5. Tangled Bonds

Steph's Pov

 I woke up feeling a little queasy. One glance at the clock on my bedside table made me sit up straight in bed. It was almost two p.m., and I had overslept. As I made my bed and tried to make myself look a bit presentable, I recalled the events of the previous night. He had regretted it. A lot.

 I did not feel like going down the stairs, but my stomach would just not stop rumbling. Climbing down the stairs, I could see Brian pouring cereal for himself and Simon concocting something black in the frying pan. Eggs, I think. When the floorboards creaked underneath my weight, Brian's eyes shot up to meet mine. He immediately averted his gaze, making me feel more guilty than ever.

 "Where the hell have you been, Steph? Do these look fine?" Simon said, pointing his spatula at the frying pan.

 I rolled my eyes. "They're burnt, Simon. Move over." I took over the pan and threw his eggs away. I walked over to the fridge to get new eggs. As I glided past Brian, who, for some reason, was frozen with his cereal bowl in his hand, our shoulders touched lightly.

 "Thank God you're here. Why is making eggs such a task? Rita made them for me yesterday too, and I saw her making them; hers turned out perfect." Simon was going on in the background, unaware of the tension between the two of us. Brian finally realized that he could also walk out of the kitchen and eat his cereal on the couch. At last, I had the kitchen all to myself.

                       *****************

 "He did what?" Kylie exclaimed. I had just related to her the events of the unfortunate kiss, and as expected, she was fuming. 

  "Where do men get their audacity from? He's living under your roof, eating your food, crying about his cheating girlfriend to your brother, and then kissing you when he's at his lowest! Then he has the guts to say, ‘Oops, sorry, it was a mistake.’ Mistake my ass!" We were walking down the street, and all her yelling had caught a lot of attention. People were giving us dirty looks. I tried running my palm up and down her arm to calm her down.

  "I know. But this time I walked away." I tried to add something to make it better, but instead of helping matters, it aggravated her even more.

  "Bitch, shut up. Knowing you, you probably forgot about it all and made breakfast for him the next day." I glanced at her sheepishly; she really did know me quite well, and it did sound quite pathetic.

  We were passing by the basketball court, and to my surprise, it was completely empty. Kylie pulled me inside, and we sat down right in the middle of the court.

  "You're coming over to stay at my place." Kylie said it decisively after a while. "We have exams in two weeks; you're staying over for two weeks. I can't trust you. You'd let him take you to hell with him. Don't say another word. I'm not asking." She glared at me when I opened my mouth to retaliate.

  "Ok, fine, maybe that will be better for me," I continue after a pause. "It's just that we've known each other all our lives. I know he's not a bad person; he's just going through a lot right now. I know that does not mean he gets to take it out on me, and he won't, I promise."

   Kylie squinted her eyes and finally gave in. "I'll give you one more chance, but I'll only believe you after seeing it for myself." 

I hug her tight and say, "That's more than enough for me." 

    It was true what I had said about Brian. I did not like the treatment I was receiving, but he had really been there during the hard times, especially for Simon. I would usually bawl my eyes out in front of Kylie, and usually she would know how to help me during my panic attacks. However, one night I had one of my episodes after she left. I remember crouching underneath the bathroom sink, crying hysterically, where Brian had found me. He had been quite distressed to see me like that. It was he who held me then, quietly, as neither of us had any idea what we were supposed to say to each other, but he had been there holding me tight. So today, when he was in desperate need of a helping hand, I could not leave him, and I really would not. But Kylie was right; I needed to stay away too, at least for a little while, till our awkwardness subsides.

    Kylie and I were sitting in the middle of the court, basking in the sun, when I heard her groaning. "Not this again." I turn to look in the direction of her gaze, and my eyes widen. Oh no. It was Simon, Brian, and Rita walking in our direction.

   Kylie and I stumble to our feet. This was definitely on us. We just could not find a better place to sit. We just had to make a fool of ourselves, and now what if Brian assumes that I was here deliberately because I was expecting something after the kiss? I did not have enough time to ponder and fret over this thought because Simon walked into the court with open arms and a big grin on his face. 

   "Why do I keep finding you hanging out by the basketball court so often? Have you finally decided to change your ways and become fitter?" He said it with a glint in his eyes. "Well, you're always welcome." 

  "No, thanks." I replied, glaring at him. Yes, brothers are annoying, but he at least saved the embarrassment for home. Besides, I was wearing sandals, which are hardly the appropriate shoes for a workout.

    "You're so childish, Simon." I hear a girl's voice behind Simon, and it belonged to Rita. "Girls stay. We were actually here so that they could plan a new strategy for their next game and also teach me a bit of the game too. I'd like it if we all hung out together." Wow, my brother's girlfriend was nicer to me than my own brother. This entire time, Brian had not looked at me once, and I hated the fact that I had stolen quite a few glances. I will not look at him either, because I really do not care, I vowed to myself.

    Kylie and I moved to the bleachers while Simon started showing Rita how to aim the ball, and Brian stood there with his hands in his pockets, vacantly looking at them. His face glistened in the shining sun. This guy somehow always manages to take my breath away, even when he is not trying.

    Halfway through the game, Kylie and I joined them. Initially, I tried aiming for the basket, but I kept on missing and grew redder after each miss, so I completely stopped as I could not embarrass myself anymore. Then we just tried practicing passes. I could barely keep up with that either, and I did not even attempt to dribble. After a while, Brian and Simon decided to play a game of half court with Rita while Kylie and I stayed behind. Simon passed the ball to Brian; however, he threw it a bit too far. When it bounced off outside the court, Simon shouted, "Steph, get it for me, will you?" I made a run for it, and by some law of physics, my sandals slipped, and I fell flat on my face with a thump. I am beginning to think maybe this basketball court is cursed; every single time I have set foot in this place, I have embarrassed myself somehow or another. 

    They all run to me to help me get up, and I grimace in pain. It is my knee that is bleeding this time. At least my face was saved.

   Simon makes me sit on the bleachers, and then Brian crouches in front of me. With him this close to me, the memories of the night of the kiss start gushing back to me, and I almost forget to breathe. He holds the back of my knee and starts to pour water down my knee. It stings a little, but my mind is focused more on Brian's warm fingers sending electric signals through my body. The entire time he bandages my leg, he makes no eye contact with me, and his entire stance is stiffened. It is only after he finishes bandaging my leg that I remember to breathe properly again. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Kylie's laser vision penetrating through my body, and I am reminded that I have to stay detached. 

  "Jeez, why are you so clumsy?" Simon complains, and I feel like smacking his head.