Don't Tell My Brother

Chapter 37 - Confused

And Sofia did indeed pretend she was a Satanist. Watching them both, Lucas learned that she and Damien had something of a competition: who could cause the most chaos at a family event. The Satanism was a good start, got her a few stern words and horrified looks from the elderly, but it also took her out of the game; leaving Lucas and Damien as she was dragged away by some great aunt to apologise to the picture of the Virgin Mary. That left Damien time to cut on a conversation Tía Josephine had dragged Mateo into, informing her that no, Mateo didn't have a girlfriend, but was having an illicit affair with the pastor's wife.

"See, Mateo?" Damien said, returning his brother's look of furious surprise with a sweet, innocent smile. Well, as innocent as Damien could get. "I told you she wouldn't be angry. Now, tía, you can't tell anyone. Isn't it romantic?"

By then, Lucas decided it was best to drag him away, before Mateo beat him to death with his cane or Josephine strangled the pair of them. As he pulled Damien away, he could hear Josephine screeching something in Spanish, and Mateo hurriedly trying to explain.

"The only problem with that plan, Damien, would be that it required her to believe you were a romantic." Lucas informed him as they walked to the other side of the room, as far from Josephine's wrath as possible. "And I can't imagine anyone would believe that."

"I don't know." Damien said, glancing down to meet Lucas' eyes, wearing that stupid, teasing little smile. "Maybe I've had a change of heart, tesoro."

"Right. And maybe Hell will freeze over." Lucas said, without thinking.

And for a moment the kiss was there, hanging in the air between them.

But Damien raised a hand to clutch his heart, dramatic as ever, and the moment passed.

"You wound me."

"I don't, but I'm pretty sure Mateo will."

And indeed, Mateo had somehow escaped Josephine's rage, and was stalking across the room to where they stood, looking decidedly unhappy. But luckily for Lucas and Damien, Maria called them all to dinner before Mateo could make good on any of the threats he was miming at Damien.

They all sat down, too many chairs crammed around a dining table that groaned under the weight of food Maria and their family had piled atop it. Plates heaped with steaming empanadas, grilled ribs beside a green, herb-looking sauce, thick slices of cheese seasoned with red pepper flakes and grilled beside bread, served with olives. And, in pride of place at the centre of the table, the cake.

Sofia and Damien's game didn't stop at dinner. Sofia tried to eat with her fingers, which earned her a smack across the back of the head from Maria. When Gabriel tried to copy her, shovelling a rib into his mouth with sticky fingers, Damien's grandmother went on a rant in Spanish.

"...when I was a girl, my father wouldn't have let me eat if my manners had been as bad as that. You kids, you have no respect." Damien translated, doing a surprising passable impression of an old, very angry Argentinian woman.

Across the table, Sofia looked proudly at the chaos she'd caused, and then turned her gaze to Damien. She raised an eyebrow, a clear challenge. Damien just smiled.

And then, just as Lucas took a bite of an empanada, Damien leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"You reckon anyone would notice if I gave you a handjob under the table?"

Lucas choked. He tried to swallow, and breathe, and say something all at once but just ended up spluttering, trying to catch his breath with the pastry stuck in his throat. His face went bright red, eyes watering, as several relatives hurried to give him a glass of water and thump him on the back.