Plié and Clout

Chapter 26: He Also Snores... 101 Things You Should Know About Steph

uhhh? I jumped literally 200 reads in like two days wtf

-rabid

***

AUGUST-

Steph has been great tonight, I don't care about this going not at all like I expected. In fact, seeing him freak out over his sister is a billion times hotter than seeing him shirtless. It shows me he cares. He cares with his whole heart.

He tosses me a hoodie from across the room just as my eyes start to float shut. He looks exhausted, mentally and physically drained, seconds from collapsing. But before we re-enter the living room, he takes a deep breath and starts smiling again, just for Jilly. I watch him turn on a movie, a musical that I assume Jilly likes, and sit down. Me on his left, Jilly on his right, one of us tucked under each of his heavy arms. 

Jilly falls asleep insanely quickly, slipping right away fifteen minutes into the movie. When Steph notices, he turns down the volume, and when he's sure she's not going to wake up, he clicks off the TV.

"Shhhh," He looks at me and scoops up Jilly. I watch him wander down the hall and into her room. When he returns, tired Steph is back.

"Come here," I whisper the same statement that got his shirt off hours ago, but this time, I just want him to sleep. He collapses onto the couch next to me. "Let's go to bed." I make him rise again even though both of our bodies are too lethargic to do much more. We walk together to his room, and when he pulls me down onto his bed, I fall asleep immediately.

***

I wake as a little spoon and pause for a moment to enjoy Steph's even breathing against my back and his arms holding tight to me. I slip out of his grasp after a minute and replace me with my pillow. Steph stays dead asleep, and I wander into the kitchen. Jilly is already up and eating cereal when I come in.

"This is awkward," Jilly sighs. I take a deep breath.

"You know, I was going to say the same thing." I chuckle a bit and find myself a glass of water. "And you're right, he does kind of snore."

"He caught a cold a couple of months ago, it was awful." She's a little nervous. "The neighbors could hear it."

"Yikes," I laugh. "He snores lightly. If you were my friend Gabby, I'd tell you it's cute, but you're his sister,"

"You find my brother's snoring cute?" Jilly scoffs.

"A little," I laugh. "Damn this is awkward."

"I want to know more about him. I missed so much time with him because of the divorce, we never really got to be siblings." She pushes her bowl aside and sets her head on the table. "He's a stranger to me."

"I don't know much about him, really, he's an angel." I look down the hallway and to his cracked door. "I trust him, probably too much, but who wouldn't."

"I trust him, I love him, but I feel like we missed something we can't get back," she looks over at me. "He lived alone for a while after college, he hated it. Steph likes being around people, he acts like he would be fine on his own, but he's a sucker for attention."

"He likes being at the center of attention?" I laugh. It doesn't fit.

"No, he likes being paid attention to. He hates the center of attention, he likes, uh." She looks for the word.

"Affection?" I mumble.

"He likes affection. Having someone else's affection." She nods.

"What's your guys' story?" I ask. Jilly shakes her head. "You don't have to tell me."