Jake Rosenbloom came into the office and dropped his backpack on the armchair by the door. He unzipped it and pulled out his laptop. He made his way around to the sleek metal desk in the room and plunked himself down in the Aeron chair Amy had bought for him. Just as he was booting the laptop up, his younger brother gave a grunt from the corner of the room. Atticus had managed to find the one streak of sunlight coming in the window and situated himself in it, just like Saladin.
He looked different these days. He had recently cut off his dreadlocks he had worn the previous decade and updated his glasses to a much sleeker black design. He was wearing his hair close to his scalp now, no longer than a ½ inch. He had also had a growth spurt in the last six months and he was nearly as tall as Jake now, though he had a gaunt-look like playdoh pulled too far in one direction.
At 16, Atticus had long surpassed Jake with academics and was now applying for post-graduate school. He had finished up his undergraduate degree in only two years and graduate school in one. 23-year-old Jake was working on his Master's degree in anthropology with an emphasis on archeology; just like his father had done. Jake really did share his father's passions for discovering ancient civilizations. Both boys now lived full time with Dan and Amy Cahill in West Cambridge, Massachusetts, just off Harvard's main campus. Dan Cahill was Atticus' oldest friend and current student at MIT. They had met years earlier online in a gaming room and had been fast friends ever since.
Jake had a photo on his desk of him smiling next to a pretty girl as they overlooked a snow-covered mountain in Norway. Dan's sister, Amy was Jake's long-time girlfriend. Jake had taken her there on vacation last spring and he had asked her to marry him. They were planning on tying the knot next summer. They all lived together in the Cahill Cambridge headquarters that Amy had created when she had taken over as head of the family. She was entering her fourth and final year of that responsibility. After her term, Dan would take over. Other than a few nicks and scratches, things had been quiet lately, for which Atticus was very grateful.
"What's wrong?" Jake asked, squinting at Atticus
"I'm supposed to respond to this question: Extrapolate on Priapus as a preeminent Greek Mythological figure and his contributions to Early Greek culture as well as his lasting impact." Atticus said rolling his eyes.
"What's wrong with that?" Jake asked, trying to stifle a grin. Priapus was the Greek God of sex; a subject Atticus didn't generally enjoy discussing.
"Well, I don't get it." Atticus said leaning back on his chair.
"Att, this is easy for you. You know all about Greek Mythology. You could probably bust that essay out in 15 minutes-in Latin-if you wanted to." Jake offered, getting himself situated and pulling out his water bottle before firing up the laptop. He had a lot to do this afternoon.
"It's not the essay, it's the subject." Atticus said frustration building in his voice. "Jake, I've been wondering lately if there's something wrong with me. I'm pretty sure guys my age are thinking about sex non-stop, only, I don't, and I don't even seem to care!"
Jake shut his laptop and stared at his brother. He had been wondering if they were going to have a discussion like this someday. Astrid had talked with Jake about sex a lot and he had felt a little uncomfortable at first but then it became any other subject for the two of them. He wanted to be there for Att just like she had, but Att was right, most boys of 16 were mega-horny. He himself had been and maybe that was why Astrid had started her talks with him at 13.
"This is bothering you, isn't it?" Jake asked quietly.
"Yeah." Att said dejectedly staring at the sunlit patch of carpet in the room.
Jake got up and walked over to his brother, sitting in the chair opposite him. "Att, your brain isn't like most peoples; You're mega-genius level. It makes sense that you'd not focus on the normal trappings of being a teenage boy. You're not missing a lot, let me tell you." Jake said light heartedly, hoping to raise Atticus' spirits. It did not. Atticus simply frowned at his brother.
"Jake, you've always been so easy around women, so is dad. I wish I was wired like that. I don't think girls even notice me." Atticus said with shoulders slumped.
Jake sighed and watched his brother. It was true, Jake had a very natural flirtation with the opposite sex. He caught girls on campus watching him all the time and he suspected that his 2:30 undergrad Intro to Anthropology class he taught was full simply so girls could stare at him.
"Let me ask you this, when you walk across campus and a group of girls is walking in front of you, what do you notice about them?"
Att frowned, "I don't know, their legs I suppose."
"What do you notice about their legs?" Jake asked, leaning forward on his knees.
"I guess the curves and how smooth they are." Atticus said, looking up at Jake. Jake was smiling now.
"Anything else you notice as they walk?" Jake said with a smile creeping onto his face.
Atticus smiled slowly, "well, Dan and I were talking about how girls seem to have magic butts. They jiggle just the right way."
Jake smiled, "especially when they wear yoga pants, right?"
Atticus looked up at him with eyes alight, "oh man, yoga pants are the most amazing invention." He trailed off getting a dreamy look in his eye.
Jake laughed, "that proves it, there's absolutely nothing wrong with you."
"What do you mean?" Att said with concern.
"You have more in common with Priapus than you think," Jake said smiling and slapping a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Trust me, if Yoga pants had been around in Priapus' day, he would have had statues carved showing his love of those."
Atticus laughed. "Ok, so, maybe I do notice girls, but how do I get them to notice me? You're a master at that Jake!"
"Ok, first off, you're at a disadvantage because you're only 16 on a campus where the median age is hovering around 21. You may have to wait a while for your chronological age to catch up with your mental age."
Atticus huffed, "tell me something I don't already know."
Jake continued, "second, I practiced. A lot."
Atticus looked confused. "What do you mean you practiced? How do you practice?"
Jake looked away, gathering himself, he decided to give Atticus a taste of the 'Jake charm'. He leaned forward in his chair and gave Att one raised eyebrow and a signature wink, then he turned on the full power of the smoldering stare on his brother. "Hey, I couldn't help but notice you over here. May I join you?" he finished with a smile.
"Does that stuff really work?" Atticus said, his voice raising higher.
"Just ask Amy," Jake said with a smile.
"Amy?" Atticus said incredulously. "Don't you remember, I was there for almost all of your courtship? I saw you try to put the moves on her-she shot you down most of the time if I remember right."
Jake gave a sideways smile, "Yeah, but not every time. Proximity and time work wonders, Att. Plus, I didn't give up." Jake sat back and smiled, resting his hands behind his head, "I eventually wore her down."
Just then, Amy walked by in the hallway and Atticus called out to her. She stuck her head into the room and removed one earbud. "What's up?" She said smiling at the two brothers.
"Jake was helping me with my flirting techniques." Atticus said with a wan smile on his face.
"Oh?" Amy said with raised eyebrows, shooting a questioning look at Jake. This was the first overt interest Atticus had expressed about the opposite sex. Better late than never I suppose, Amy thought. "Do you have one you want to practice?"
Atticus laughed, "no, no, not yet. Jake was trying out his best line on me and I asked him if those really worked or not. He said to ask you."
Amy smiled as she walked into the office. "Ok, Rosenbloom, give me your best shot," she said playfully to Jake. Jake took this as a challenge worthy of a trophy. He walked right up to Amy and began to walk her backward toward the bookcases that lined the walls on every side. Amy had no choice but to back up until she bumped into the wall. She smiled slightly at Jake's physicality.
Jake gave her his best stare, a smile curled up on his left side and he stuck out his right hand to support himself on the bookcase as he leaned in to Amy. Their faces were 10 inches apart. He just looked at her for the longest time, finally, he spoke, "Hey," his smile widening.
"Hey" Amy said breathlessly back, a smile spreading on her face.
"What are doing later?" Jake said staring into her eyes, very intently.
Amy took a deep breath, she knew this was just an exercise for Atticus' benefit, but Jake was so good at this that she found herself blushing in spite of herself. This was her fiancé for goodness sake!
"Nothin'. What did you have in mind?"
Jake gave that lopsided smile again and raised his left eyebrow, "Why don't we find out together. I'll pick you up at 8." Jake turned to Atticus, straightened up and said "Aaannnnddd, scene!"
Amy had to smile at the playfulness he had with Att. "What do you think?"
Atticus rubbed the back of his neck with his palm, "I felt like I shouldn't be in this room. Like I was intruding." Atticus' eyes traveled from Jake to Amy and back again. "You're good. Really good."
"It's all about confidence Att." Jake said, "I don't always feel confident, in fact, there are many days I don't, but I just push those feelings aside and just decide to go for it. If I fail, then I fail."
"He's right Att, when I was on the clue hunt, I had no confidence. None. The other teams could feel it too and they started laying traps for Dan and me because I second guessed my decisions. It didn't take me long to figure out that even if I was wrong, I was at least trying something, they were just waiting on me to make a move and then copy it. After the second or third time of our clue being stolen out of our grasp, I decided to be more confident from then on. I don't always know what is the best call, but I have to commit to it once I've made it." Amy said slipping her arms around Jake's waist.
He looked at her, love in his eyes, "It's one of the first things I noticed about her. Most girls I knew weren't that decisive."
"That, and the fact that I didn't swoon over you." Amy added, poking him in the ribs. "In fact, I kicked you."
"I remember that. We should have known then it was all over for you. Amy was the first girl who didn't fangirl over you Jake. She was making you work for it." Atticus said with a smile.
"Bottom line Atticus, just be yourself. Don't try too hard. If you like a girl, ask her out in your own way. Be confident in your decision. Confidence goes a long way in getting a girl to like you. If she says no, don't give up." Amy said to her future brother-in-law.
