Gracious

Chapter 47

A/N - on a roll😛

TW - brief mention of eating disorders in this chapter

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I hadn't realised how much I'd missed the laughter and happy atmosphere in the house until it was missing.

Alexander going missing, the fallout that had followed afterwards, it had drained any positivity from within these walls; but now that we were on good terms yet again I felt content, laughter filling the air like the tension was never even here in the first place.

"So you're telling me you don't think I'm capable of looking after an animal?", the offence written all over Xavier's face was comical, a hand pressed to his chest as he took a step back, "the lack of faith hurts".

"You literally put food in the oven and forgot to turn it on", Caleb deadpanned, a laugh coming from his phone where Chase was propped up on the counter on facetime.

"Tell me that's not a common mistake", he surrendered, being met with complete and utter silence, "Xan?".

"Well usually if I'm cooking food, I'm gonna turn the fucking oven on", he slapped his twin on the head, "I'd even go so far as to preheat it".

"Who has time for that?", Xavier grumbled, scratching his head, "what were we talking about?".

"You said you want a dog", I reminded him, he just clicked his fingers in realisation and grinned, "is that the wisest of choices?".

"Yes", he said as if it were obvious, "there's nothing I want more".

"I thought that was the ice rink", Prescott raised an eyebrow and I smirked, Xavier was one of- if not our largest form of entertainment at home.

"Can a guy not have more than one desire?", he frowned, "pretty sure Xan wants to open a restaurant and become a criminal at the same time".

"You know me so well", our brother flashed him a grin before it disappeared and he cleared his throat, "I uh, I was gonna go meet a friend...is that okay?".

I could feel the rest of my brothers' eyes on me as if they were waiting for my reaction, I just smiled at Alexander and nodded.

"You'll be back by dinner? Marco and the boys are coming over", he nodded back, grabbing his keys from the counter and stealing a brief glance over at Xavier who was biting back a smile.

"I'll only be a couple hours", he told me and I hummed, "later". He slipped out of the room and I watched the back of him until the door closed, only turning back to the others when I heard the roar of his engine.

"Xan has friends now?", Chase asked on the call, Caleb just snorted and picked up the phone.

"We think he's hiding a girlfriend-,", he started.

"Or boyfriend", Prescott interjected.

"I was gonna say that", Caleb replied, "we think he's hiding a partner, I'm on the edge of my seat Chasey".

"Just give him time", I could just hear the eye roll in Chase's voice before he yawned, "I'm gonna sleep, going to the library to study with Dakari later".

"Nerds", Caleb scoffed to which I rolled my eyes, our brother was excelling and he knew it, "call you later". He hung up and tossed his phone down, then proceeding to randomly pull Xavier into a headlock which he just accepted.

"What's for food later?", Prescott asked and I sent him a deadpan expression, "takeaway, got it".

"Unless you feel like slaving away in the kitchen for the remainder of the day?", I tried, he just laughed in my face and I sighed, "thought not".