What It Seems | Wattys 2023

Chapter 34

ADALYNNE

I woke up to people jumping on my bed. They were shaking me, telling me to wake up.

"What?!" I screeched in annoyance. I peeked my eyes open and as soon as I did, they were burning as the light of my floor lamp shown through my pupils. I groaned as I tried to pull my comforter up to cover my face, but Baylor didn't allow that.

"Get up, it's your birthday," Baylor croakily purred.

"No it's not, it's only the twentieth," I mumbled in my pillow. They were silent and the dips in my bed disappeared. I only heard whispering but it wasn't loud enough to keep me awake.

But it just so happened that the duvet I (thought) held on tightly to was snatched from my arms. The cold air that surrounded me made chill bumps run up my showing skin that wasn't covered up.

"Stop!" I yelled. "It's cold!" I could feel my teeth chattering.

"Get up, breakfast is ready for you," Aiden dictated flatly. Baylor walked to the side of my bed and picked me up. Instead of him carrying me bridal style, my chest was pressed against his. My arms locked around his neck and his hands mashed into my thighs to keep my legs around his waist. I felt his lips brush a kiss to my forehead.

"Love doves," Aiden huffed.

"Okay, Jo," Baylor laughed. I watched my brother's face lighten up in amusement. I laid my head on Baylor's warm shoulder; his arms clasped around the small of my back and it was easy enough to keep my arms wrapped around his waist.

"You're so warm," Baylor mumbled in my ear. I was nearly half asleep as his rock-hard shoulder was the cushion that my head had. I didn't care, I was sleepy.

"Chocolate pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs. So eat up kiddo 'cause it's not good cold," Aiden ordered. Baylor sat me on the stool at the bar and walked over to the cupboard to grab a plate. I watched, with my tired eyes, him fix the prepared food on a plate. He then poured syrup over the stack of three pancakes and shoved a fork onto the plate. Once Baylor turned around, he saw me sitting at the bar and placed my plate in front of my face.

I gasped at the pile of food. "That's mine or are we sharing?"

"That's definitely yours," Baylor winked. "What do you want to drink?" he asked as he pulled out a glass from the cabinet. This place is definitely his second home.

"Orange juice, please."

Once Aiden and Baylor had fixed their breakfast meal, Baylor sat beside me and Aiden dragged a stool to sit in front of me.

Aiden was silent through the meal. He was quite concentrated on the food he nearly devoured. I patted Baylor's thigh to gain his attention. Baylor was drinking his milk but he sat his glass down quietly to approach me.

I picked up half of pancake I hadn't eaten and dipped it in syrup. I reached across the table and smacked Aiden in the face with it - the pancake sliding down his face as we began laughing.

Aiden stood from the bar. He picked up my plate and his own, and Baylor followed Aiden to the sink. Baylor was approximately three inches taller than my brother, but it didn't matter. Baylor was like a giraffe: tall and beautiful.

"You've got some syrup like, right -" Baylor pointed to the spot on his cheek, telling Aiden the exact spot where the syrup was located. Aiden huffed.

"Okay; before there's a food fight, I'm going to take a shower." They both nodded in comprehension.

It took me nearly an hour after I took a shower, got dressed, and blow dried my hair. It was only 11:45 in the morning. I couldn't believe that I was already seventeen.