Better Than Milkshakes, Better Than Boys (girlxgirl)

[38]

My brother and I wake up early like we're still seven years old and counting down the minutes before waking up our parents.

I had woken before my alarm, my bleary eyes registering the time as a little after six from the clock on my bedside table. I smiled broadly as I recalled the events of last night and the promise of seeing Mackenzie in less than 12 hours. I allowed myself to wake up gradually, checking my phone to scroll through various social media platforms before deciding to force myself out of bed and go to annoy my brother if he wasn't already awake.

It's a tradition within the Doherty household that the children make breakfast if the plan is to wake the parents early. Will and I have been doing this since he was thirteen years old, and it has become somewhat of a ritual for the pair of us to cook the same breakfast every year without fail. We then don our best clothes and head to the local church for the Christmas service. It's a big deal for my Mom for all of us to go with her. It isn't often that she's free on a Sunday to attend, given her busy schedule, so we all make sure we're there for her.

Before then, we'll eat our breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, and chives on bagels together as a family on my parents' bed. We don't all quite fit like we used to, most of us having to hang our legs from the bed in order to fit us all. Mom and Dad now refuse to move their legs, so my brother and I are the ones that have to compromise on space.

I eye up the presents I can see in the living room, but I snap my attention back to my brother when I hear him snap his fingers and 'tsk' in my direction. "Ah, ah! Help me cut this. Leave the presents."

I roll my eyes at my brother's antics but begin to help him nonetheless, acting like a sous chef and letting him cook everything after I've done the prep work. Despite not missing his bossiness, it is nice to spend time with my brother again. It's been a little weird with him being off at college, and the house has been quieter and much more lonely.

I don't think I'll be taking this time with him for granted. Before he moved away, we could only manage a couple of hours in each other's company before we got sick of one another, but now I think we're both appreciating the time we have together, whilst neither of us will admit that.

A stubbornness we both inherited from our mother.

"Who's the girl you're bringing to dinner?" I don't look in his direction, focusing on whisking the scrambled egg, a slight smile on my face. "You haven't mentioned a girl at all since you left for college."

"You never mentioned you split up with Clay and got a new girlfriend," Will muses, my gaze flickering up to look at him, his eyes full of humour. "I'd say we're pretty even."

"Are you not even going to give me a clue?" I almost beg, gripping his arm childishly, pushing out my bottom lip in a juvenile pout. "I opened up to you eventually. I even showed you a picture of Mack as an apology."

Will snorts but continues on with making breakfast, completely ignoring my pleas and saying nothing else. I frown but don't say anymore as there's no point guessing who it is when I don't know anyone from his college. Come to think of it, I can't remember him actually bringing up college much. He's definitely changed since leaving home. He's grown his hair out, and he's definitely put on some muscle weight, but he never seems to talk about his classes or friends.

Truthfully I feel bad because I've never asked him.

"How's UPenn?" I ask, genuinely interested. Will smiles as he pours the scrambled egg mixture into the pan. "Spill the deets."

"It's good," Will smiles. "I got my first start for the football team in the last game, and I think I've decided I'm going to look into the environmental science courses for my major. It's a lot different to high school but it's so much more freeing."