Atlas

ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ɴɪɴᴇ

"No, I'm telling you, Atlas. Mum said I have to start practice sleeping," Winter tells me with a groan. "How the hell does one practice how to sleep?"

Not a damn clue. "Close your eyes and sleep."

"No, that's sleeping."

Perhaps. "Why'd she want you to practice how to sleep?"

Winter answers, but it mostly sounds like gibberish in my brain as I try to focus on cooking. Huge mistake. "ATLAS! LISTEN TO ME!"

I have learned one thing over the past couple of months. Cooking with a talkative person in the room leads to cooking with getting yelled at when I don't listen. And apparently, it does not matter if the person yelling is my wife or my sister. They'll be yelling.

"I am listening." I totally wasn't. "But, would you repeat the last thing you said?"

Winter sighs annoyingly. "I said, mum thinks I'm staying up too late and then never wake up. Which isn't true because I have school in the morning. I do wake up."

I chuckle, remembering how our mother used to tell me the exact same thing back when I was fourteen, and how I, too, thought it was ridiculous.

"She's good for you, you know."

I turn around to look at my sister, who happens to sit by the kitchen island, eating Sierra's precious donuts. Why is everyone always eating her donuts? Come to think everyone sees my fridge as a free grocery store or something.

"Sierra?" I question. Like who else would my sister be talking about?

"No, your spatula. Of course Sierra."

"Hey, a little less sarcasm here."

"Try the word 'please' and I might cut down on it," she replies, still mocking me. "Oh, I forgot you're old. You probably think I'm being serious. Sarcasm is when-"

"I know what sarcasm is."

She laughs, hysterically. I haven't heard Winter laugh in years. Though, to be fair, I'm barely around so that might be why. Another reason could be that I don't usually joke around with anyone. Not even my family.

I do happen to think I'm a bit nicer to all of them, outside of work only though. If they call me during work hours or show up at the office, they get the same grump-me my employees get. However, I think I mostly just call once a week and ask if they need anything. I never really tried to connect with my sisters, well, Winter.

Summer is a pain in my ass. She calls me daily, talks all about her day and I barely have the heart to tell her to fuck off. She's my sister after all. Rai is only a year younger than me, we've been close right from the start. Not as much anymore now that we're older, but it's alright, I guess? But since Winter is almost to half my age, I kind of always found it more difficult to connect with her.