The Boys of Summer

4.

Raven sat down, pushing a plate of cookies to me as we both sat for a chat in the kitchen. She made a bunch of food and for some God forsaken choice, she decided to use mom's recipe.

I swallowed the cookie hard. "You know, I don't really like this recipe." I said, observing the small oats on the rough chocolate surface. Raven sighed when she sat down tired and sweaty. "It's the only recipe I could find here. Erik taught me how to bake so I used the opportunity."

She lifted a cookie which only crumbled and broke apart on her fingers. She frowned as she rolled the pieces on her palm. "This is just plain disappointing."

I huffed. "Well, don't worry I can cook anyway." I said assuringly. Raven nodded eagerly; putting up a thumbs up too. "Do please little bro. I'm tired of trying this."

My fingers toyed with the crumbs; pinching and rolling them in my fingers like soil from the garden. Feeling the texture of the mass was rather reposing to the touch.

"Rave, where did you meet Erik?" I asked. My sister's eyes turned to mine. "What do you mean?" She responded.

I shrugged. "Well you gotta give your own brother the details of course. It's a requisite to me you know? I want to know if this poseur ideal man of yours is worthy of being the father to my nephew." Knowing me, I always stuck to the details.

She eyes me deeply, sipping a glass of water as she leaned closer. "Hmm... convincing. Okay then where would you want me to start?"

"Well start white the basic details like where he's from or what he does... all that jazz you know." I said pertinently. As pesky as I was, I secretly wanted more than just the basic information. Perhaps I could find more about this Erik fellow and what his motives are.

"Okay so Erik Lehnsherr is German- Irish, his family died in a murder, he has no siblings, he was a witness to a patricide of his own uncle when he was 19, he graduated in Harvard, and now works as one of the executives at Sebastian Shaw-"

Raising my hand, my own comments came to mind when I heard that blasted company name. "He works at the Shaw company? That blasted company I worked at?"

Raven murmured, shifting in her seat while she adjusted her uncomfortable position. "There's only one Shaw company Charles  so of course he works at the same company that fired you."

Lips flat and back straight, I rolled my eyes muttering bitter things under my breath. "I can't seem to fathom how he managed to get there."

"Plus I studied at Oxford, doesn't that make any difference?" I rambled again. Raven cocked her head in confusion. "I don't get what you're trying to point out here." She said.

Shaking my head, I sighed and sat back. "Nothing, Just some bad memories of slamming my hands on fucking Shaw shit Sebastian." I blurted our. But when Raven started snickering intensely and interlacing her her fingers together, I frowned bitterly.

"What? That old lummox was a perverse, insufferable, lunkhead lunatic who demanded far more power than God and found firing people left and right lucrative! He probably hired your fiancé because he likes to fondle young middle aged men." I loathed out in frustration. Raven started to tear up as she held her painful laugh back.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

My attention was suddenly averted when Erik's figure appeared beside me in a ghost-like manner of apparition.

"So you think I got in to Shaw because because I prostituted myself to the CEO?" Erik smirked as he leaned on the counter. My eyes farted over his lean and sweaty body. Damn his muscles straining against that dirtied tank top.

"Huh?" I managed to croak out miserably. Erik stifled a laugh as he took a seat beside me. "So I take it as a complement or a loathsome way of dealing with you being fired?"

"Charles here was just rambling like he used to when we were still young." Raven chimed in with a quirky smirk. "But I think it's also to complement you, right Charles?"

Confused on what was happening, I simply hummed without thinking. "Uh, yeah yeah..."

I felt my cheeks burn when Erik raised his arm and slicked back his messy brown hair; causing his bicep to curl in impeccable beauty. With my mind trying to register what to do, I shifted in my seat much farther away from Erik.

"Wait where were you?" I asked, changing the topic immediately. I always hated it when things got awkward especially if the reason was my own. "Well? Why are you all dirty and sweaty?" I added.

Erik skipped some water from Raven's glass and licked his lips sultrily. "I was just planting the new sunflowers at the garden. It's a really great time to be outside." He slipped his hand into his pocket and fished out a bunch of seeds.

He took my grand very carefully letting his rough skin rub against mine. I felt a small electric bite when he fully gripped my palm. Slowly, he transferred the seeds to my hand; The ring on his finger cold to the touch.

I looked down at the mass on my hand. "What do I do with these?"

Erik winked. "Eat them."