I push through the front door of our house, and I'm pretty sure my bones are actively trying to abandon my body. Eight hours. Eight straight hours at the café, on my feet, carrying plates, memorizing orders, trying not to accidentally destroy expensive dinnerware. My feet feel like they've been replaced with blocks of cement, my back is screaming at me in languages I don't understand, and I'm pretty sure I've forgotten what it feels like to sit down.
But it's Saturday. Glorious, beautiful Saturday. And Saturday means family time, which is genuinely one of the best parts of my week. I may be exhausted, but I'm also excited, which is a weird combination that makes me feel like I'm running on pure fumes and good vibes.
I drop my bag by the door and call out, "I'm home!"
"FINALLY!" Selene's voice echoes from the dining room. "Hurry up and get over here! We're starving! I'm pretty sure Bianca's about to eat the table!"
"Aww, hush!" Mom's warm voice cuts through Selene's drama. "He just got back from work! Take your time, honey."
"If I don't eat in the next five minutes," Bianca's deadpan voice joins the chorus, her teal eyes barely visible as she stares longingly at her plate, "I will literally drop over and die of starvation."
I can't help but laugh as I make my way to the dining room. The exhaustion melts away a bit as I see them all gathered around the table, waiting for me. And then I see what Mom made, and I nearly cry tears of joy.
Steaks. Actual, honest-to-god steaks with mashed potatoes.
"Mom," I say, sliding into my seat, "you're spoiling us. This is incredible!"
"You all deserve it," she says with that soft, maternal smile of hers. "Besides, I found them on sale."
The steak is perfect: medium-rare, just the way I like it, with a slightly charred exterior that's absolutely heavenly. I cut into it and take my first bite, and yeah, this is what happiness tastes like. I try the mashed potatoes next, they're creamy and buttery, and the taste has me convinced that I've died and gone to carbohydrate heaven.
Conversation flows easily as we eat. It always does with my family. There's something about sitting around this table, in our worn-out dining room with equally worn-out furniture, that just feels right. Like no matter how bad the rest of the world gets, this space is safe.
"So how was work?" Fiona asks, cutting into her own steak with practiced ease.
"Exhausting," I say between bites. "But I didn't break anything or get yelled at, so I'm counting it as a win."
"That's wonderful, sweetie!" Mom beams at me. "I'm so proud of you for sticking with it."
Bianca pushes some mashed potatoes around her plate. "I finished a new piece this week. Posted it online and got some decent feedback."
"That's great!" I say. "Was it the dark fantasy one you were working on?"
"Yeah. Took forever to get the lighting right." She pauses. "But it turned out pretty good, I think."
"Pretty good?" Selene jumps in. "Bianca, you got like a thousand likes in three hours. That's not 'pretty good,' that's amazing!"
Bianca shrugs, but I can see the pleased smile tugging at her lips. "Whatever."
Selene launches into a story about her modeling gig this week, something involving a photoshoot where the photographer kept asking her to "be more ethereal," whatever that means. She does an impression of him that has all of us cracking up, even Bianca.
"Oh!" Selene says suddenly, her eyes lighting up. "And I started this new anime that's absolutely insane. It's about—"
"Is it the one with the weird power system?" I interrupt.
"They ALL have weird power systems, Adam. That's like, the whole point."
Fair.
Mom tells us about the book she's reading: some romance novel that apparently has a plot twist she didn't see coming. Watching her talk about it, seeing her actually relaxed and happy instead of exhausted from work, makes my chest feel warm.
"Let's do something together tonight." Mom says suddenly, her eyes bright. "If everyone's free, that is."
"I'm free," I say immediately.
"Same," Bianca adds.
"Obviously I'm in," Selene says. "What should we do?"
"You guys hear about that new horror movie?" Bianca asks casually. "I heard it was good."
There's a beat of silence.
"What?" Selene blurts out, her pink eyes going wide. "You hate horror movies!"
"No?" Bianca says, raising an eyebrow. "I love them."
"But last time we watched one, you literally said, and I quote, 'I'm never watching another horror movie again'!" Selene is practically bouncing in her seat now. "You were so scared you had to sleep with Mom!"
Bianca's pale cheeks turn slightly pink. "...I don't remember that happening."
"It literally happened last month!"
I'm trying very hard not to laugh. Mom has her hand over her mouth, clearly fighting the same battle.
"You were crying," Selene continues mercilessly. "Like, actual tears. And you made Mom check under the bed for demons."
"That's... that's completely fabricated," Bianca mutters, looking down at her plate.
"Is it though?"
"I'm fine with anything you guys want to do," Mom says diplomatically, though her eyes are twinkling with amusement.
Selene turns to me. "What about you?"
I shrug, grinning. "I'm down for whatever. It's up to you guys."
Bianca sighs dramatically, and I can see the exact moment she decides to double down. "You know, Selene, if you don't want to watch it, we don't have to. I didn't realize you were such a chicken."
"Me??? Scared???? And you're the one saying it????" Selene's voice goes up approximately three octaves. "Fine! Let's watch it then! I'm not the chicken, you're the chicken!!"
"I think you might have just been played," I whisper to Selene.
"Shut up, Adam."
And that's how we end up huddled around the TV in the living room about an hour later.
The seating arrangement is... well, it's cozy. That's one word for it.
We've created what can only be described as a nest of blankets on the floor. There's a massive comforter that could probably shelter a family of four, several throw pillows strategically placed, and we're all piled together in a way that seems very normal and family-friendly until you actually think about it, at which point it feels a bit too intimate.
I'm sitting cross-legged in the middle of this arrangement, which was clearly a tactical error on my part. Fiona settles in behind me, and I feel her legs bracket either side of my body, the soft fabric of her pajama pants brushing against my sides. Her arms wrap around me, pulling me back against her, and suddenly my head is resting in that dangerous territory between her breasts, my cheek pressed against the soft fabric of her sweater. I can feel the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, the warmth of her body seeping through the layers of clothing.
Bianca claims my left arm without ceremony, hugging it to her chest. She's still in her oversized black band tee, and through the worn fabric I can feel the softness of her pressed against my arm. Her pale skin is cool to the touch where her arm wraps around mine, and I catch a whiff of that sweet, earthy cherry scent she always wears: something dark and complex that seems to cling to her hair and skin.
Without her usual goth makeup, her natural beauty is on full display: flawless porcelain skin that seems to glow in the TV's light, soft pink lips, striking teal eyes that shift between blue and green as the screen flickers. Her long black hair with green tips cascades over her shoulder, silky strands occasionally brushing against my arm and sending little shivers down my spine.
Selene takes my right arm in an identical grip, and I'm immediately struck by how different she feels. Where Bianca is cool and soft, Selene is warm and... also soft. The white strawberry-patterned pajamas do nothing to hide the generous curves pressed against my arm, and I can feel her warmth radiating through the thin fabric. That strawberry scent of hers, sweet and almost innocent, mixes with Bianca's darker cherry perfume.
Her pink hair catches the light from the TV, creating this ethereal glow around her beautiful face. Those impossible pink eyes are wide and focused on the screen, her cute pink lips slightly parted.
And behind me, Fiona's honey-and-lavender scent completes this overwhelming olfactory triangle that my brain is desperately trying to process. It's like being wrapped in three different kinds of comfort, each one distinct but blending together into something that makes it very difficult to think about anything else.
This is fine. This is completely normal family bonding. Nothing weird here.
"Everyone ready?" Fiona asks, and I feel her voice rumble through her chest against my back, vibrating through my entire body.
"Born ready," Bianca mutters, and I feel her shift slightly, pressing closer.
"This is going to be fine. Totally fine. I'm not scared at all," Selene declares with the confidence of someone who is definitely, absolutely going to be scared. Her fingers curl around my forearm, and I can already feel the slight tremble in her grip.