The Unknown Number

Ninety-two - Facebook

Eric's POV

Long after my relatives had left, it was just Charles, Eleanor and myself relaxing on the sofa. I chuckled slightly at the sight of Eleanor using Charles as a cushion as she looked at his phone screen. His arm was thrown casually around her shoulder as he smiled widely at his phone screen.

"You're such a sap." She laughed.

"What?" I asked.

"You see that stupidly large grin on his face?"

I nodded.

"Show him the picture you idiot." Eleanor commanded.

Charles obliged and passed me his phone, his fingers lingering on my hand making me smile. Glancing down at the screen I saw it was a picture of me and Charles. I remember that day fondly. We were lying on the sofa together, watching a marvel film when I decided to tickle Charles reducing him to a squealing mess. As I tickled him he managed to capture a photo at the perfect moment - both of us were laughing and it looked perfectly natural. You could see the love we had for each other and you could see the pair of us being doofuses.

"Ugh you're just as bad." Eleanor laughed.

I lent over and kissed Charles on the lips, mumbling "love you handsome."

Charles kissed me back gently and whispered "I love you too."

Glancing to the side I had to stifle my laugh at Eleanor's very unamused expression. I caught her eye, smirked then proceed to kiss Charles again.

"Yes yes very cute but why the fuck am I always the third wheel." She grumbled.

"Because you spend more time fawning over fictional characters than you do actually trying to go on a date." Charles responded nonchalantly.

Instinctively, Charles let go of Eleanor then cowered in my arms. Laughing, I wrapped my arms around him, waiting for the punch Eleanor would inevitably give. She didn't punch him. She just jabbed her toe into his thigh "I hate the fact that you are right."

"You can't deny the truth." Charles grinned.

I had never seen many siblings other than my cousins and the triplets (who admittedly I hadn't seen since I was 15) but from the ones I had seen, Charles and Eleanor were the strangest and the closest.

After a minute of silence, Eleanor announced "I'm glad you have nice in-laws Charles, you deserve to have a family who isn't shitty." 

"Els I have a family that isn't shitty. I have you, Logan, James, Lily and best of all, I have Eri." Charles smiled.

I gently squeezed him then pressed a kiss to the top of his head, my chest bubbling.

"Still, I'm glad you got away from those dicks." She stated.

"As am I Els, as am I. Although I'm more happy about getting you away from them." Charles responded.

There was something in Charles' tone that made me desperate to know more. Just how bad was his childhood?

Eleanor stood up, walked over to Charles, then kissed his forehead "thank you." She mumbled.

Charles grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it "you don't need to thank me princess."

"Princess, really? I'm not 5." She laughed.

"Ah but to me you'll always be my little pirate princess Els." Charles chuckled.

"Oh fuck off."

I laughed quietly then grinned at Eleanor "Ickle Eleanor the pirate princess?"

"Fuck there's two of them. I hate you so fucking much Charles." Eleanor groaned.