His eyes turn to me. The hazel is practically mocking, and even though I don't react, there's no way he doesn't notice the way my face warms when he stares at me a beat too long.
Jo would kill me. It's enough to get it from Amy, but me too? God.
_...
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"And I said, "PUT THAT BACK OR I'LL CHOP OFF YOUR BLOODY HEAD!"
My stomach hurts from laughing.
Sawyer stands up on the coffee table in front of the couch looking like the star of a play, and Tom sits beside me, his entire frame shaking with laughter. He exchanges an amused grin with me as Sawyer leaps off the table, almost knocking over a vase in the process.
"My word." A voice hisses from the doorway.
My hand slaps over my mouth to stifle my laughs, and Tom stills, his lips mashed together to prevent a bigger smile. Sawyer almost trips over his own feet and pauses, eyes wide, watching Auntie as she strides into the living room.
"You're corrupting my niece, aren't you?" She demands, looking cross with her dark purple velvet dress on.
"Aunt March!" Sawyer cries jovially, and jumps towards her as if to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"OH NO! I don't like to be kissed!" She scoffs, expertly dodging his advances, and he whirls around, tossing me a cheeky wink.
I giggle and even Tom laughs, both of us completely absorbed in Sawyer's atmosphere.
"He's always been sporadic," Tom chuckles, taking a small sip of the wine in his hand. We stand outside on the porch, soaking in the last rays of the afternoon—sunset should be on its way.
"He seems like a lovely brother," I smile, and give him a cautious glance. Knowing he could very well be my future husband makes me nervous—I don't even want to think of Tom in a romantic way, not when Laurie is back home.
"He is," Tom shakes his head, a fond look on his face. "he's younger than you, you know. Sixteen. I'll be twenty-one in June—Aunt March says you're staying with us during that time. We're having some sort of a little soirée type event for my birthday." He pauses, then seems to mentally chastise himself. "Of course, if you don't like parties, you don't have to go. We could always hang out during the day."
