𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇

XXIII

— RORI —

By the time Damiano dismisses me, it is around one o'clock in the morning.

His driver drops me off at my requested location and i walk home from there. Sneaking in isn't difficult to do, and, by the time i get changed out of my clothes from the party and carelessly throw on my pyjamas, i conclude that most of the boys are still out.

However, at around three o'clock in the morning, i am suddenly woken by a loud disruption directly outside of my bedroom.

"Just take him into his old room, please. Make sure he's lying in the recovery position, though. God knows how much he had tonight," i hear the voice of Yakov saying, his usually authoritative tone now replaced by a more tired one.

"On it," comes Vinnie's faint response.

There is a moment's silence, until i hear the sound of something smashing from further down the hallway, a string of curses following immediately afterwards.

My curiosity — and also my need to keep my sanity in check — then lead me to toss my comforter to the side and storm out of my bedroom in an instant.

"Mind telling me what's going on out here?" i hiss, absentmindedly rubbing the sleep away from my eyes as three blurry figures come into view.

"Great." i hear Vinnie sigh. "We've only gone and woken Ria."

It's at this moment i acknowledge the third presence, who's arm is carelessly slung around Vinnie's shoulder as he struggles to remain upright. A boyish grin creeps onto his face as he glances down at the shattered pieces of vase on the floor.

"Vincent!" my eldest brother mockingly exclaims. "How could you be so careless?"

My eyes involuntarily narrow as i take in his drunken form, the words Damiano had told me during part of our discussion now beginning to invade my thoughts.

"...partying and taking every drug he could get his hands on."

My glare only deepens when his eyes find mine, his grin widening.

"Ro-Ro..." he begins, using one of my childhood nicknames. "Don't you know it's past your bedtime?"

I sigh.

Some things never change.

"Will you please shut up before you wake the rest of the house?" Vinnie scolds him, smacking the back of his head for good measure.

Our brother stumbles as Vinnie shoves him further down the lengthy hallway, myself and Yakov diligently following behind.

The boys pay no mind to me as they usher him into the end room on the left-hand side. And while they're busy dealing with his royal highness, i take in the surroundings of his room. Only then do i realise just how long has passed since i last set foot inside.

Everything is still in the exact same state he left it in. From his neatly made bed, to the drawn curtains, the only thing missing is the more personal objects which he took with him.

"Jesus Christ! Keep your clothes on, Zephaniah!" Vinnie scolds him, grimacing as our brother begins to remove his pants.

"Haven't heard that one before," Zephaniah snorts, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Have a little decency and at least wait until we've left the room," Vinnie reprimands him, though his amused smile betrays him.