Javier nudged my shoulder as he gave me a look that said, ‘I’ll make it up to you later, promise.’ I felt a surge in my abdomen at the thought and swiftly moved to the bathroom, making sure to keep my back facing the twins.
I spent a few minutes in the bathroom to take care of my… issue. The relief from the painful blue balls I just experienced had tears in my fucking eyes.
I came back to find the kitchen cleaner than it was before. The batter was in the oven, Javi was wiping the counters, and the twins were finishing up the frosting. It was like a scene from a coming-of-age movie, everyone working together peacefully and bonding. That was how my siblings acted when they weren’t around me.
Javier came up to me with the empty bowl of batter. He scooped some of the leftovers on the sides onto his finger and held it before my mouth.
“Try it,” he said softly.
I turned my head to face the twins. They were too occupied with the frosting to worry about Javi and I. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I stared at my rival's finger, the white batter dripping from it.
His finger was only an inch away from my mouth and I was afraid the twins were going to turn around, so I reluctantly parted my lips. When I leaned in to lick it off his finger, he moved his hand and wiped it on the tip of my nose.
“Asshole,” I muttered, my shoulders sagging from embarrassment. To elevate some of the heat in my stomach from the smug smile on Javier’s face, I stuck my finger in the bowl and tried some myself.
"How is it?" Javi asked me expectantly.
"Worst thing I've ever tasted." My tone was dull, but my small smile showed that wasn’t the case.
He put his hand on his chest and feigned offense. "Ouch."
I ripped a napkin off the paper towel roll and wiped the frosting off my nose. "It’s the perfect level of sweet. I don’t know how you manage to make everything you do perfect."
"Not everything I do is perfect," he said seriously, but not harshly. "Now c'mon, the cookies are done."
The cookies were baked at the perfect amount of time, a golden-brown tint to them. We allowed them ten minutes to cool before the four of us took turns lathering frosting on each cookie. We didn't have a piping bag so we couldn't make them look pretty, but all we truly cared about was the taste.
I took a seat on top of the countertop as if I owned the place and Javi leaned his back against it next to me. Having never baked cookies from scratch before, I’d say I did a pretty damn good job. They tastedimmaculate. I couldn’t give myself all the credit, but I could give some.
“Oh my goodness.” Emerson began to do a tiny dance with a cookie in her hand. “These taste so good!”
“You know how much better they would taste if we added something special to it?” My brother smirked.
Emerson’s happy dance slowed. “Not everyone is a pothead like you.”
My chewing came to an abrupt stop as bright headlights flash through the window. I had underestimated how much time I had before my aunt got home.
"Javi, you have to go," I said quickly.
“Yeah, I saw." Javier’s hands held my waist as he helped me down from the counter. "How should I leave?"
Not wanting to waste time explaining, I took his hand and dragged him to the bedroom. I brought Javi to the window and opened it. I peeked my head out to the side to see if Macy was out of the car yet, but I couldn't tell from where I was standing.
"I'm sorry that you have to leave so soon." I frowned. "And from the window."
"It's okay,” he said gently.
"Listen Javi, I—"
When I heard the loud creak of the front door swinging open, I knew we were out of time. If Macy was about to throw a hissy-fit, then I did not want him to be here for that.
He leaned forward and gave me a peck on the lips. "Bye, Eli."
"Bye, Javi," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Then he was out of the window, out of my grasp. My heart swelled in my chest knowing he was now gone. My head was overwhelmed with thoughts—that was normal, I always had trouble getting the voices in my head to silence themselves. These thoughts, though, did not make me want to numb myself. No, they made me want to feel. They made me ache for the affection of the man I used to swear was the bane of my existence.
With a deep breath, I made my way into the kitchen. I walked in mid yelling.
