Bouquets of Chocolate (manxman)

Sixteen

"I'm never speaking to you again!"

My sister is standing in front of me, her arms crossed, her eyes throwing fire my way, and towering over me with the angriest face I ever remember seeing her wearing.

I don't dare stand up, feeling trapped by her standing so close that her knees are touching mine, but also because her standing above me for a change hopefully lessens her anger a little. Probably just wishful thinking though.

I sigh and the soft lump under my hand shifts slightly, making me look down unto the fur covered fluff ball. She's already looking at me and I imagine her face looks slightly distraught at being interrupted during her pampering session. Not like my sister cares right now, but still.

Feeling bad for the cat, mainly because I feel like I don't deserve to for myself, I give her an extra good scratch while I sigh again and look back up to Veronica.

"I'm sorry." I say for the n-th time. I sound like I'm fucking grovelling, but to be honest, I might as well be at this point. She hears it too, because for a moment I can see her resolve wavering. She stares me down for a bit longer, then averts her eyes to the ceiling in that same way that I do sometimes, and lets her arms drop.

"How could you get married without telling me?" She sounds so betrayed and every word stabs my heart. We've always been close and to be honest, while dreaming of weddings hasn't ever exactly been a thing for me, the few times I have wondered what it would be like, she's always been part of that picture. Even without her here to tell me, I feel like I betrayed both her and myself in some way.

I really want Jordie right now.

I don't answer her, not because I'm cautious about how she'll react, but because I genuinely don't want to make any excuses. I told her what happened, and I won't keep giving her reasons when she already knows the whole story.

Defeated, she suddenly slumps down next to me on the sofa, throwing so much of her weight into the soft pillows that the cat jumps up with a startled meow and decides that enough is enough. She gets up and leaves with tiny little baby scratches to my thigh as she goes. She's gradually tenderising me, the same way we slow cook meat or treat a piece of steak, until she's ready to eat me whole and I'm falling for the act.

Nic's head falls onto my shoulder heavily and she circles her arms around my midsection from the side, hugging me in the most awkward way possible, but I don't complain.

"I really wanted to see my baby brother get hitched to his best friend," she mumbles into my neck, now clearly having cycled back to sad disappointment again.

This time I sigh only inwardly, hoping to not agitate her again, then lift my arm and slowly start patting her back.

"You owe me a shit ton of cake now." she mumbles again and I just nod, trying hard not to smile at her unspoken forgiveness.

We don't speak anymore as we just sit there, her wallowing in her grief and me feeling my arm fall asleep in a slow torture. That's how Jordie finds us almost half an hour later.

"You two look cozy," he says cheerfully, throwing his keys in the bowl by the door and leaning on the door frame looking at us. His eyes go over Nic, then land on me, and immediately they soften, and it feels like a warm hug like it always does. The insane desire to stand up and kiss him senseless hits me and I have to pull my sister closer to me to prevent myself from doing just that.

"My childhood nemesis and my beautiful husband," he continues and I promise I don't blush. Like at all.

His words though have Nic's head snap up like nobody's business and she's in front of him in two seconds flat, slapping him like they do in those soap operas after their partner cheated on them. I wince.