One Temptation

Sibling Banter & Bond (Chapter 16)

When I finally got home, I was completely drained. 

As I walked in, I saw Aiden rummaging through the kitchen like a burglar searching for something to snack on, only to find that most of the food was gone.

Right.

Mum was always the one in charge of groceries, either going herself or handing the list to me or Aiden to pick up the essentials. But with both her and Dad gone, we hadn't been paying attention to what we were running low on.

I realized most of the snacks had been devoured during my study sessions with West. We'd cleared out everything in sight.

Which reminds me—I needed lime chips.

Since I'd been alone at home for days, I hadn't bothered cooking actual meals. I'd been surviving off random leftovers, snacks, or whatever didn't take more than two minutes to heat up.

For the next ten minutes, Aiden and I went on a  hunt around the house, trying to figure out what we needed to add to the grocery list. By the end, we had a page and a half of items. 

Most of them were essential, but then Aiden threw in things like marshmallow fluff, claiming it was a "craving."

I shook my head, scanning the list:

Some of the things included:

Laundry detergent, butter, bread, burger buns, chicken fillets... marshmallow fluff??? Bananas, kiwis, printer ink?????

There were normal items, and then there was a single lightbulb.

A singular. Lightbulb.

I stared at Aiden. "Why the hell do you need one lightbulb?"

He shrugged without even glancing up, still tossing a tennis ball against the wall. "You don't wanna know."

I decided I wasn't going to question it.

"You actually feel like driving to the store?" Aiden asked.

I groaned. "Honestly? No."

"Then just order it online and pay the extra delivery fee or whatever. I'm way too tired to go anywhere with you right now."

I scowled. "Wow. I was actually worried about you, you know, since you haven't been home in days."

He rolled his eyes, completely unfazed.

I pulled out my phone and texted Mum, letting her know we'd be ordering groceries instead of going in person. I made sure to add a note that Aiden was too lazy to accompany me, quoting his exact words.

Mum texted back almost immediately, telling me to use her credit card. I was about to protest, but Aiden quite literally glared at me, so I gave in. 

Fine, I wouldn't complain about not spending my own money this time.

With the list as long as it was, the order would probably end up costing at least $300, if not more.

*****

Aiden and I sat at the kitchen island, scrolling through the online shop and adding random items to the cart. 

"So... what the hell have you been up to?" I asked, side-eyeing him. "You've been gone for days with no explanation."

He spun the ball in his hands, clearly trying to dodge the question. "Just... stuff," he shrugged.

I raised an eyebrow. "Stuff? That's it?"

Aiden smirked, nudging me with his elbow. "What, you worried about me? Don't stress. I'm not out robbing banks. Just hanging with friends."

"Friends," I repeated with a mock-serious tone. "Because last time you were with 'friends,' you came back with a split lip, bruises, and no explanation. And I had to patch you up before Mum and Dad got home."