Summary: Xander decides to stay
Warnings: just brothers being brothers
I ended up cooking lunch, because it turns out that neither Grayson nor Xander could cook. “To be fair, we had people cook for us our whole lives” was their oh so righteous excuse.
At first I thought that it was ridiculous that somebody had to cook for them their whole lives but then I remembered that they’re richer than anybody I’ve ever met.
I can’t even begin to imagine somebody else cooking for me or my family in our own home.
“Why would we cook when we can pay somebody to do so?” Xander’s voice is cheery and obnoxiously loud, but I love it. It reminds me of when I was little and I was home alone with Marley. It was around the time that mum was in the hospital with Cassie. Dad had to work and we had nobody to look after us. Marley was 7 and I was 12. We would scream and yell and karaoke to the point where I was surprised that we didn’t get a noise complaint. I really miss doing stuff like that with her.
“I’m not gonna lie, I genuinely thought that Grayson was some kind of master chef.” I shrug my shoulders, drying the last plate and putting it away.
“What gave you that idea?” Grayson looked disgusted. As if it was that bad to look like a good chef.
“I don’t know. I guess you kind of carry yourself like one?” I don’t think they understand what I mean. I don’t even completely understand what I’m saying.
“What do you mean?” Grayson seems really offended. He shrugs and straightens his back even more than it already was.
“I guess you just have the confidence of a chef. And you know how to bring heat to the kitchen.” I give Grayson a pointed look before cleaning the stove. I swear I can see a faint blush on his face.
“So, Xander. How old are you?” The question seems to catch him off guard and he looks at Grayson as if he’s asking for permission to tell me, but Grayson doesn’t react.
It probably has something to do with whatever happened between him and Xander before I came downstairs.
When I got to the last couple of stairs I could see them talking, but I couldn’t hear anything. However, I did get a look at their faces. Grayson seemed kind of frustrated, and Xander, oh boy, he looked exhausted. To the point I was surprised that he could still stand upright.
Whatever happened between them made both of them cry. I don’t really know Xander, so I don’t know how often he cries, but I can tell this was something that doesn’t happen often, because of that grin that Xander had plastered onto his face. It’s not possible for anybody to just grin like that after they cried. The grin is still present, and it makes me wonder how he manages to be so happy.
And Grayson…Oh deary me, Grayson’s eyes were puffy when we walked into the kitchen. He blamed it on cutting onions, but I know how to read a room. Something happened that was emotionally heavy on both of them.
It makes me wonder what kind of secrets lurk in their perfect family.
Or at least a family that I’m assuming is perfect.
I’m gonna have to ask Blake about that.
“I’m seventeen,” Xander’s voice contradicts his body language. His arms are crossed. That could mean that he’s defensive. Or insecure. “But I’m turning eighteen in December.”
I smile. “So you’re almost legal?”
There is a slight awkwardness before Grayson speaks again.
“How long are you staying, Xan?”
“Not long. I have a few errands to run before I go back home.” Xander grabs his car keys from the island and he shoves them into his jacket pocket. His clothes and personality don’t match. His personality screams light and bright, but his clothes display dark and gloomy.
“You just landed, yes?” Grayson’s voice is authoritative, but in a different way. I’ve never heard this tone coming from him.
“Why don’t you stay the night then?” I beat Grayson to it.
“I’d love to, but I told Nash that I’d be back home tonight.”
“I’ll call him.” Grayson reaches for his phone, but Xander grabs it before he could.
“Nope. It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
Grayson goes to grab his phone, but Xander simply lifts his arm. I snort when Grayson tries to reach it. “Give it to me. Now.”
Not everybody bends to the will of Grayson Hawthorne.
“No, Grayson. I said I’ll be fine.”
A grin suddenly breaks out on Xander’s face. “Fine.” Mischief glints in his eyes.
“Xander. No. Don’t even think about it.” Grayson takes a step back.
“Come get it then.” And Xander starts running.
My mouth drops open when I hear Grayson yell.
Where has his composure gone?
I give Grayson a watchful look, waiting to see what he’s going to do. He gives a deep sigh before looking at me. “I have to go find him. He needs to sleep before he drives.” Grayson’s hand moves to the back of his neck. “I apologize.”
I quickly shake my head. “No worries. I have a younger sister and this used to happen all the time.” Grayson raises a brow. “Well not exactly this, but some form of it.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll catch him if he comes to the front door.”
And then Grayson is off too.
It’s about three hours later and a loud crash comes from upstairs and I jump up from the couch.
I listen intently for either one of the brothers’ footsteps to come down the stairs. When I hear nothing for a few seconds, I contemplate going upstairs, but at some point Grayson told me to stay out of it. No matter what.
I had no choice but to comply.
I release the breath I was holding when I finally hear footsteps rushing down the stairs. I stand at the entrance of the living room. When Xander reaches the bottom of the stairs, he looks at me with uncertainty. He looks back upstairs and when he looks at me again, he finally speaks. “If I were you, I’d give him a few minutes alone before talking to him.”
His voice is quiet, and so loud at the same time.
“I won.” Xander gives me Grayson’s phone before walking toward the front door. I stood confused for a few seconds before rushing after Xander. I grab his arm and he tries to pull away in such a gentle way, almost like he doesn’t want to get away.
That’s when the older sister in me kicks in, and I knew, I just knew that he had to stay.
“What?” Xander tries to sound annoyed, but I don’t think it’s possible for him to experience that emotion.
“Stay.” The word is quiet. Welcoming. I don’t want him to feel forced to stay.
Xander stays quiet. He pulls away from me, taking a step back and I do the same. “You should go check on Grayson.” Changing the subject.
Do all the Hawthornes struggle to talk about their feelings like this? Are all of them really this afraid of confrontation?
Xander shakes his head. “I can’t.”
“It’s just one night, Xander.”
“I prefer steadfast.” Xander’s mouth curls up slightly.
“Fine. I’ll stay. Just for tonight.”
“Good,” I fold my arms, and tilt my head up to give him a look that dares him to challenge me further. “Now, what did you do to your brother?”
Xander bites his bottom lip and he gives me a guilty look. “I might have imposed the delicately violent art of Kyusho Jitzu on him.”
“Ever heard of Vasovagal syncope?”
“It’s a drop in blood pressure caused by the infliction of pressure on the ST-010, which is a pressure point in the neck. It’s called a Vagus nerve,” Xander looks at me with eyes that scream ‘I’m very interested in the subject’ “Or a Heart Nerve, if you will. The sudden drop in blood pressure makes you faint.” Xander bites his top lip. “And he might have hit a lamp on the way down.”
“Is this normal for you guys?”
Xander gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Basically, yes. I don’t win often though.”
I shake my head with a sigh and I try to keep the smile off of my face. Somebody could’ve gotten seriously hurt.
“You guys are ridiculous.”
“We prefer preposterous.”
I smile and Xander grins in return. “Let’s go make sure that he’s okay.”
“We should probably do that. But before we do, I need to know something.”
Xander gives me a long, unfaltering stare before he speaks again. “Did you have sex with my brother?”
My jaw drops and I can feel the heat rushing through my veins. But just thinking about it gave me butterflies.
“The fact that you think that we did is preposterous.” I feign confusion.
“No, actually, it isn’t.”
“What makes you think that we did that?”
“Because the pole isn’t that far up his ass anymore. Grayson enjoyed this little escapade. I can’t tell you when he last did something like this.”
“Well, I had no play in this. I don’t know why he took part in this.”
Xander gives me a tight smile. “You’re a very bad liar.”
I gulp when Xander walks past me and up the stairs. I’m not even that bad a liar. I’m actually a really good liar.
“You should hurry, because Grayson will take my head off if he wakes up and I’m alone with him.”
I sigh. As amusing as that would be, I don’t think I want to be a witness to murder today, so I reluctantly make my way upstairs.
part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9
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