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a brand new leather sofa that saw more dust bunnies than my ass. I mounted the stairs up to the loft, kicked off my shoes, threw myself on the bed, and tucked a pillow over my head to block out the light. Sleep must have taken me fairly quickly, because the next thing I heard was the sound of soft voices talking below and moving closer. The soundproofing to the loft could have rivaled a bomb shelter, so I knew the noise wasn t coming from neighbors. Then a dark head peered up over the edge of the loft. Seiran rewarded me with a sunny smile. I moved the pillow and tucked it under my head. What are you doing up here? He climbed the rest of the stairs up and leaned down to grab a few things from Kelly who followed him. They had a tray full of food. I tried to get up, but Sei pushed me back down. Rest. We made you dinner. The idea of eating in front of them made my heart pound in fear as my mother s words from earlier circled through my head. I can meet you guys in the kitchen. Did you eat? Kelly set the tray in front of me while Sei stacked the pillows up behind my back. The plate was heaped with eggs, golden and fluffy, three huge muffins, and a glass of milk. Everything smelled so good my mouth watered, and I felt like a buffalo for even thinking about eating it all. I knew you weren t feeling well, Sei told me. You should have said so. I made eggs cause they should be easy on your stomach, and the muffins are banana without nuts, just like you like them. He touched my forehead. You feel warm, but you always feel warm. His face scrunched up like he was thinking. I can get you an icepack if you want. Then he picked up the fork and stabbed some eggs and brought them to my lips. Eat please. No kidding. Kelly said. Have you been eating anything other than protein shakes? There is nothing in your fridge. He cut the muffin in half and added some butter and honey to it. You looked a little shaky today after you came out of the weight room. I swallowed half the eggs and devoured a muffin, but was unwilling to continue and make a pig of myself despite feeling famished. Seiran blinked at me, from where he sat near my legs as Kelly pulled open another muffin. Don t you like it? It s great, Sei. I m just full. That is a lie. Gabe came up the stairs and leaned against the rail. His green eyes looked at me in challenge. Sei looked between us two, and then finally back at me before lifting another bite of eggs to my lips. Jamie, eat. And so I ate every last bite. After the last of the milk went down I felt satisfied, but not overly stuffed. None of them looked at me with any disgust or judgment. They all just looked concerned. Gabe took the tray away, and Sei curled up next to me on the bed. His stomach pressed to my hip, head on my chest. Are you still hungry, Jamie? I can make some more eggs. No. I m good. Sleepy? Actually, I wasn t. I felt almost giddy, sitting there with my brother so close, and Kelly fawning over me with concern. No. Movie time, Kelly said. He got up and tugged me out of bed. The three of us stumbled down to my unused sofa, while Gabe was messing with the wires of the TV and DVD player, which I'd never plugged in. Finally the movie was going, and I realized it was the kid's movie, Meet the Robinsons, which was all about being accepted for who you are. It was one of Sei's favorites. The two boys curled up next to me on each side, Gabe on the far side of Sei, and we settled in to watch the movie. Only when it came to a close, and both Sei and Kelly slept peacefully against me, did I realize the movie meant something to me too. Sure I was different, and unlike Sei I didn't have a terrible past of people abusing me. But right this moment, I had a family who accepted me for all the flaws I had. I felt myself smile, and fight back tears for a moment. So maybe Sei wasn't the only one with self-esteem issues in the house. I was pretty sure they were all okay with that. ### About Lissa Kasey Lissa Kasey lives in St. Paul, MN, has a Bachelor s Degree in Creative Writing, and collects Asian Ball Joint Dolls who look like her characters. She has two cats who enjoy waking her up an hour before her alarm every morning, and sitting on her lap to help her write. She can often be found at Anime Conventions masquerading as random characters when she's not writing about boy romance. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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