Gonzales

18

The warm summer evening settled over the quaint house on the outskirts of town. The sun, now a faint sliver in the sky, cast golden beams across the sprawling backyard, where a small soccer game was taking place. Laughter and playful shouting echoed as the family enjoyed their time together, something they cherished on weekends like this.

 Evelyn leaned back in her lawn chair, her gaze shifting from her  six sons to her husband, who's standing by the grill, flipping burgers with practiced ease. She smiled, a sense of contentment filling her. The house, once quiet and peaceful, was now alive with the vibrant energy of her growing family.

Her  thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud shout from the backyard.

"Got you, Matteo!" Marco's  voice rang out, teasingly, followed by a dramatic, exaggerated groan from Matteo.

"I swear, Marco, you're  too much" Matteo muttered, wiping his forehead as he tried to regain his footing. Matteo still the more serious of the two older brothers, and Marco's antics were both a source of frustration and amusement for him.

"Just admit it, Matty," Marco teased, raising his hands in victory as he jogged back toward their makeshift goalpost."I'm just too fast for you."

"Yeah, sure, you're the fastest thing in the world," Matteo said sarcastically, but his lips curled upward slightly in a reluctant smile."Maybe if you weren't  so busy cracking jokes, you'd actually play seriously."

" Hey," Marco said, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he struck a dramatic pose, " life's too short to take seriously. Besides, I'm just keeping the mood light."

Romeo watching the exchange from the sidelines with his fiancé , Charlotte, let out a chuckle. He glanced over at Charlotte, who was sitting next to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

" Your brothers are hilarious," Charlotte said, her voice filled with affection."I'm starting to get the sense that family dinners are always this loud."

Romeo grinned, leaning down to kiss her forehead."You have no idea. It's one of the things I love most about them. There's never a dull moment."

"Good to know," Charlotte teased, giving him a sidelong look. " I don't mind loud¦ but I don't know if I can handle being outnumbered by six guys."

" Don't  worry," Romeo said, chuckling."I'll protect you from all their chaos. Though, I think you might end up joining in soon enough."

As if on cue, Marco kicked the ball toward the goal, and Matteo dived for it, missing just by a few inches. The ball rolled past him and into the makeshift net.

" Goal!" Marco shouted, arms raised in the air, spinning around with exaggerated flair.

Luca ran up to join Marco, high-fiving him. He was already in full celebration mode, grinning widely as if they had won the World Cup.

" You were awesome, Marco!" Luca said, bouncing on his toes."You totally faked him out."

Leo, the quieter twin, was sitting under the shade of the big oak tree, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His dark eyes observed the game with quiet amusement, but he made no move to join in. Luca, noticing his twin silence, jogged over.

" You okay, Leo?" Luca asked, nudging him with his elbow.

Leo looked up, his gaze flickering briefly to Luca before he nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

" Yeah, just watching," Leo replied, his voice calm and soft.

" You know, you could play if you wanted,"  Luca suggested, trying to coax him out of his shell.