Tipping the cool glass of milk up and downing its remaining contents, Brady Black wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and set the tumbler on the kitchen counter with a thunk.
"Brady! Brady!" Belle yelled as he could hear his younger sister running down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Huh?" he answered in a noncommittal grunt. The blonde girl flashed him a lopsided grin as she stuck the abandoned milk glass into the dishwasher.
"Brady, Chloe's coming over. Can you, like, clear out?" Belle asked, her voice dripping with sweetness that she knew her older, "Tough-guy" brother had a hard time resisting.
"Clear out? Ha--I'll just stay in here. What, is Chloe scared of me?" he countered sardonically, eliciting a small scowl from Belle.
"No..." she started carefully, not wanting to say anything she shouldn't. Not that I know what I shouldn't say...I mean, I don't know what's between those two...Belle thought to herself before finishing her sentence. "I just...well, I noticed..." She trailed off. Funny, she just couldn't figure out what to say to Brady about it.
"You noticed...that Chloe and I tend to go at each other like barracudas sometimes?" Brady finished for her.
"Uh...yeah...barracudas does seem a very fitting description..." Belle laughed. "Oh come on, Brady...please?"
"I'm staying in here. Chloe can deal with it. She's a big girl." Belle let out an augh! and mumbled under her breath about "dumb big brothers." Brady just grinned and reached for another glass of milk as she stalked out to answer the doorbell.
"Aw, Shawn...that's so cute. I'm so glad he's home," Belle said into the phone receiver. Chloe rolled her eyes and grinned from her position on Belle's bed. She'd been listening to Belle talk to Shawn about JT for the last 15 minutes...I wish they'd just cut to the chase, admit that they were, like, head over heels for each other and stop bothering the rest of the world! Chloe thought with a smile.
"No...you hang up first..."
Oh man. This is bad.
Chloe shrugged her shoulders and hopped off the bed, ambling downstairs toward the kitchen.
The door swung open just as she came to it, and soon she was face to face--and, unfortunately, chest to chest--with Brady.
"Oh...uh, sorry--didn't reali..."
"Oops, I...I mean...you...I mean..."
"Sorry," both Brady and Chloe said at the same time. Of course they tried to pass each other, but it appeared that the zipper on his leather jacket had gotten caught on the front of her sweater. Chloe felt her face flame up.
"Crap...how in the world?" Brady pulled back and looked at the stuck zipper. Then he looked back up at Chloe's face, and this time her blush was mirrored by his. You can't look at her chest, Black, he scolded himself. She's like, 10 years old. Shit.
"Don't move, Brady," Chloe said. Her voice rang with duh. "If you move, my sweater will rip. And this is my best sweater, okay?"
Brady could only grin. "So, Chloe, you're dressing up just to see 'lil ole me', huh?" he said cheekily.
"Augh," Chloe groaned. So what if I was? "Look, lemme see..." she leaned forward and peered at the offending zipper.
"Chloe?" Belle yelled from upstairs, breaking the silence and tension in the downstairs air. Startled, Chloe reeled and was pulled closer to Brady. The zipper audibly caught on her sweater again, and when she looked up, her face was only a breath away from Brady's.
"Chloe..." he echoed quietly. Then his lips were on hers in a soft kiss, uncharacteristically...and yet totally Brady.
Belle stopped short on the landing, spying her best friend and beloved older brother locked in an embrace in the open doorway of the kitchen. Breaking the kiss, Brady gathered Chloe to him, wrapping his arms around her and taking a deep breath in her hair. For the first time in a long while, Belle saw a real smile mark Brady's handsome face as Chloe sighed into his chest. She crept back up the stairs with the smile on her face, and figured it couldn't hurt...to give it time.
"Brady! Brady!" Belle yelled as he could hear his younger sister running down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Huh?" he answered in a noncommittal grunt. The blonde girl flashed him a lopsided grin as she stuck the abandoned milk glass into the dishwasher.
"Brady, Chloe's coming over. Can you, like, clear out?" Belle asked, her voice dripping with sweetness that she knew her older, "Tough-guy" brother had a hard time resisting.
"Clear out? Ha--I'll just stay in here. What, is Chloe scared of me?" he countered sardonically, eliciting a small scowl from Belle.
"No..." she started carefully, not wanting to say anything she shouldn't. Not that I know what I shouldn't say...I mean, I don't know what's between those two...Belle thought to herself before finishing her sentence. "I just...well, I noticed..." She trailed off. Funny, she just couldn't figure out what to say to Brady about it.
"You noticed...that Chloe and I tend to go at each other like barracudas sometimes?" Brady finished for her.
"Uh...yeah...barracudas does seem a very fitting description..." Belle laughed. "Oh come on, Brady...please?"
"I'm staying in here. Chloe can deal with it. She's a big girl." Belle let out an augh! and mumbled under her breath about "dumb big brothers." Brady just grinned and reached for another glass of milk as she stalked out to answer the doorbell.
"Aw, Shawn...that's so cute. I'm so glad he's home," Belle said into the phone receiver. Chloe rolled her eyes and grinned from her position on Belle's bed. She'd been listening to Belle talk to Shawn about JT for the last 15 minutes...I wish they'd just cut to the chase, admit that they were, like, head over heels for each other and stop bothering the rest of the world! Chloe thought with a smile.
"No...you hang up first..."
Oh man. This is bad.
Chloe shrugged her shoulders and hopped off the bed, ambling downstairs toward the kitchen.
The door swung open just as she came to it, and soon she was face to face--and, unfortunately, chest to chest--with Brady.
"Oh...uh, sorry--didn't reali..."
"Oops, I...I mean...you...I mean..."
"Sorry," both Brady and Chloe said at the same time. Of course they tried to pass each other, but it appeared that the zipper on his leather jacket had gotten caught on the front of her sweater. Chloe felt her face flame up.
"Crap...how in the world?" Brady pulled back and looked at the stuck zipper. Then he looked back up at Chloe's face, and this time her blush was mirrored by his. You can't look at her chest, Black, he scolded himself. She's like, 10 years old. Shit.
"Don't move, Brady," Chloe said. Her voice rang with duh. "If you move, my sweater will rip. And this is my best sweater, okay?"
Brady could only grin. "So, Chloe, you're dressing up just to see 'lil ole me', huh?" he said cheekily.
"Augh," Chloe groaned. So what if I was? "Look, lemme see..." she leaned forward and peered at the offending zipper.
"Chloe?" Belle yelled from upstairs, breaking the silence and tension in the downstairs air. Startled, Chloe reeled and was pulled closer to Brady. The zipper audibly caught on her sweater again, and when she looked up, her face was only a breath away from Brady's.
"Chloe..." he echoed quietly. Then his lips were on hers in a soft kiss, uncharacteristically...and yet totally Brady.
Belle stopped short on the landing, spying her best friend and beloved older brother locked in an embrace in the open doorway of the kitchen. Breaking the kiss, Brady gathered Chloe to him, wrapping his arms around her and taking a deep breath in her hair. For the first time in a long while, Belle saw a real smile mark Brady's handsome face as Chloe sighed into his chest. She crept back up the stairs with the smile on her face, and figured it couldn't hurt...to give it time.