For Them | 18+

Chapter 9

Warning: sexual content

Delilah O'Connor

The atmosphere of this house in the evening is so warm and homey despite its sophisticated and no doubt expensive contents. The blinds were open, displaying the quickly setting sun through the enormous windows. The last hours were spent watching movies, talking, and just getting to know each other better.

Despite the calm setting, here I was sat on the carpet of their family room, Monopoly pieces scattered around as two professors bickered over who supposedly won the game.

"You're such a sore loser."

"So you expect me to just let you cheat? Unlike you, I respect the integrity of the game,"

I had once thought him to be the most calm and collected of the group, but it seems he too has his limits.

"The rules are what I say they are," Nikolas said with a shrug, as if it simply had to be accepted.

Suddenly Sebastian got up from the carpet where we had all gathered, and before anyone could react he had grabbed Nikolas into a chokehold.

"Say you're sorry."

"No!" Nikolas soon started exaggeratedly choking, flopping around like a twenty pounder on a dry, life-sucking dock trying to buck his lifelong friend off of him.

I sat watching with my lips parted and eyes wide on Oliver's lap. All I could think was thank God my obsession with success never extended to games that have no bearing on my future.

I now understood Oliver's insistence to just play banker. He sat peacefully organizing the now cluttered Monopoly money, ignoring the two men wrestling on the carpet beside us.

"Are they always like this?" I whisper in Oliver's ear, my head turned toward his.

He looked up from the tray, "With games? Yes. Everything else? No."

It took me a few moments to realize that neither Sebastian or Nikolas were actually out to get each other, this is their way of teasing each other, like siblings do. Hans and I used to bicker quite a bit, but when we were around others we wouldn't imagine creating such a scene, mother would have had our heads. Does this mean that I've passed some test? Because surely they wouldn't tease each other like this in front of colleagues, or just any acquaintance.

A click sounded out, followed by Elijah opening the front door, signalling their return from Lady's walk.

I straighten my back, craning my neck to watch for the little animal's appearance from behind the couch. She came barrelling through the family room, snorting out as her little hooves pitter-pattered across the floor and then the carpet, muffling the sound.

I snatch her up quickly, sitting her in my lap while I pet her head, all the while cooing at her.

"What the hell happened? I was gone for twenty minutes," Elijah inquired, pulling his hoodie off and hanging it on a hook by the entrance.

He was quite obviously asking about the ruckus Nikolas and Sebastian had steadily maintained for the last few minutes.

"They couldn't even last fifteen minutes before fighting after you left," Oliver admitted, arms now around my waist, temple resting against my back, having given up on tidying up the bank. One of his hands rested on my stomach, and the other extended toward Lady, I'm assuming for emotional support. I rested one of my hands over his on my stomach, rubbing it soothingly. God, he's so adorable.

I was seeing a different side of them, and despite my initial shock, I've quickly found an appreciation for it. Knowing that they could still let loose and be silly despite their maturity otherwise is surprisingly a huge relief. I think I had enough serious and daunting things in my life already, this was something that I lacked for a good chunk of my childhood. I never found myself playing board games with my family on weekends, or even doing anything purely for entertainment with them, now that I think about it. So when I see these grown men not shying away from a little bit of fun, I find myself even more enraptured by them. This is the type of relationship, platonic or not, that I wanted with the people in my life. It was refreshing not having to worry about appearances twenty-four-seven, aside from when I'm with Lawson. Getting a little too invested in a board game seemed a lot less damaging than being berated in the washroom of a charity banquet for something or another that I did to embarrass my family. If these were all the red flags I would come across with them, I would happily accept it.