The Weekend - Completed

Chapter 38

With the twins came the parties and nights of debauchery. Previously I'd always frowned on their intoxicated capers but the prospect of finally getting a good night sleep was very appealing. I loved the idea of being in a drunken stupor as much as possible.

The crowd was assembled; we were meeting in a local bar in town at seven. Adam arrived at my Gran's house at six, all washed up and ready to go. Obviously it took the boys only ten minutes to get ready and by the time I was set to go at twenty to seven they were already four or five cans deep and a little leery. Tonight was either going to be a very long one or one in which I would need to get incredibly drunk, incredibly fast to cope with my brothers. I preferred the alcoholic oblivion option and wasted no time in downing half a glass of wine before we made the short walk to the others.

Matty eyed me disapprovingly as I walked arm in arm with Adam; by the time we got to the bar his frustration was tangible. So I wasn't surprised when he grabbed my arm and pulled me aside before we entered the bar.

"I need a word with you Alex." He began, moving us further out the doorway and earshot of the others. I threw him a confused and unintentionally irritated glare as I waited for him to explain.

"What Dom and I were saying in the car before" he paused whilst I sifted through the melee of conversations we'd had. There was the radio argument, then his enquiry into this years talent and finally the sage advice they'd given me. Realising the last option was clearly what he was referring to my face obviously cleared and he continued confident I would be able to keep up with the conversation. He again paused awkwardly combing his fingers through his coiffured, purposely tousled hair.

Like me the twins had dark hair, dark eyes and olive skin. Unlike me the boys spent a lot of time outside playing one sport or another, so they had a light tan all year round. I continued to look at him whilst he struggled to find the words he desperately wanted to tell me.

I watched as his expressions quickly flashed before me, I studied his face carefully, taking in his chiselled features and sultry dark looks. For years I couldn't understand what the never ending queue of girls saw in my brothers but as I searched his face waiting for him to decide what he needed to say, I could suddenly see it. I was struck by how similar he looked to the black and White soldier smiling proudly in his uniform from the framed photograph which held pride of place on the mantelpiece in my gran's lounge. My gran had often described her husband, my grandpa Tom, as a dead ringer for Cary Grant just with charisma.

"Erm Alex, why are you staring at me?" He pulled me out of my reverie, he asked again as I slowly registered what he was saying.

"Oh sorry Matt, I was just thinking how much you look like Grandpa Tom in the picture on the mantle."

"I'll take that as a compliment then." He smiled brightly and put his arm round my shoulder protectively. "Anyway, the reason I needed to talk to you" He continued a little uncomfortably.

"Right I'll just get to the point, Dean seems to have suddenly developed an unhealthy interest in you" Not bothering to breathe he rushed through the rest of what he needed to say.

"I know what we said before about you moving on, but I need to warn you to be careful, you know what they are like."

"Yeah I do, they're just like you and Dom." I pointed out to him.

"Well yeah you're right; I mean the McKenzie lads are great, a real laugh, but not who I'd choose for my little sister to hook up." For a second I wondered who he would pick if for me if the decision was his to make.

"Actually a perfect solution would be for you to pull a sound of music and do one to a convent, but I guess that's not going to happen." Yeah that pretty much answered my question, he'd pick God.