“Really?” I asked hopefully.
“No. Come on.” Before I could argue more, he opened the door and walked into the house. “Hi, honey, we’re home!”
“Peter, hold Matilda!” Mae shouted from another room, and I cringed, knowing that Peter was just a room away. Then Mae raced into the entryway, her arms already open to hug me. “Alice!” She threw her arms around me, holding me tightly to her. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Me too,” I told her, and I was surprised to find I actually meant it.
“You know, I’m here too,” Jack pointed out when she released me. He had only meant it as a joke, but she turned and hugged him anyway. “Thanks.”
“You know we’re always glad you’re here,” Mae smiled at him.
“I know you’re glad that I’m here,” Jack corrected her, and a new fear gripped me. Maybe both Peter and Ezra didn’t like him, meaning that I wouldn’t even stand a chance.
Suddenly Matilda came bursting into the room, but Jack intercepted her, and she jumped happily into his arms. This is a hundred pound dog, and he caught her in his arms with ease. I knew that eventually I’d have to stop being so amazed by Jack.
“Peter!” Mae shouted towards the other room, where Peter still remained hidden.
“She got away from me!” Peter insisted, his silken voice shooting through my body. If he had even half the strength that Jack had, hanging onto Matilda wouldn’t be a problem. He’d let her go to spite us in some way.
“Peter,” another voice boomed. His voice was deeper than Jack’s or Peter’s, and it resonated in a way that made me flush warmly. Thankfully, he didn’t sound angry. He was merely disapproving, but I knew that if I had been on the receiving end of his disproval, I’d probably faint.
“Sorry,” Peter grumbled.
“That’s Ezra,” Mae told me, smiling proudly just at the mention of her husband.
Jack finally put down Matilda, who had completely saturated his face in slobber, and she bounded away. Mae looped her arm in mine, and I knew she would revel introducing me to Ezra, so I let her lead me into the next room.
“He’s really not scary at all,” Jack reassured me as he wiped dog slobber of his face with the back of his arm.
“He’s the nicest in the world,” Mae whispered.
Then we walked into the living room, and as soon as I saw him, all my fears melted away. My very first thought was that he looked like an angel. He was taller than Jack and Peter, but he didn’t seem to tower over anyone. As I had suspected, he was gorgeous, and he wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and collar unbuttoned, revealing a tantalizing hint of his chest.
His eyes were deep mahogany and infinitely warm. His skin was the same tanned color as Peter’s, but his hair had sun kissed streaks through it. He was in his mid-twenties, and he looked amazing, but he also looked… old somehow.
Around his eyes, I could tell that he was much wiser than his age belied.
“And you must be Alice,” his deep voice rolled warmly towards me, sending pleasurable chills coursing through me. There was something about his voice, I’d heard it when he said Peter’s name, but I couldn’t quite place it until he spoke more. He had a faded accent, maybe Irish or Australian, but I couldn’t be sure since it was so soft. He stepped closer to shake my hand (his skin had that familiar soft, temperate feel), and that’s when it finally dawned on me.
Ezra had an accent, but Peter and Jack didn’t, and maybe that could be explained by Ezra being born in another country while the other boys were too young to pick up an accent. But their eye colors were all so distinct and completely different. Ezra had deep brown, Peter’s were shocking green, and Jack’s were a soft blue. There was no way they were brothers.
“And you must be Ezra,” I smiled back at him. He held my hand in both of his, and he smiled so warmly at me, I thought I would melt. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Peter standing in the corner, casting an odd look at us, but I tried to ignore it.
“I’ve heard so much about you.” He let go of my hand and took a step back so he was at a polite distance. Mae stayed planted at my side, and she had started stroking my hair again. I realized belatedly that she was showing me off.
“All of it good, I hope,” I replied quietly. It was an incredibly cheesy thing to say, but I couldn’t think of anything better.
With Ezra stepping back, he couldn’t quite eclipse my view the way he had before, and I couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Peter, who was staring straight back at me. He leaned his shoulder against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Wearing tight fitting jeans and a black tee shirt, he was so amazingly gorgeous that I had to pull my eyes away to look back at Ezra, who suddenly didn’t seem quite as astonishing in comparison.
“Isn’t she lovely?” Mae gushed, putting her arm around me. All the attention was flattering, but very odd. Mae treated me as if I had cured cancer or walked on water, and all I had done was show up.
“She is something,” Ezra admitted, and I felt him appraising me, so I straightened my back slightly. “But you knew she would be.” I didn’t know what the hell that meant, and I wanted terribly to ask, but I knew it would have to wait until we left and I was safely in the car with Jack.
“She’s just a girl,” Peter scoffed, making me crumble inside. My body slouched automatically, but I fought to keep my facial expression even. Ezra turned to shoot a glance at Peter, who just looked away and shifted his weight.
“Peter.” Ezra wasn’t disapproving this time. He just sounded like he didn’t understand him at all.
“Well, you don’t need to put her on display,” Peter muttered. He refused to look at me, but he snuck glances at Ezra. “She’s here. I get it.”
“I was just introducing her to Ezra,” Mae told him, but there was a protective edge to her voice.
“I’m sorry about Peter,” Ezra turned back to me, smiling apologetically.
“He seems to have completely lost his mind.”
Peter rolled his eyes at that, and I wondered what it was about me that bothered him so much. I’d barely said anything around him. In fact, I’d mostly just stood there and stared dumbly. How could that be so offensive to anyone?
“We’re just kind of standing here,” Jack pointed out. He’d been standing off to the side of me, crouched down on the floor so he could pet Matilda, who had rolled over on her back so he could rub her belly. “You know what would be fun?”
“Nobody wants to play Guitar Hero.” Mae sounded exasperated when she turned to give him a look.
“But you can download whatever song you want and play that!” Jack whined.
“He’s back on that again?” Ezra asked, looking a little disappointed.
“He bought a new system or something,” Mae explained wearily. “I don’t know. It’s just been the past couple days.”
“Well, maybe we should let the kids play, and you can fill me in on what else I’ve missed while I was gone,” Ezra suggested.
Mae took a step away from me, and he looped his arm around her slender waist. They really looked perfect together, and something about them made me incredibly jealous. Not because I really wanted to be with Ezra (although, there were much worse things I could do) but because of how obviously they were made for each other. I wanted to be made for somebody like that.
“Have you played Guitar Hero?” Jack asked suddenly. I’m assuming he was asking me, but he was already hurrying over to the giant plasma television hanging on the wall and hooking up the gaming system.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Mae gently touched my arm. “And don’t be afraid to tell him when you’ve had enough. He can play that game for hours, so you’re gonna have to be the one to stop him.”
When they walked out of the room, Mae rested her head on Ezra’s shoulder, and I couldn’t help but feel sad to see them go. Peter, strangely enough, didn’t take this as his cue to exit, and stood where he was, glowering at everyone and everything.
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br /> “So have you?” Jack looked back over his shoulder at me.
Matilda had followed him over to where he sat crouched on the floor, putting the game in the player and hooking up the wireless guitar controllers.
She shoved her nose right in his hair, drooling over it, but he didn’t seem to really mind or notice.
“Like once, at a friend’s house,” I said. Jane had been making out with a guy the entire time, while I sat downstairs in the living room and played Guitar Hero with his nine-year-old brother. It had been a hoot.
“It’s really awesome,” Jack enthused.
“I don’t know why you’re making the poor girl play with you,” Peter commented. For once, he didn’t sound angry or irritated, and I think he was almost coming to my defense. Okay, I was definitely trying too hard to read into everything, but it made me feel better anyway. “You’re going to completely slaughter her.”
“I am the greatest Guitar Hero player of all time.” Jack was insanely proud of this accomplishment, and why wouldn’t he be? He had amazing talents that he downplayed constantly, but he was really, really good at a video game. He had his priorities in order.
“Of course you are.” I took the plastic guitar from him and dropped the strap over my shoulders.
“What song do you want?” He started scrolling through the song list so fast I could hardly even read it, but I caught a few that I liked.
“Um… how about Interpol?” I suggested rather timidly.
“Good choice,” Jack commended me.
I was acutely aware of the fact that Peter was staring at me, and it made me extremely self-conscious. His gaze didn’t feel quite as hateful as it had before, but that didn’t change the effect he had on me. Ezra had been able to calm him down somewhat, and for that, I would be forever grateful. I couldn’t bare him hating me.
A few strums on the guitar switch later, and the game started rolling. The object was to hit the colored buttons on the arm of the guitar in time with the same colored buttons flashing on the screen, but it was much harder than it sounded. Jack had put me on the easy skill level, but he was on expert and flying through it. Peter had been right. There was no contest between the two of us. I could barely even finish the song.
“Oh, that was brutal,” Peter said when we had finished playing. He left his place on the wall and walked over to me, making my heart pound so loudly I could barely hear myself think. He was careful not to look me in the eyes, and I could tell that was a very deliberate decision. Then he held his hand out towards me, and at first I didn’t understand. “Give me the guitar. Jack needs a good ass kicking.”
“You need it more than I do,” Jack scoffed.
I started to pull the strap off over my head, but it got tangled in the length of my hair. Peter reached out to help me, and for a second, his hand was over mine. His skin felt much different than everyone else’s. It was just as baby soft, but it was burning hot. It reminded me of when I accidentally touched an electric fence when I was a kid, except this was pleasurable. It actually sent a jolt through me, and I saw his eyes flash up, meeting mine for just a second, so I knew he felt it too. Then he quickly untangled the guitar and took it from me, without saying a word or looking at me again.
“What song?” Jack asked Peter, and there was a strange edge to his voice that I didn’t understand.
“BYOB, cause it’s the hardest,” Peter explained before Jack could question his choice. He sounded perfectly even, but when he looked at me out of the corner of his eye, I could tell that he was a little startled by our moment.
Feeling weak and shaky, I walked back and collapsed on the overstuffed plush couch. Matilda decided that I needed company and climbed next to me, resting her enormous head on my lap. I stroked her ears and watched Peter and Jack play the game. They were playing so fast it didn’t seem humanly possible, but then I remembered that they probably weren’t humanly possible. My whole body still felt electrified from the touch, and I tried to decide whether or not I should ask Jack about it. It still felt weird to me to talk to him about his brother, even though it wasn’t like Jack and I were dating or anything.
Peter beat Jack the first round, so Jack demanded a rematch. They played on for awhile, and Jack kept looking back at me, to make sure I was still there.
Peter did too but always quickly looked away. Every time he glanced back, my heart would flutter, and I swear every time my heart beat would speed up, Peter and Jack would tense up.
“You’re not even letting her play?!” Mae appeared in the door with her hands on her hips, sounding appalled. Ezra stood behind her, but he just chuckled at the boys, as if he hadn’t expected any different from them.
“She played,” Jack said defensively. “She just, you know, wasn’t very good.”
“I had to put Jack in his place,” Peter insisted.
“Well, that’s enough of that,” Mae informed them. She walked over to the couch, pushing Matilda onto the floor and sitting next to me. “She’s probably bored out of her mind.”
“I’m okay,” I smiled at her. Truthfully, I hadn’t had a chance to be bored.
Watching Peter do anything was intoxicating.
“Turn that off anyway,” Mae nodded to the game.
Jack grumbled, but he complied. Peter took off his guitar and set it down in front of the entertainment center, then he sat in the chair on the exact opposite side of the room from where I was sitting. He glanced at me again, and I couldn’t help but think that his seating choice had been deliberate.
“It’s a fun game,” Jack complained to no one in particular, then sat down on the floor in front of me. Matilda grabbed a thick rope chew toy and brought it over to him. He started yanking on the rope, and she growled happily and wagged her tail.
“So, Alice, are you still in high school?” Ezra asked. He’d been standing in the doorway, but somehow, he’d moved into the chair closest to me without me noticing.
Mae was running her fingers through my long hair, and I thought about how weird it was. If any other person had been doing that, I would’ve pushed them off and thought they were insane. But with her, it felt perfectly natural and comforting.
“Uh, yeah, eleventh grade,” I answered.
Ezra looked at me like I was fascinating, but I couldn’t imagine that there was anything about me that would be interesting to a person like him. I was reminded of what Peter had said, about them putting me on display, and it did kind of feel like that. Not that that made any sense.
“Are you doing well in school?” Ezra asked.
“Not really,” I admitted. I knew that I could lie to him, and part of me wanted to in a desperate attempt to impress him, but I also knew that I couldn’t lie to them. It just didn’t feel right.
“Are you planning on continuing your education?” Ezra had leaned back in his chair, but there was nothing disapproving about him at all. He was merely taking it all in and trying to find out more about me. No matter what I had to say, it wouldn’t upset him, because it was part of me, and for whatever reason, he approved of me.
“Maybe.” Suddenly, I felt sheepish, but decided to continue anyway. “I was thinking about being a doctor.”
Peter chuckled, and then shook his head. “Of course she is.”
“I was thinking of psychiatry, actually.” I had started blushing when Peter laughed. I hurried to explain myself, so they wouldn’t all think I was a total fool.
“I can see that,” Ezra nodded, looking intently at me. “You have insight.”
“How can you even say that with a straight face?” Peter asked Ezra incredulously, who just turned and looked at him sharply.
“She’s only seventeen,” Ezra reasoned. “You don’t think she has insight for being that age? And she must have an incredibly high tolerance since she hasn’t yet killed either you or Jack. That’s patience and wisdom brewing.” I blushed even more deeply at his compliments and dropped my eyes to the floor. Nobody had ever talked about me like that, in such revered t
ones.
“Don’t.” Peter’s voice had gone hard again, and he gave Ezra a look, which he returned evenly. Then Peter shook his head. “She’s too young! And she’s too…” He decided against finishing his sentence, and then got up suddenly and stormed out.
“Peter!” Jack groaned, then got up and went after him.
“Jack, leave him,” Ezra called after him, but Jack just shook his head and kept going.
“He can’t keep getting away with this,” Jack retorted and disappeared out of the room after him.
“You just have to ignore him,” Mae purred warmly in my ear. She begun braiding my hair, something my own mother had never done, and tried to comfort me. “He’s just that way.”
“I just don’t understand.” Confused, hurt tears were stinging my eyes, and I wished they would go away. I thought about wiping at them, but Ezra was staring at me, and I thought it would only make my crying more obvious.
“What, love?” Mae asked softly, pushing stray strands of hair out of my face.
“Why he hates me so much,” I mumbled softly.
“He doesn’t hate you,” Ezra told me in his perfect, confident voice. “He just wishes he did.”
I know that was meant to comfort me, but I don’t really know how that made things better. Wanting to hate me felt almost worse. It was a choice he was trying to make.
“I need to use the restroom,” I announced thickly. I wouldn’t be able to fight the tears much longer, and if I was going to cry, I’d rather do it in the privacy of the bathroom. I stood up quickly, and Mae’s hands reluctantly fell away.
“Do you remember where it’s at?” Mae started rising to show me where it was at, but I nodded first.
“I’ll be right back.” I dashed out of the room as fast as I could without making it obvious that I was running away to cry.
On my way to the bathroom, I had to go past the stairs, but that was as far as I made it. Peter’s smooth voice stopped me sharply. Hidden at the bottom of the steps, I could hear them upstairs in Peter’s room. He was talking to Jack, and he didn’t sound angry like he did in the living room. In fact, he sounded more sad than anything else.
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