AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Susan shrugs. “It’s going okay. I’m still trying to figure out some plot points.”
Ollie chimes in. “Well, why don’t you go upstairs and work on it? We’ll clean up here.”
Susan hesitates for a moment before nodding. “Okay, yeah. Thanks, guys.”
As she gets up from the table, I give her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about anything down here. We’ve got it covered.”
She nods and heads upstairs, and I turn to the other guys. “Let’s get this kitchen cleaned up.”
“Good luck, Susan,” Ollie calls after her. “Can’t wait to read your masterpiece!”
“She really is something, huh?” I say as I start gathering the dishes.
“Susan is a firecracker,” Ollie says. “She’s amazing. Sometimes I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“Yeah,” I say. “She makes breaking the rule of not having a woman around worth it.”
“Why did we have that rule in the first place?” I say. Both of us turn to look at Ed who’s staring down at the sink stonily.
“I guess it’s really nice to have a woman’s touch around here,” he says grudgingly.
“Oh my god, did you hear those words come out of his mouth?” Ollie says. “Please tell me you heard them, Artie.”
Ed glares at him. “I give credit where it’s due. Plus, she’s a great cook.”
I chuckle. “Not to mention her other talents.”
They both grin at me, and Ollie adds, “Seriously though, it’s been really nice having her here. I feel like we’ve all gotten a lot closer since she arrived.”
I nod in agreement. “Yeah, it’s been great. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have the house to ourselves again…but at the same time I don’t want her to leave. You get me?”
My brothers nod. I no longer care about the Conservatory’s deadline. This is where I would rather be.
I look out the window, noticing how the snow is slowly subsiding. The wind that was once howling through the trees has died down to a gentle breeze, and the snow that was once pelting against the windows has slowed to a soft flutter. The snowflakes fall at a more leisurely pace, almost as if they’re tired from the frenzy of the storm.
The sky, which was once a dark and ominous gray, has now lightened to a softer, lighter shade. If you look closely, you can see patches of blue peeking through the clouds. It’s been a crazy few days with this snowstorm, but it seems like it’s finally calming down.
I turn to my brother, who’s sitting on the couch next to me. “Looks like the snow is letting up, huh?”
Instead of feeling relieved, it fills me with dread. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the end of the storm, but it means that Susan might have to leave soon.
If there’s no snowstorm, there’s no reason for Susan to be here.
Ed notices my downcast expression. “What’s gotten into you?” Even though we only have a couple of minutes between us, he’s always treated me like the younger sibling.
“I’m just bummed that Susan might have to leave soon,” I reply.
I expect Ollie to make fun of me or call me a simp or something. But to my surprise, he nods in agreement. “Yeah, me too. We’ve been having too much fun with her around.”
“I wish we could keep her with us forever,” I say, voicing my thoughts for the first time.
“We could tell her we’re starting a cult or something,” Ollie suggests with a grin. “She’s already a great cook and great in bed. We could use someone like her.” I laugh and play along.
“Yeah, we’ll tell her she’s the chosen one or something. She’ll never want to leave us.” We both chuckle at the idea, but deep down I know that I don’t want to trick or trap Susan into staying with us. I want her to stay because she genuinely wants to be here.
Ed sighs. “I’m gonna miss her cooking.”
Ollie nods in agreement. “And the sex, don’t forget about the sex.”
