Wishing Star

Chapter 12

After successfully avoiding Clark's angry ranting, Max made her way to the kitchen to prep dinner. It wasn't her turn, but she had told Caelum they could switch their cooking shifts so she could make Clark a special dinner without actually telling him she was making a special dinner.

Even though she hadn't known him for very long, she had picked up on a few things regarding his favorite foods. He loved medium-rare steak, beer, and potatoes. Simple, yet would get the job done. Perhaps he would suspect something since she was always experimenting in the kitchen and coming up with elaborate recipes that had both brothers looking at her in exasperation. Still, she didn't think he'd make a fuss about it, considering he'd finally get to eat something he wanted.

She had just set the table when both brothers walked through the kitchen, fresh from showering. Caelum's wet hair hung in his face, his typical blue jeans low on his hips, and a grey sweatshirt that did amazing things to his shoulders. Max met his eyes from across the room, and he sent her a wink before grabbing two beers from the fridge. Clark walked in behind him, his wet hair pushed back off his forehead, a white long-sleeved t-shirt hugging his frame, but instead of light blue jeans like Caelum, his were black.

Clark's eyebrows rose in surprise as he surveyed the dining room table, but as she suspected, he didn't say anything. Caelum sent her a look as he removed the caps with the bottle opener and sat a beer in front of Clark, but he didn't say anything either.

She smiled sweetly at him, the picture of innocence, but she knew she wasn't fooling him. After their talk today, Caelum had mentioned how Clark was spiraling, and it scared him. He wouldn't go into too many details, but he confessed that whatever Clark's ex-girlfriend had said to him sent him to a dark place that Caelum fought to keep Clark out of. So yes, Caelum knew she had something planned, but he didn't know everything. Dinner was just the first step in her three-step plan to improve Clark's mood. Plus, it would also help relax Caelum. She didn't want him worrying about his brother.

After covertly watching Clark eat half of his steak and seeing the gradual improvement in his mood with each bite he took, she cleared her throat to get their attention. "So, I was thinking..."

Caelum stopped eating and gave her a look, but she pretended like she didn't see. "Do we have any liquor around here?" she asked casually.

Clark looked up from his plate in surprise. "You said before you didn't drink liquor."

She shook her head. "I believe I said back then that I didn't drink liquor with strangers. Which you were at the time," she corrected.

His eyes flicked to the side like he was thinking. "I don't think we do, but I could run grab some from the liquor store," he offered. "Why do you want liquor?"

She shifted in her seat, and Caelum's eyes narrowed on her "Well, I thought that we could have a game night after dinner. But with drinks."

They both stared at her for a minute before looking at each other. Clark shook his head at his plate. "I don't do games."

She sighed in frustration. "Not really games. Something like Never Have I Ever or something similar."

He was silent for a minute, and she held her breath in anticipation. Just as she thought he would reject her idea again, Caelum butted in. "Awe, come on, Clark, it might be fun," he coaxed. "We can put on a good movie and get drunk."

Clark's lips twisted to the side as he thought about the offer. He finally sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. But I still expect both of you to be up at a decent hour so we can work on the dining room. Now that the fucking chandelier is taken care of, we have to finish the fireplace." He narrowed his eyes at Max as he mentioned the chandelier. Like it was her fault it even existed. Well, it technically was her fault they ended up having to get the fourth one. But now that it was up, it looked gorgeous, and they both knew it.