The Cosmos

VII

If it had been up to Nathan, he would've arranged to meet Elena the next day itself. Hell, he even gathered up the courage to ask her but unfortunately – she was busy. So, they were going to meet up sometime during the next week.

Which brought Nathan to where he was – stuck in his house with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

"Oi, lazy ass." Delilah's voice echoed in his empty room as she barged in. "You- what the hell, how are you even comfortable like that?"

Nathan was upside down on his bed. His head lay on the soft material of his pillow while his feet rested on the wall above his bed post.

"Live and let live." He mumbled; his eyes fixated on the game he was playing. He had just killed his fiftieth zombie. Score. Nathan grinned.

His phone was smacked out of his hand, and almost fell of the bed making Nathan sit up in alarm.

"What the hell, Lilah, I was doing something."

Delilah rolled her eyes. "You were doing jackshit. Now, listen to me."

Nathan cursed underneath his breath about there being no privacy in this house and no sense of space. Shifting so that he could face his sister with the most annoyed look, he reluctantly listened.

She threw a piece of paper at him, which unceremoniously landed on the floor. Delilah didn't bother picking it up.

"That's the grocery list. Go fetch."

Nathan glared at her, "I'm not a dog."

"Hush, Natasha. Here's the money."

Without getting off the bed, but rather halfway dangling off it, Nathan looked at the list and immediately scowled.

"This is not grocery; these are all your products. Go buy them yourself."

Delilah, who was watching him carefully, raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Do you have a problem with buying 'girl-things'? Is this how I brought you up, baby brother?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Do not bring the moral compass into this. You know I don't think like that."

Exasperated, she threw her hands in the air. "Fine, whatever. It's not like all of my daily lifestyle routines depend on the little things that my own blood relative can't even get for me."

Nathan scooted back to his place – legs on wall, head on pillow – and got back his phone. "Not going to work. Kindly get out of my room." A cushion was thrown at his face. He snickered.

"Well, then. Guess I'll just tell Mom how you ran off yesterday without a word and didn't come back for 2 hours and forty-eight minutes."

Nathan looked up at her for a second, she was standing on the side of the bed now. "Don't you have a boyfriend to smooch with? Get a life, Lilah."

She smacked on his head, and he let out a slight wince. "Shut up, Natasha. Where were you anyways?"

He switched weapons – sword to rifle and started shooting across the street. "Why do you care?"

"I will confiscate your phone in ten seconds if you don't answer me."

Nathan scoffed, "I'm seventeen, Lilah, not seven."

"Ten." Nathan didn't move. The boss zombie was going to come in any moment now.

"Nine." His moves slightly faltered.

"Eight." She wouldn't really take away his game, would she?

"Seven." No, that would be too juvenile.

"Six." His fingers had stopped working. He was losing health – and the will to live.

"Five." He eyed Lilah from the corner of her eye. It didn't look like she was kidding.

"Four." She actually looked pretty scary.

"Two." Nathan's legs slipped from the wall, making him jostle up, "You didn't say three!"

Delilah's eyes narrowed at him. Nathan gulped and put his phone aside.

"I'll talk. Stop counting."

Delilah grinned. Satan, Nathan thought, and shifted in his place. His sister merrily sat beside him, ready for the 'tea', as she said.

"Spill." There was the metaphor. Nathan never really understood why anyone would want tea to spill and cause a mess. He also didn't understand the connection between gossip and a dr-

"Natasha, start talking or I won't even count this time."

"I was at the café." He said, indifferent. Delilah waited for more. When Nathan didn't enunciate further, she threateningly reached her hand out to his phone.

"With Elena." God, he wanted the bed to swallow him up.

Delilah's eyes sparkled and she let out an ear shattering squeal. Nathan quickly covered his ears and cursed.

"Aw, that is so cute. Look at you all blushing!"

"I am not blushing-"

"I can't believe my wittle brother is finally making a move. How was the date? Did you two hold hands? Was she fed up with you or actually happy? What did you talk about? Oh my god, did you kiss?"

Nathan's face felt ablaze. He had an unhappy frown on his face as he twiddled with his fingers. "I am not discussing my love life with you, Lilah."

"You don't have anyone else to discuss it with. Who will you vent to, Nathan? That guy who came with a box of pineapple on pizza last week?" Yes, Adrien had somehow barged his way into his house even. It felt like Nathan couldn't ever catch a break.

"Maybe," Nathan mumbled, just for spite.

Delilah's jaw dropped. "My god, look at you! You have a best friend and a girlfriend. I can't wait to see pigs flying in the sky."

"Adrien's not my best friend." He said, feeling the need to catch hold of what little sense of self he had left, "And Elena's not my girlfriend." Unfortunately.

Delilah waved a dismissive hand. "Semantics, semantics. Now tell me," She was really into this, it was creepy. "How was it?"

Nathan's eyes softened and a small smile crept on his face. "Perfect. It was...perfect."

Delilah almost swooned. She loved to hear about Nathan and all that happened in his life – no matter how minimalistic the subject may be. She also loved to talk to Nathan about her life. It was their way of bonding. And as much as Nathan portrayed how annoyed he felt, deep down he was grateful to have her.

"I can't – this is too adorable for my heart. God, Natasha, how did you even ask her out?"

He refrained back from cringing at the nickname. If Elena and Delilah were to ever meet – he hoped they don't – Nathan would have to set some ground rules for his sister.

Nathan looked away from her prying eyes, "It wasn't a date, she was tutoring me."

Delilah's eyebrows furrowed. "What? Didn't you top half your classes just last week? You boasted Mom's ear off for two whole days, I remember."

Nathan glared at the last sentence but looked away just as quick "Mathematics is tough, you know? So many formulae, concepts, theories-"

"You lied to spend time with her, oh my god."

Nathan pursed his lips and scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly.

Delilah sighed, "When will you finally ask her out?"

Never.

Nathan shrugged. "When the time is right."

That night, Nathan didn't sleep because Delilah wouldn't let him.

***

not edited.