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Syden loved to ruffle his older sister Leighanna’s peacock feathers. He wouldn’t say he lived for it, but it would be a lie to deny that it gave him some measure of joy to vex her. More often than not, it happened all on its own, without him having to lift a finger. All he had to do was be himself for her to get annoyed at him. All he had to do was exist.
But occasionally, he did it with deliberation, fully conscious of the affect his actions would have on her. Why? For the thrills, of course. Wasn’t that reason enough to torment an older sibling who constantly talked like all those around her were a bunch of insignificant little ants?
It was a sweet summer day, and most of his family were home for a vacation. The girls were gathered in the sitting room, lounging on the sofas, having their tea and making polite conversation.
A person who was more timid might hesitate to disturb their tranquility. But not he. For him it was ‘the bigger the audience, the greater the thrill.’ Even better if his older sister had friends over.
He wasn’t always like that. Most times he was a very private person, keeping to himself and not saying much in a crowd. But there were also times he’d gladly take the center stage, be loud and express himself freely. It really depended on what mood he was in on any given day.
He walked into the room unannounced, amidst their talk, gripping the stem of a black rose he had picked from the garden. The giggling and conversation subsided momentarily, as they took notice of his presence.
They were all spread out over the sofas, arranged in different spots in front of the fireplace, which had only embers burning low as it was a comfortably warm day. All of his sisters were there. And Cela was there too. She was the closest to where he was standing, sitting on a couch by herself with her back to the entrance.
They were all dressed in pretty little dresses, with their hair styled, especially well-groomed as they always were whenever they had company.
The company of note today were two of Leighanna’s own dearest friends, having travelled all the way from their world of fame and fortune to grace their countryside home and hearth.
They sat on either side of his sister, one of them a pretty, slender woman with golden loop earrings, long red hair, and lips painted bright red to match. Her crimson evening gown revealed only the slightest cleavage. The other woman was also slim, with curly brown hair; she looked older than the others by perhaps some years, judging by the hint of a weathered face beneath the flattering layer of powder that softened it.
_
Syden snuck up on Cela, and grabbed her by the shoulders with a sudden forward movement, making her jump.
He smirked silently, as she realized who was behind her, turning towards him with a look of mild surprise on her face. The others watched quietly as he made his way around the couch and took a seat next to her.
He offered her the rose, and she took it from his hand shyly.
“Excuse me,” said Leighanna, her tone wavering on the edge of politeness. “What are you doing here?”
“I came for the treats,” he said, unaffected by her scrutiny.
Syden reached out and helped himself to a biscuit from a tray set on the table before him.
Leighanna’s two friends stared, looking from her to him, sensing the subtle change in the atmosphere, and not knowing what to say. Then Leighanna finally interjected, regaining her composure and her posture.
“Don’t mind him,” she said, not bothering with introductions. She took a little sip of her tea, and turned her attention back towards her friends. “So… you were saying?”
With a flutter of her eyes, the girl with the red hair picked up her conversation where she left off. He caught little snippets of it. The others didn’t talk much. They only listened, and asked the occasional question from their special visitors.
“Well, I told him, if you want me to do that sort of scene, you’re going to have to pay me more than that…”
“I make a list of people I want to work with every year, and I put in the time to write to them, tell them about my interests, send them a sample of my work. It’s worked wonders for me in getting roles…even if nothing was available at the time.”
Leighanna was listening intently, her long legs crossed, and holding her tea in one slender hand. They appeared to carry on as if he wasn’t there.
Syden turned to Cela. She was wearing one of those form-fitting summer dresses he loved seeing her in, tighter at the upper part, and fanning out at the bottom like a parasol.
He reached out and began delicately stroking her hair, whispering things into her ear.
“I hope there will still be time for our walk. I found a path in the woods we haven’t tried before...”
Cela stared back into his eyes, a gentle look on her face. “Yes, I’d love to. After tea.”
“You look really beautiful…”
She appeared to blush, took a small sip of her tea.
“Thank you,” she said.
He saw that her teacup seemed almost empty, and ventured to pour her some more.
Cela smelled the rose he had given her, and held it close to her heart.
He continued talking to her lightly about some plans they had made together, while giving her little compliments intermittently.
“Fuck their dumb shopping trips. I want to go explore the mountains again… will you go with me?”
“Yes.”
“You and I, we’re not afraid to get a scratch on our perfect skin, or stains on our clothes. But even with all that, you’d still be the prettiest one of them. I promise.”
She smiled, as he continued to stroke her hair gently.
Across the room, the others continued their conversation uninterrupted.
He leaned forward at one point and kissed Cela gently on the cheek.
It appeared this act did not go unnoticed.
There was another lull in the flow of conversation, and one of the ladies asked Leighanna, in a hushed but still audible tone, “Is he your…?”
“Brother, yes,” Leighanna clarified, taking another sip from her cup, the grace in her poise and manners still intact.
“Ah,” said the woman. Yet she still seemed a little confused. “And the two of them are…?”
“Cousins.”
He could feel all their eyes on them even while not looking at them himself.
He continued whispering to Cela, his hand on her shoulder in an intimate gesture, while she held the rose on her lap.
“They make a very pretty pair,” he heard one of them comment.
He peered back over at them from the corner of his eye, and he could see Leighanna blushing slightly.
Yes, that’s right. No one who saw them together could ever assume they were ‘just family.’ If so, they’d be the stupid ones.
“Yes,” Leighanna admitted in passing. But he could tell, by her stiff manners and her coloring, that just beneath the courtesy, she was mildly annoyed. She hated sharing the spotlight, even in her own family. Especially in her own family.
But the truth was, he didn’t do it only to annoy his sister, this unrestrained display of affection. There was just something so irresistible about Cela, that when he was in the same room as her, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her, and get lost in her eyes, in her warmth, in her light, to the point that made him forget why he came there in the first place.