The most annoying thing about having triplet brothers is how loud they are. At least one of them is always talking, and a lot of the time, they're arguing with each other.
Also, there never seems to be any food in the house. They eat constantly, so I have to keep a secret stash of my favorite snacks in my room, where the boys rarely come in.
Of course, when they do come into my room, it's always for a good reason. They don't bother me the same way they mess with each other. In some ways, I feel like their kindness is reserved for me, and that's actually kind of special, when you think about it.
For instance, one time I had just gone through a really bad break-up, and I hid myself under the blanket on my bed and just… cried, silently. I didn't think my brothers would notice - much less, care - but after a few minutes, they were in my doorway, asking me if I was okay.
"Can we come in?" Nick asked me.
I was struggling to catch my breath from sobbing, so I couldn't answer him right away.
"Are you okay?" Matt chimed in.
I pulled the blanket off of myself and shook my head.
"Do you need a hug?" Chris asked, already approaching me with his arms wide open.
I nodded without even thinking about it. Before I knew it, the three of them were on my bed, practically on top of me, giving me a big group hug.
They can be so sweet when they want to be.
"His loss," Matt said quietly.
"Yeah, you don't need a man," Nick added. "You're a strong woman. You'll get through this."
"Honestly, you should just stay single for a while," said Chris. "I don't wanna have to beat up any more guys on your behalf."
We all started giggling. Chris never beat anyone up, so we all knew it was a joke.
"You'll always have us, anyway," Nick said reassuringly.
"Chris is right," Matt agreed. "Just enjoy being single for now."
"Yeah, we got your back," Chris smiled.
They all nodded and looked at each other as if they were proud of themselves.
I sniffed and wiped the tears off of my face as Matt handed me a tissue from the box on my dresser. "And I'm so grateful for all of you," I said sincerely.
"Well, let us know if you need anything else," Nick said, getting up from my bed. "We're gonna give you some privacy now. Come on, you two."
Matt and Chris removed themselves from my bed, and then all three of them left my room.
As I watched them leave, I thought about how much I love them. Yeah, they're annoying and gross and ridiculous and loud, but they're my brothers. And I wouldn't trade them for the world.