Double Take [Sequel to Bound]

3. Negotiations

Leah's POV:

          "Boys are such assholes," I declared as I entered the house – by myself, since Klara had gone to swimming practice.

          "Language!" came the loud voice of Uncle Louis, causing me to jump. I peered into the living room, finding him sitting with my dad on the couch as they watched some football game.

          I rolled my eyes, smiling. "Sorry," I said to him as I walked into the kitchen, finding my mother.

          She chuckled, raising an eyebrow as she spread some mayonnaise on slices of bread. "What happened?" Mum asked.

          I sighed, hopping up to sit on the counter next to where she was working on the bread, dropping my bag to the floor as I grabbed another knife and started helping her. "There's this new kid, Dylan, and he grabbed the last book of Pride and Prejudice before I could."

          Mum smiled as I gave her a freshly mayonnaise-spread bread slice. "A boy who reads Jane Austen?" she questioned, "Now that's a sight."

          I rolled my eyes, huffing. "It's not like he wanted to," I clarified, "it's for an assignment for English. But either way, I was going to take the book and he took it before me."

          "Sounds like you being too slow to me," Uncle Louis said, appearing into the kitchen with a bottle of beer in his hand.

          I narrowed my blue eyes at him. "No one asked you, Uncle Lou," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

          He mirrored my action, causing me to chuckle as he picked up a chicken sandwich, until Mum slapped his hand. "Not yet, Lou," she scolded him as he pouted like a kid, "the fries aren't done yet."

          Uncle Louis' eyes widened as he grinned, giving Mum a hug that she clearly wasn't expecting. "This is why I love you, Kels."

          "Oi, back off my wife," I heard Dad say as he entered the kitchen just as Uncle Louis let Mum go, who just rolled her eyes before going back to making the sandwiches.

          "Eighteen years and you're still possessive," Uncle Louis snickered as Mum chuckled and Dad rolled his eyes.

          "You're telling me you're not possessive of Eleanor?" Dad retorted as I giggled, watching Uncle Louis huff in defeat.

          Mum stepped in. "Either way, it's adorable," she said, smiling as she kissed Dad's cheek, who smiled in return.

          Uncle Louis pretended to gag, earning a smack on the back of his head from Mum before he looked back at me. "So what are you going to do about this Dylan boy?" he asked me.

          I huffed, shrugging as Mum went to the oven to get the fries while Dad took another bottle of beer out. "I don't know," I sighed in defeat. "He said he'd give it to me in three days, but still. He's a jerk."

          "All boys start off that way, hun," Mum said as she took out some freshly made fries out of the oven, wearing red oven mittens so she didn't burn herself. "Your father wasn't exactly the nicest person when I first met him," she added with a chuckle as she set the tray down on the counter top.

          "Hey," Dad whined, his lips disconnecting from the rim of the beer bottle as Uncle Louis laughed. "I wasn't that bad."

          Mum looked at him, raising an eyebrow challengingly. "Harry, you called me a bitch only an hour after meeting me."