“Roman’s grumpy,” Theo says, and I chuckle as some of my anxiety dissipates. “I’m sure he likes you. He just doesn’t warm up to people easily. I’ll talk to him soon. Try not to stress about it,” he reassures me.
I nod, and a yawn overtakes me before I’m able to say thank you.
With a soft touch to my shoulder, Theo says, “Good night, Sienna.” He rolls away, instantly chilling the air around me the moment his back comes into view.
Rolling in the opposite direction, I fidget a little in anattempt to get comfortable on the side of the bed that I’m not used to sleeping on.
“Good night, Theo,” I whisper.
Eventually, I fall asleep staring out the bay window, watching the moonlight dance across the lake as I listen to the calming sounds of Theo’s breathing.
15
SIENNA
“The rules of the game are simple, ladies and gents,” Alex declares as he explains the tie-dye competition game rules.
We’re gathered outside in the large patch of grass that separates the back deck from the lake. I look down at the supplies on the table in front of me. Various dyes, rubber bands, plastic bags, pens, and other tools I didn’t realize were required for tie-dying shirts are laid out across the table. Theo towers over me as he stands to my right. He looks excited as he listens to his brother explain the game, as though he hasn’t done this every year since he was a kid.
I was surprised to have slept through the night even though I was on the wrong side of the bed. Waking up with the lake in view and the sun shining through the window, I felt better rested than I have in months. However, I’m still trying to ignore the disappointment I felt when I woke up and found Theo’s side of the bed empty this morning.
Eventually, I ventured downstairs to find Theo in the kitchen with his brothers, setting up a spread with what seemed like every breakfast food imaginable. After dishing up a plate, I joined Beth outside on the back deck, where she was already sitting with her book and a half-eaten omelet. The guys stayed inside while we had breakfast together, allowing us some quality time this morning.
It was peaceful, quiet, and for a second, as I sat with Beth, I forgot all about my career troubles. The moment was fleeting.
“I still can’t believe you guys do this,” I lean over and whisper to Theo. To our right stands Beth and Leo sharing a table, and to our left, Roman fidgets with some of the bottles, seemingly taking his color choice very seriously. Alex stands in front of all of us, continuing to explain tie-dying techniques for us “newbies” as he called us.
“It was Leo’s idea when we were younger. He liked the thought of us wearing matching clothes.” Theo whispers back, leaning in closer, “Our mom always got a kick out of dressing us alike.” I smile at the thought of these four grown men matching with one another.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Alex directs the comment at us. “Anything you two want to share with the class?”
My skin heats when all eyes turn toward us. One glance at Beth and I see she’s donned her signature mischievous smile that I match with an eye roll. I catch a rubber band flying through the air out of the corner of my eye. Following its path, I watch as it hits Alex right in the chest.
“You think you’re the only one who can make a rubber band gun, you little shit?” Alex says, directing his comment toward Theo as he picks the rubber band up from where it landed by his feet.
“Alright, enough,” Roman booms before Alex can escalate the situation. “I’m sure Beth and Sienna know how to tie-dye a shirt. Let’s get on with this. We’ll vote tonight once the shirts are done drying.” With one motion of his hand, Alex ends his lecture, and we’re off to start dyeing our shirts.
Leo leans over to Theo next to me, and I just barely catch him say, “I swear, he gets grumpier every year.”
“You think it has anything to do with?—”
Theo’s response is cut short when Roman calls their names. Even if Theo hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have a hard time noticing that it’s clear Roman is the one who raised them. He’s by far one of the most intimidating men I’ve ever met. A pit opens up in my stomach when I think about having to ask him for help securing a job by this summer. Part of me still hopes Theo will do most of the work convincing his brother to help me.
Brushing past that feeling, I take a deep breath, focusing back on the plain white T-shirt in front of me. Thankfully, Leo snagged a couple of smaller sizes for Beth and me so we don’t have as much material to work with. Everyone else has already started tying up their shirts. Not wanting to be left behind, I pick up a rubber band and pretend I know what I’m doing.
“I don’t think I’m doing this right,” I say to Theo, after a few minutes of struggling with twisting my shirt and a few rubber bands snapping in the process. I stare at the mess of white fabric and broken rubber bands before me, embarrassed that I can’t do something everyone else seems to be so skilled at.
I’m immediately overwhelmed when I take a look at Theo’s shirt. It’s tied in ways I didn’t know were possible. He’s manipulated it to look like a star, no longer recognizable as a shirt. Theo chuckles as I stare at what he’s created.
“There’s no ‘right’ way to tie-dye a shirt. You’re doing great.” Looking at him, I raise one eyebrow, calling bullshit on his statement that I’m “great” at this. His laughter grows, and he sets down his shirt as he steps closer to help me with mine.
Grabbing a rubber band, he takes the fabric lying in front of me, twists it at one of the bottom corners, and ties it off.
“See, you just twist and tie. A beginner-friendly design is to just make random tie-offs, then apply color where you want it.” He passes a rubber band to me, and I stare at it, not knowing where to make my next twist.
You’d think I’d have an eye for design, given my architecture degree, but shirts and buildings are wildly different. When I’m working on my designs, I usually have time to plan, to make blueprints, mess around with renders, experiment with different colors, and really home in on a vibe. Having to design this shirt on a whim without any plan is wiping my mind of all creative ideas.
Taking the opposite corner of the shirt, I try twistingthe way Theo did. I let out a frustrated grunt when the shirt slips out of my hands, not doing what I’ve willed it to do.
