kid who was brave enough to throw salt on "demons" and talk to ghosts, was creeped out by my sister. She was a whole heck taller than him, even Mike being a bit shorter than her, and she was just hounding him with questions and getting all in his face.
"So, you're my brother's new friend, huh?" she asked, looking at him up and down, "How much is he paying you to go along with this?"
"He-He isn't," Emery said frantically, shaking his head back and forth. My sister narrowed her eyes at him. "Really! I came here out of my own free will. I even called him and asked him if I can stay over!"
"Really? Then how did you meet?" She inquired, pointing her sucker at Emery accusingly. Of course she wouldn't believe him. Why would she? I've been a recluse for three years, and all of a sudden I have a friend? Trust me, I'm surprised too, Sis. But jeez, have a little faith in me.
"Um...Well," Emery said, twiddling his thumbs. I decided to save him.
"He's the kid that threw salt at me because he thought I was a demon, " I explained, making Emery blush a little more. This kid likes to blush- which sucks for me because it's really cute. My sister saw the blush and her mouth formed an 'O' shape in remembrance of her conversation with me the other day.
"You mean that cute boy from your Anatomy class that you mentioned?" she asked innocently, but to me, it was a challenge. She wanted me to deny it! She wanted me to get flustered! She wanted me to get embarrassed! Well, jokes on her!
"Exactly," I said, trying to play it cool. I concentrated my gaze onto her face, forcing myself to look away from Emery's. I knew Emery was probably blushing, which would break my confident facade. "That very boy is that boy right there. Emery Adams is that boy."
No, that was just a stupid thing to add. Why did I say that? Why did I say that?!
"Uh-huh," assessed my sister, looking at me up at down with both a smile and concern. She looked as if she half-believed me and half-thought I was lying. Yet, at the same time, she knew I was wanting to defend myself and state that I did not call Emery a cute boy, even though I did. And she also looked a little concerned at my nervousness. "Okay then. So, Emery, you seem like an interesting person. You are, indeed, very cute. Are you gay?"
Emery's eyes widened and his blush, impossibly, deepened. His mouth was open a bit, as if appalled by the straightforward bluntness of the question she had just asked.
"Um...uh...yeah," he mumbled, then said "Yes. Yes, I am." My sister gasped in happiness, as if her fanfiction OTP finally kissed, and raised her hand up to her mouth.
"I ship it so much!" she whisper-yelled into her hands. Mike, who was sitting silently on the couch beside her, rubbed her shoulder soothingly as to warn her that she needs to calm down.
My sister doesn't calm down.
"Mike, don't you ship it?! It's so PRECIOUS!" she squealed.
"Spaghetti-O, I don't think they are a thing yet," Mike said with a forced smile. He's always this uncomfortable around me and other gays, not because he is a homophobe, but because he used to be one. Until he met my sister. He realized that he loved my sister more than he hated gays and that, if she supported us, so did he. It's a really cute story, in my opinion, but Olivia (or, as Mike nicknames her "Spaghetti-O") thinks it as a teachable lesson to all "gay-haters." Still, however, being around me made Mike act slightly off-kilter.
"What do you mean by 'ship'?" asked Emery. Oh, that's right. Ghost Boy hasn't learned my sister's native language yet: fangirling.
Ignoring Emery's question, my sister huffed and smacked Mike on the arm.
"They don't have to be together to be a ship!" she huffed, "Percy and Nico aren't together! Draco and Harry aren't together! Alexander and Laurens aren't together! BUT THEY'RE STILL A SHIP!"
God, she was way too loud. Emery grew even more confused as she kept speaking. Mike was holding his hands up in surrender, while my sister threw her hands up in the air and kept correcting his mistakes. Something caught my eye, however: a little glint of light reflecting off of my sister's wild hands. I tried to focus on it, but my sister kept lecturing about ships. Emery overhearing the definition of a ship, began to blush bright red.
"Sis?" I asked, stopping her obnoxious and dramatic lesson by catching her attention, "What's that on your hand?"
Without even looking down at her hand, she laughed nervously. "What do you mean?" she asked in a nervous tone. To anyone else, she might have gotten by with this, but, even after three years apart, I had still grown up with her. I knew what it was like when she was nervous. I looked down at her hand, which was now still. On it laid the source of the glint of light: an expensive-looking ring, filled with many diamonds and made of shiny silver.
I looked up at her, then back to the ring, then back to her.
"So..." she trailed, biting her lip, "I'm...engaged."
I kept staring at her.
I was the little brother, but boy was I overprotective. Mike experienced the first taste of my protective-ness when they started dating in high school. I would give him a glare every time he reached to hold her hand. I would always be in the same room as them when they were hanging out at our house. I would make sure that this little cliché jock boy slimeball would keep his grubby hands off my precious sister at all costs because no boy was going to break my sister's heart. And if I had to be scary to do it, I would.
But ever since the accident with Severus, I had grown to become much scarier.
"Since when?" I asked, without moving a muscle. However, my eyebrows drew together. How did I not notice the ring when she first visited? I'm a people-watcher; I notice everything!
"Since...remember when I said that Mike had dinner reservations? Since then. He proposed to me after dinner..." she started off strong, but her voice got quieter as she spoke, "Are you mad?"
I looked at Mike and observed him. He was nice-looking, that's true. But was he worthy of my sister? No one really was; not even me. She was a top-grad student who was the jack of all trades; she could hack a computer or be your counselor or be a substitute mom while, at the same time, reading the whole Harry Potter series in a week. She was hyper and super clingy, but she had character. Unlike me, sitting in a depressing home in a depressing life, single as a Pringle, and basically a walking flirtatious dead body just barely surviving off of a Starbuck's pay-check.
But was Mike good enough? He was a bit wealthy, but not rich or snobby. He had a scholarship for sports and busting abdominal muscles because of sports. I was sure he played football- American football. Just because he seemed like that kind of guy.
"No," I said regaining my composure and sighing, "I'm not mad. I'm happy for you guys." I turned to Mike. "Mike?"
He looked at me, a little relieved and less uncomfortable now that they had my approval.
"If you ever hurt my sister," I said seriously, "I will kill you."
"Noted," he nodded, sealing our silent truce. Meanwhile, Emery looked at us, wide-eyed and silent, as if he watching some intense reality TV show. It was silent until the little midget decided to speak up.
"What's an OTP?" he asked, wondering if he'd get an answer this time. My sister leaned over and pinched his cute little baby cheeks.
"Don't worry about it, Sweetie," she cooed, "I'm sure you'll find out."
Emery frowned. I knew it was because he really wanted the answer. He was a curious little booger. But unlike with me, he accepted that he wasn't getting an answer and backed down. That must have taken a lot of self-control from him.
After that, my sister spoke about the events leading up to Mike's proposal and their engagement. It was a pretty cute story and I was genuinely happy for my big sis. However, I couldn't help but notice Emery observing me as we talked. I kind of felt bad that he got left out of the conversation, but he didn't seem to mind. He seemed to enjoy staring at me while I talked to my sister and her...fiance.
Soon, the doorbell rang and I could smell the pizza from the chair I was sitting in. I shot up, cash in hand, and walked to the front door, which could be seen from my living room. I swung the door open, thinking about that glorious pizza behind it. When I opened the door, however, all thoughts of pizza ran from my mind.
The pizza guy was pretty cute. I'm not usually into the feminine-type guys, but this one was very subtle. At least, in the pizza uniform he was. He had subtle hints of makeup, which I liked, but he also had shiny, bold cranberry-colored lips, which I also liked. He seemed dainty and small- my type- and his smile was very bright in contrast to his lips.
He looked me up and down, losing his smile as he checked me out. Then he returned to his original state.
"Hello! I've got one cheese pizza and one pepperoni?" He wanted confirmation that he was correct. Hmm, what should be his nickname? He was cute, but he wasn't as cute as Emery, so not cutie.
"Hey, Baby. Pepperoni and cheese? You've come to the right place then!" I smiled a little, leaning against the doorframe. The pizza boy blushed at "Baby."
"Excuse me," to my surprise, Emery came in from beside me. The two small, adorable boys looked at each other. Emery snatched my money from me and gave it to the boy. "Keep the change," he said as he took the pizza boxes from the sexy pizza boy.
"Are you coming?" he asked, turning to me. The pizza guy turned around awkwardly and shut the door behind him. Without waiting for an answer from me, Emery laid the pizza boxes on my kitchen counter.
From over at the couch, my sister grinned evilly and mouthed "Jelly," at me.
No...Emery couldn't be...
He couldn't be jealous, could he?
~{()}~
The next morning, I woke up earlier than the day before. I went into the living room only to find sleeping Emery sprawled out on the couch and wrapped tightly in the blanket I lent him.
He was so cute; this kid is going to be the death of me.
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