We were all gathered in the waiting room, tense and silent, anxiously awaiting news of my brother’s child’s birth. The atmosphere was thick with worry and anticipation; everyone was lost in their thoughts.
“Are you both okay?” I nervously inquired, breaking the heavy silence. My question was met with cold glares from my brothers.
“Well, this is exactly why I prefer Blue and Grey; they’re much more fun than you two,” I sighed, trying to lighten the mood. No luck.
“Do you expect us to be cheerful? Ezra’s about to become a father, and Mom is in there, in pain,” Reggie snapped.
“Don’t pretend like Ezra deserves this. Honestly, he’s just a jerk,” I retorted.
“Shut up, Lena,” Ezra interjected, his voice edged with frustration.
“Why should I? You’ve messed up so much. Do you think I even want you for Eva? You’re probably the worst person for her, to be honest,” I declared before turning to face Reggie.
“And you’re no better. You’re the worst brother I’ve ever had. You think being rude is some kind of personality trait,” I said, exhaling deeply.
They both fell silent, and we didn’t speak again until Dad came in, smiling, and told us to come inside to greet our new sibling.
I smiled as I walked in to see Mom sleeping peacefully.
“Aw,” I said, my eyes lighting up when I saw our new baby brother. He was the cutest baby ever.
“He looks exactly like me,” I said, touching his tiny pinky.
“Of course not; he’s not ugly,” Dad said, chuckling.
“You’re so mean… you know that, right?” I said, and Dad chuckled again.
“Do you want to hold him?” Dad asked.
“No,” I said, laughing nervously. “He’s too small.”
“You were like this before,” he said, and we both laughed.
“Reggie?” Dad asked.
“No thanks,” Reggie replied, as expected.
“Ezra?” Dad asked.
“No.”
“Well, you should start learning how to hold babies. Did you forget that you’ll be a father soon?” Dad asked with a smirk.
The room fell silent, except for the beeping of the machines.
“Uh… can I hold him?” I asked, slicing through the tension.
“Sure… why not?” Dad smiled, handing my sleeping brother to me. He was so handsome and cute at the same time.
“You all should just say hi to your mom and then go home to get some rest,” Dad said, and we all nodded.
“He looks like the twins,” I said, and Dad smiled.
“Exactly like them when they were babies,” he said, and we both smiled.
When the baby started to cry, it woke Mom up, and she had to feed him.
“Last baby,” she said, and we all chuckled.
“You thought Anya was gonna be the last, but she isn’t,” Dad said.
“Well, who caused it?” Mom asked.
“Like father like son,” Reggie said, and we all looked at him.
“What?” Reggie asked.
“Not exactly a lie, though,” I said, trying to hide my laugh. Everybody laughed except Dad and Ezra.
We all went back home, planning to visit again in the morning. Getting home, I felt exhausted. All I wanted was to get to my room, fall on my bed, and just doze off.
“Lena,” I heard my name, making me turn to see Ezra standing there.
“Can we talk?” he asked as I yawned loudly.
“Who? Don’t you want to sleep?” I asked, my eyes already drooping.
“If you were in my situation, you wouldn’t sleep at all,” he said.
“But I’m not. Goodnight,” I said, opening my door.
“Please… I just want you to help me with a favor,” he said.
“If it’s getting Eva to talk to you, guess what? She isn’t talking to me either, so we’re even,” I said.
“I messed up thousands of times, and I’m so sorry. Just tell her to give me one more chance, and if I mess it up, then she can leave me without looking back,” he said, and I sighed.
“Noted. Can I sleep now?” I asked.
“Yes… thank you,” he said before walking away.
I walked into my room sluggishly. I didn’t even get to pull off my clothes or check my phone for messages before I fell on my bed, dozing off immediately.
~~
I had to wake up early because we were visiting my mom at the hospital today. I quickly got dressed because Blue had come to my room to tell me that we were leaving.
Getting downstairs, I saw my brothers already dressed and Anya in a foul mood, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
“He’ll be really ugly,” she murmured, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
“Unfortunately, he isn’t,” I said, pinching her cheeks gently to coax a smile.
“What? How does he look?” she asked, trying not to look too interested, but her curiosity was evident.
“He is the cutest baby alive. So cute, too cute,” I said, my voice filled with genuine affection.
“Now I hate him with all my heart and soul,” she declared dramatically, but I could see the corners of her mouth twitching.
“Ready?” Ezra said, emerging from the kitchen with Cyrus trailing behind him.
I swallowed hard when I saw Cyrus. My heart did a little flip as he looked at me and smiled.
“Hi, Selena,” he said, waving at me.
“Hi,” I replied, quickly turning to Anya to hide my flustered expression.
“You’ve had breakfast, right?” I asked Anya, even though I knew she had eaten.
“Yeah… Blue made me the most terrible breakfast ever until Cyrus came to save me,” she said, then turned to look at Cyrus, batting her lashes playfully.
Cyrus chuckled, ruffling Anya’s hair. “I couldn’t let her suffer through Blue’s cooking.”
“Hey, my cooking’s not that bad!” Blue protested from the doorway, feigning hurt.
“Let’s just go,” Reggie said, rolling his eyes, already heading towards the door.
We piled into two cars, Ezra driving one and Reggie the other. I ended up in the backseat of Ezra’s car, with Cyrus in the passenger seat, and Blue and Anya in the middle row.
The drive to the hospital was mostly quiet, with only the sound of the radio playing softly in the background. I stared out the window, my mind drifting to the events of the past few days. The tension between us siblings was palpable, but there was also an underlying current of excitement about meeting our new brother.
When we finally arrived at the hospital, we hurried inside and made our way to Mom’s room. As we approached, I felt my heart pounding in my chest, a mix of nerves and anticipation.
Inside, Mom was resting with the baby in her arms. The moment I saw him, all my worries melted away. He was perfect, a tiny bundle of joy with soft, delicate features.
“Aw,” Anya said begrudgingly as she peeked at our new baby brother. “He’s not that cute.”Mom laughed softly.
“You just wait until he starts pulling your hair.”
Ezra, standing at the back of the room, seemed lost in thought. Cyrus, too, looked a bit awkward, standing beside him. I felt a pang of sympathy for them both.
“Hi, sweetheart,” she replied, her eyes tired but glowing with joy.
“He’s beautiful, Mom,” I said, gently touching the baby’s tiny hand.
“He sure is,” she agreed, her gaze softening as she looked at him. “How was the night?”
“Quiet. We all just went straight to bed,” I said, glancing at Ezra, who still seemed preoccupied.
Mom nodded. “That’s good. You all need your rest.”
Ezra finally stepped forward, his expression a mix of hesitation and determination. “Mom, can I hold him?”
Mom’s eyes widened slightly in surprise but then softened again. “Of course, Ezra.”
Carefully, she handed the baby to Ezra, who cradled him with an unexpected tenderness. The sight made my heart ache a little, seeing my tough, often abrasive brother showing such a vulnerable side.
As Ezra held the baby, Cyrus moved closer, looking over Ezra’s shoulder. “He’s amazing, Ezra,” Cyrus said quietly.
Ezra nodded, his eyes never leaving the baby. “Yeah, he is.”
I glanced at Mom, who was watching Ezra with a mix of pride and concern. “How are you feeling, Mom?” I asked, trying to distract her.
“I’m alright, just tired,” she said with a small smile. “But seeing all of you here makes it worth it.”
Reggie, who had been standing near the door, finally walked over. “Do you want me to get anything for you, Mom? Water, maybe?”
Mom shook her head. “No, sweetheart, I’m fine. Just having you all here is enough.”
Anya, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up. “Can I hold him too?”
Mom smiled. “Of course, darling. Ezra, hand him over to Anya.”
Ezra carefully passed the baby to Anya, who took him with surprising confidence. “Hi, little guy,” she cooed, her earlier irritation forgotten.
Watching my family come together around this tiny new life, I felt a sense of peace and hope. Despite our differences and the conflicts that had been simmering. Well, very soon, we will be welcoming another person into the family.
“Welcome to the family,” I whispered to my new baby brother, feeling a warmth spread through my chest.
—
“Do you think he’s going to like me?” Anya asked as we left the hospital. Just a short while ago, she’d been saying she hated the baby. Now, she was reluctant to leave him at the hospital with Mom. We had to convince her that Mom needed rest, and despite Anya’s offer to take the baby home so Mom could get some well-deserved rest, we managed to persuade her otherwise.
Funny girl…
And yeah, the baby was given a name-Roma. I loved it.
As much as I didn’t want to go back to school, my exams were starting tomorrow. I had to stay home and study.
“See you all after my exams tomorrow,” I said to my brothers, my eyes meeting Cyrus’s for a brief moment before I headed to my room.
I took out my notes for the subject I had tomorrow and began jotting down key points. I had tried calling Eva earlier, but she hadn’t answered. I planned to visit her before my exam since it was at 2 PM.
Two hours into studying, my eyes felt heavy, but I pushed through. I had only two pages left.
Suddenly, I heard a soft knock on my door. “Come in,” I called, not looking up.
The door creaked open, and when I saw who it was, my heart skipped a beat. “Cyrus, what are you doing here?” I asked, staring at him in surprise.
He closed the door behind him and walked toward me with a determined look. “You know you’re not supposed to be in my room because of my brothers,” I said, trying to sound authoritative but failing as my voice trembled slightly.
Cyrus didn’t say a word. He crossed the room in a few swift steps and gently cupped my face in his hands. My breath caught in my throat as his lips met mine in a slow, deliberate kiss. It was unlike any kiss I had ever experienced-tender and lingering, with an intensity that seemed to wrap around me completely.
As his lips moved against mine, I felt myself getting lost in the sensation. My thoughts scattered, leaving only the electric thrill of his touch. But just as I was about to surrender completely, I pulled away abruptly, moving away from him, my heart racing.
“I can’t be your plaything anymore,” I said, my voice shaking with a mix of anger and hurt. “I’m done with this.”
Cyrus looked at me, his eyes dark with emotion. He took a step closer, his hands still holding my cheeks. “What if I told you that I liked you?” he asked softly, his gaze locked onto mine. “Would you still allow me to kiss those soft lips of yours?”
Is this some kinda joke or something?? Or was I dreaming again!!!
To be continued…