Chapter Sixteen - Hands Off Pal

"Oh, Diabla!"

Never have I moved so fast. In one fluid movement, I'm diving off of the bed, sending Hendrix flying in the process as I scramble past him, then I'm all but falling down the stairs and skidding towards our front door where my rather tanned, long haired, grinning brother is standing. "Wolly!" I screech, throwing myself at him to the point he stumbles, clutching at Ezra's shirt for stability.

"Jesus Chaps, get off me, you fat lard!" He gasps out as I squeeze him within an inch of his life, my arms wrapped around his neck and my legs like a vice around his waist. He hugs me back though, spinning me round till the pair of us are dizzy. "Missed you." He muses before letting me go, ruffling my hair as I find my feet. I can't knock the smile off of my face. I knew Oli was coming home, but I hadn't expected it to be today. And who could blame me for being this excited? It's been months since I've last seen him, nearly half a year.

"Oh, so you just forget about me now?" Ezra says grumpily, throwing his car keys on to the counter top.

I scowl at him. "We're still not friends since you left me stranded at the he-devils house with his screaming child." He shrugs, unbothered.

"Well, my redemption is bringing your second favourite brother home from the airport." He tells me. I feign shock, placing a melodramatic hand to my chest.

"I don't have favourites!" I exclaim. The pair of them hum a chorus of 'we know', all the while Oli stands a foot behind Ezra, theatrically pointing to himself. I nod and with a series of facial expressions, assure him that he's my favourite.

He's not, obviously, just the most fun. The devil on my shoulder.

"What have you done to your hand?" Ezra suddenly asks, taking my hand rather roughly in his, causing me to wince slightly. His worried expression doesn't bother me though and I break out grinning.

"I punched Adam in the face!" I gleam. Ezra looks at me dead-pan while Oli cheers and gives me a high-five. See, the most fun. Upon probing for an explanation, I groan before informing them, rather loosely, that he'd turned up at school and totally, undoubtably, asked for it. "Don't worry, I sorted it." I assure them with a sincere nod of my head, fisting my unwrapped hand in gesture.

"Seems so," Ezra sighs, turning my hand over to inspect it. "How hard are you punching to fracture two knuckles?" He asks with a scolding tut.

"Clearly not hard enough!" Oli adds from the kitchen where already, he is making himself more than at home, throwing three pizzas in the oven. I imagine, all probably for him. "If you don't break at least three, then what's the point?" He spins round with a wide grin. "Did you break his nose? Oh, tell me you broke his nose Diabla."

I can't help but laugh, more so at Ezra's disapproving expression. Within a heartbeat though, it's overthrown by amusement as his eyes skim the area at the foot of the stairs. I turn to see Hendrix stood there rather nonchalantly, his arms folded as he rests against the wall. "Hello Hendrix, is it?" Ezra asks. He casts a suggestive glance at me, and I frown at him. Mental note to never seek out Ezra's advice when it comes to settling differences with an enemy. Hendrix nods and takes a couple steps towards him. "You were with her?" Ezra asks him, holding my hand high so he knows what the topic of conversation is.

"I was. Took her to get it wrapped. It was a good punch." Elijah tells my brother. I can't help beaming in satisfaction.

"Who's this?" Oliver's voice asks from behind me. I spin around the see him with a can of lager in his hand, leaning against the archway as he looks between Ezra, Hendrix and I for an explanation.

"Hendrix, Oli. Oli, Hendrix." I introduce. Oli grins then, looking Elijah up and down.

"I know you! The enemy guy. Honestly, Diabla used to bitch about you so much!" He chortles. Hendrix looks at me, amused, with a raised brow.

"Oh, you did, did you?" He grins.

I scrunch up my face and shrug. "Nothing I haven't said to your face dickwad." Oli takes a step forward then, his face having suddenly fallen serious.

"Well, last I knew, you don't invite your enemies round to your house when it's empty." My expression falters then, as does Hendrix's, and even Ezra takes a step back, although he's smirking at my discomfort. "So, are you touching up my little sister?" He asks plainly.

I choke on air. Literally, I inhale and begin the splutter profusely. "No!" Elijah exclaims. "No, we're just frien-"

"Project partners." I interject quickly. Hendrix rolls his lips into a smile and then nods in agreement. I cringe internally. He was going to say friends, wasn't he? From the corner of my eye, Ezra scoffs and moseys off, leaving just the three of us at the foot of the staircase.

Seemingly satisfied, Oli nods and returns to smiling. "Cool! You want a beer?" Elijah recoils slightly, but nods. "Help yourself. You like FIFA?" He continues as he leads Hendrix off into the kitchen. What just happened?

~

Having Oli back in the house just makes it a completely different atmosphere. I've been in tears laughing about his recent endeavours, especially when he flashes the tattoo on his butt cheek that reads 'pussy patrol'. That's Oli for you. Act first, think later. Perhaps that's where I get it from.

As it turns out, Oli plans to stay until the new year, meaning I've got three whole months with my partner in crime. Oh think of the fun. Unparalleled, I'm sure. He tells Ezra and I his plans as he sits on the sofa, can of lager in one hand, his other in his pants. He's certainly made himself completely at home, slouching in joggers and shirtless, playing with Hendrix on the Xbox he's brought back with him.

I've noticed that he swears at the players in Spanish now, but it might be one of the funniest things I've ever heard. He lacks the accent, so hearing him shout out words in his common tongue just makes him seem slightly incompetent. He's more than proud though. He calls it one of his greater accomplishments, although not getting anyone pregnant this year apparently tops it by just a smidge.

In turn, conversation falls on to my current situation. Obviously, I haven't been pregnant - hallelujah, or Oli might've butchered me - but I do have a child. A robot one that hates me.

He's met Ellie, only briefly, making sure that I understand that she is, in fact, a doll, and I shouldn't get attached. While I was rolling my eyes, Hendrix was snorting, proceeding to tell both my brothers about me kicking off in the hospital because he left her in the car, obviously resulting in my ridicule for the rest of the evening.

I'm particularly surprised by how long Elijah stays. I assume he'll maybe have a game or two with Oli, have some pizza with my brothers and I, then leave, but nine o'clock quick approaches and only then does he decide it's time for him to leave.

Oli engulfs him in a bro hug, patting him on the back while encouraging him to call again, which I return with a half grimace. I'm not entirely fond of the idea that my enemy is getting cosy with my brother. Brothers, actually, because today, Ezra seems to have taken a particular shine to him. Even my parents are kind and chatty when they come home, engaging in pleasant conversation with Hendrix. It's an entirely different side to him I've not actually seen before.

It's quite nice.

"Come on, I'll walk you out." I offer as he wishes my family goodbye, earning a chorus in return. He nods and I accompany him in the foyer as he puts on his shoes and grabs his bag. "I'll catch you tomorrow then, I guess. And thanks again for today." I say sincerely, smiling at him.

He nods and then our eyes meet, and I'm suddenly reminded of the very odd exchange that happened in my room hours ago. Slightly overcome with reluctance, I'm first to break our shared gaze and cough to dissipate the silence. "Don't worry about it Osborne." He says. I see him out the door, watching as he climbs in his car. Before he does though, he peaks over the roof with a grin on his face. "Give Ellie a good night kiss from daddy Hendrix!" He muses, earning a middle finger in return.

Once he's gone, I completely bypass my family sat in the living room, rushing upstairs to certain solitude where I can call my girlfriends and have them explain this development between Elijah and I. If that's even the correct term for it. Is it a development? I wasn't aware that you share odd moments like that with your nemesis. Because that's what he is, in spite of the repeatedly kind acts he's committed as of recent. I'm still questioning their authenticity.

"Twice in one day?" Nat sighs through the phone. "What's happened now? You've punched his missus in the face too?" I shake my head in spite of her being on the phone. There just aren't words right now.

"Chaps? You alright?" Alena asks.

"Something is wrong." I say to them both.

"Why, what's happened? Chaps, you're scaring us." Nat probes, worry evident in her tone. My friends are the best, so understanding. Probably less so when they're faced with the onset of my overreacting.

"It's not serious, at least I hope it's not. It's about Hendrix and me." I tell them both. I feel the pair relax through the phone as they urge me to explain. So, I do, briefly covering what happened post-hospital visit before I reach the culmination. "He came into my room and there was, like, a moment."

"What sort of moment? Did you kiss?" Lena questions, clear excitement in her voice.

"No, no, nothing like that." She groans in disappointment. "We just like, looked at each other, and... I didn't want to kill him." There is a stagnant pause and for a split second, I think I might be a hypochondriac. Then I quickly rid of the thought because I know this was definitely something. An unusual, abnormal something. Something that I'm sure will make our next counselling session painfully awkward.

"That's what you called for? Eye contact. Chaps, babe, I was expecting juice." Nat laughs. I gasp at her and her ignorance.

"No Nat, you don't get it. It was like, I wasn't looking at Hendrix who throws smoothies at me. It was weird. Like, ugh I don't know. It just wasn't normal. Like he was Elijah, not Hendrix, if that makes sense." I try to explain.

"No," Nat replies at the same time as Lena, who tells me "Not at all." I sigh and considering it a lost cause. "Maybe just keep an eye on it. Because sometimes, eye contact can develop. You know, into scary shit, like conversation." Lena guffaws and I huff, rolling me eyes.

"Okay, sarcy bitch. I get it, my life is rubbish. So how about you tell us what you're up to. Why've you been MIA?." There is a pause and I think that she might not have heard me, but then she replies.

"Well, this week has been particularly pivotal." She begins slowly and Lena and I hang on to her words, waiting for the gossip. "I went on a date with this girl, and I didn't want to have sex with her." She concludes.

"Nat are you serious right now? And you had the cheek to call my eye contact story boring?" I deadpan.

"No! No not like that. I mean, I actually enjoyed just talking. I wanted to get to know her, not just get in her pants. It's never happened before and I just feel completely reborn. I think I might be ready to stop putting about and actually start, I don't know... dating, I guess."

There is a long list of things that I never expect Nat to say. That sentence, right at number one. I'm not even sure I have words. Neither does Lena, apparently, because the line is just entirely silent. Thankfully, Nat seems to expect it because she just laughs and admits that it was a huge surprise to her too.

"So, like, you want to date?" I ask, seeking clarification.

"I think so." She confirms, only sending me back into a state of shock. "I mean, it might just be a phase, but I'm going to try it. See what I make of it. She's nice. I think I could quite like her." I nod and then I smile, more than pleased for my little Natalie.

"Well, what with Chaps eye contact and Nat's diminished sex drive, you've certainly spoilt me for gossip this Wednesday evening girls." Lena eventually laughs.

Clearly, it's a slow news day.