Anomalies ✔

Chapter Thirty-Nine

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: MINT

That we may not fall short of desire, but let us give way to the unspoken passion hidden in the closet of our discretion. 
-Erik Pevernagie

Usually my home smells like the fresh bread my dad bakes and Mama's mangoes, it smells like Circe's nail polish, Noelle's familiar perfume. Like TJ's shampoo and his boyfriend's muddy shoes. Like Eris's favorite hot chocolate.

It's always warm because we're always cold, it's small for how many people we usually have under one roof but it's home. The doors are too high and there's windows in weird places that my mom's cat loves so we haven't covered any up. It's loud and looks like chaos but it's comfortable -the people inside are annoyingly lovely.

There's always something baking in the oven and someone's cold coffee on the counter, there are too many books everywhere but some of them are the ones my uncle wrote and we're not getting rid of them.

My home usually has thick walls but small walkways that you have to brush against someone if you want out, it's full of corners you have to pull yourself around and random trinkets everywhere.

But every trinket has its place.

It looks a bit traditional from the outside but inside there's always something new happening, a picture being painted or someone visiting their home even after making a new one with a new family.

When I'm there I'm surrounded by pastries and smoothies and little siblings begging me to play with them or older siblings brushing me off or complaining to me.

It sounds like Papa grumbling under his breath as Mama giggles, only to end up laughing himself. Like Adonis and his kids goofing off and breaking something only for his wife to scold them. Like Atlas and Nemesis and their friends and partners creating chaos in every room, laughing when they shove each other before making fun of them for literally no reason at all.

Like Circe and her girlfriend reading to one another when they get tired, or them picking on Selene whenever she's home.

Selene's quiet like me but when you actually annoy her, she'll never shut up.

It sounds like the boys kicking balls around in the backyard, breaking the fence or splashing around in the pool. Like Eris and her friends riding bikes around the block, or if Uncle Jem is over, it's Eris and Jae playing basketball and losing every time.

I'm waiting for the day they can beat him.

But sometimes...

That's not enough for me.

Because sometimes my home smells like mint, lemon scented conditioner and silver instrument polish, and something so distinctly different it has to be completely naturally him.

Sometimes, my home sounds like the plucked strings of a guitar after a long day when we're both tired. Like the soft snores when he's curled up on the bean bag even though we have two couches and his bed is available.

And sometimes it sounds like chaos too, like when he's making a song and there's a hundred noises that sounds so weird until suddenly they just click into place, then it sounds beautiful.

But mostly, my home sounds like humming as a hand runs along my back as we fall asleep together.

My home feels like the gentle fingers that brush my wrists whenever Jasper wants attention but won't say anything, like warm lips kissing the corner of my jaw for no other reason than him just wanting to. Like a squeeze on my knee when we watch a horror movie.