Seven Brothers

Bonus Chapter

I don't know what I'm supposed to do about her. I mean ordinarily I'd just exhibit my flowing charms, but with her, that isn't enough. She's tough, she doesn't take my crap and I guess that's what I like about her. Silver's the sort of girl you take home to meet your family, a real keeper, it's just getting her that seems to be the problem. So far, my usual ploy of 'flirt like a sailor till they give in' doesn't seemed to have worked. I had to pull out some more advanced tricks if I wanted to get my sister's best friend.

And that's how I've ended up, surrounded by my friends, pining after the most beautiful girl in the room. Her delicious caramel skin combined with those plump, pink lips was almost too much for me to handle. I looked around our table watching as my brothers argued and wanting to vomit at how happy my sister was with her new boyfriend. When I watched them I saw how happy they were and I knew that they were supposed to be together. I wanted that too, badly.
"Hey, Riley. You look like you're deep in thought there, don't hurt yourself buddy" called a familiar voice. I looked up at Sebastian who had a smirk plastered on his face. It would be all too satisfying to wipe that grin off of his face.
"Be nice Bash, it's not very often that Riles thinks things through before he says them" Peyton chuckled, pouting out her bottom lip in mock sympathy. My family, ladies and gentlemen. They thought that I was just some huge goof. Well they would be right, but I'm more that just that. I have serious thoughts and feelings, all were directed at Silver but still, they were there.

"A little compassion would be nice" I said to them, emphasising the final word.
"We could say the same to you" Silver spoke up in that song-like voice of hers. Here was my chance to prove that I was more than just cheesy pick up lines and bad jokes.
"I may take the mick a lot, but I am a very compassionate person, Silver" I told her seriously, but once again everyone assumed it was a joke.
"Yeah, and I'm a grandmother" she snorted.
"You're far too young and beautiful to have grand kids Silver" I told her, smirking. It made me happy to see the little blush that crept up her neck. Ah, so my compliments did mean something to her!
"Yeah, and you'd make a terrible mother anyway. You have no maternal instincts whatsoever" said my nemesis, my competition, the guy blocking my happiness, Vincent Chambers. He was Silver's best friend beyond Peyton and I knew, I just knew that he liked her. I mean, what straight guy wouldn't? She was an exotic goddess. Whether she liked him back or not, I had yet to determine that. The pie were thick as thieves but I was holding out my hopes that it was purely platonic.

"Well I for one think you'd make a great mom Silver. I've never met anyone so compassionate" I told her, being genuinely honest because what made Silver so beautiful was her sweet and caring nature. Yeah she could scare the wits out of you with her attitude, but behind that you knew there was someone who genuinely cared.
"Is that sarcasm?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No! I'm a nice guy!" I insisted, frustrated that all of my attempts to make her feel special were getting thwarted. Then Vincent leaned into her ear and whispered something, something that restarted her blush and it took all of my strength not to reach over the table and give him a bruise to remember me by.
"I'm going to class" I mumbled, feeling my hope slipping away.

***

"Hey Silv" I greeted the object of my affections as she walked down the hallway of my home. Wait, why was she here? "Why are you here?" I asked, suddenly spinning.
"Peyton invited us all over?" She said with a slight infliction at the end, making the statement seem like a question. So that meant Vincent was lurking around my home as well. Just great.
"Can I show you something?" I asked, suddenly feeling quite fragile and exposed.
"Sure" she gave me a breath taking smile, it was sweet and understated but it was sincere and that's what took my breath away.

I took her soft, delicate hand in mine and to my surprise she didn't pull away. I led her down the hallway, savouring the feeling of skin on skin. Her eyes whizzed around my room, taking in the posters of bands "I love The Smiths" she grinned.
"They're the best, some people say I look like Morrissey" I boasted.
"You absolutely do not, now what did you want to show me?". I let go of her hand, reluctantly, and moved over to my chest of draws, opening my top one.
"If that's what I think it is I swear to god Riley-" she began.
"It's a painting" I clarified, raising my eyebrow "What did you think it was?" I resisted the urge to chuckle as she blushed pink. "Get your head out of the gutter young lady!" I exclaimed, making her blush harder. That blush of hers, it was like oxygen to me.