Nicholas Brethwell

Chapter 7

We went for a walk right around their entire house while we engaged in some small talk here and there. After the walk we entered the house again.

"I'm going to my bedroom for a sec, be back now" He said anxiously. Had I done something wrong?

After about twenty minutes, he still hasn't come down, and I figured that nothing else I could do would be more spontaneous than kissing a boy I didn't really know, so I went searching for him upstairs.

Two of the bedroom doors were closed and it wasn't my house so I wasn't going to intrude, the upstairs was beautiful, baige walls with doors with silver handles. I loved this house, absouloutly adored it. The rooms that had opened doors I peeked my head in, and took in the surroundings, the first room that I walked in had a double bed that had white bedding. It looked like a 5 star hotel. I assumed it was Greg and Sharon's as there were pictures of them at their wedding - which was elegant from what I saw. Everything here was beautiful, including Nick. I walked out and carried on my adventure. The second room was blue, red and white. It reminded me of the sea. I think it's Shaun's room because their was a picture of Shaun and Gen down at the beach, it looked like San Diego. The next two rooms had closed doors so I didn't want to intrude, the next room was a study that was very plain and simple but very modern at the same time. I think the whole family shared it because the was a little bit of homework, then another pile of homework, then a article about knitting and then I file that had papers in so I assume it was were the boys went to do homework, and where Sharon went when she was bored. I learnt that eavesdropping can get you far in life, I learnt that Greg studied psychology at NYU which was ironic as we lived in Michigan which was quite the distance, I also learned that Sharon studied law at Harvard and I learnt that Shaun was going to graduate and study medical science. Apparently Gen wants to be a teacher for pre-school because she loves kids and that Shaun's real mother, Julia is a diplomat and she's in Israel for the next 4 years and since she travels so much Shaun decided to come to Michigan with Greg when his parents got divorced. I felt bad for Shaun, he had to leave his mother because she does so much traveling, but he looks happy here, when he laughing with Gen right by his side, he looks really happy. The one thing I don't know, was how Sharon and Nick came into this equation, I knew that Sharon and her husband spilt up because my mom was going on about it it in the car, but I don't know the details and curiosity just happens to be one of my traits. I carried on snooping around upstairs but I couldn't find Nick and Shaun and Gen were on the coach watching tv so I didn't really want to join them as I would feel a bit awkward sitting by myself and they looked like they were having a private chat the last time I walked past them. After a while I decided that going to sit around the adults and listen to the chat was the best option I had, so I turned around and started making my way down the enormous staircase. As soon as I lifted my last foot from the stair case my eyes scanned the house and I saw the adults, every single one of them had a glass of wine in their hands and somebody must've said something funny as they all had their heads falling back with laughter, then my eyes found my mom, she looked so happy, her smile was from ear to ear and I was happy for her. I started making my way to the kitchen where all of them were, I would've imagined them to be in the "entertaining" room. I don't know exactly what to call it but it had 3 brown leather couches with blankets on them surrounding a black coffee table and in front of everything there was a big fire place that heated the entire room and have it an amazing fire lit effect and the fire was all you needed.

I walked up to my mom and whispered,

"What time are we going?" I glanced at the clock, 10:12 it said and I was surprised it was still so early. It wasn't that I wanted to go home it was just that I was bored since Nick fell from the face of the earth.

"Go find Nick." she whispered in my ear.

"I don't know where he his, mom."

"Well go look." And with that he turned her head back and carried on chatting. I sighed in defeat as I was hoping she would ask Sharon where he his, but she didn't. I don't really know what I would do when or if I found him because we shared that kiss while washing dishes (how romantic right?) and I think there was going to be an atmosphere of awkwardness in the air.

I walked out the kitchen and then realized that Sharon wasn't there with my mom. Maybe she was with Nick? A million possibilities came to mind but I shoved them away as it would be weird an uncomftable if I went and found Sharon alone so I turned my direction to the left and entered the 'entertaining' room. The fire had dulled out and the firewood was nearly finished. I sat down and realized that if it went out I would be sitting in the dark all alone so I stood up and walked up to the side of the fireplace and picked up 2 logs and carefully threw them in the fire. Burning hot red ash flew up from the bottom of the fire and died out. I remember when I was younger my dad and I would stick twigs into the fires and take them out and wave them around and it would give you that effect of red glowing lines in the air but I haven't done it for a while.

I took my seat back on the leather coach and saw that this plan was not thought out as I would be here alone staring at a fire, and at that moment Sharon walked in and said,

"Why you all alone in here?" She walked over to the shelf above the fire and started digging for something.

"Umm well I don't know what else to do." I said while giggling as I wasn't very good with talking to people.

"Oh, well Nick is in the kitchen, I think."

"Really?!" I said a bit to excited than I wanted it to be.

She turned around and gave me a smirk and said,

"Yeah, and if he isn't, you're more than welcome to go into his room and play his x-box or whatever it is." She said and giggled while pulling out a blue and silver lighter. Does she smoke? I couldn't see her smoking but then she pulled out a box of cigarettes from her bag sitting on the couch. I was surprised and she started walking towards the sliding glass door to walk out side. As she put her first foot out I said,

"Thank you." I said while standing up and heading for the door.

I walked out and headed straight for the kitchen, but as I put my head in I scanned for Nick but no sign, I felt like I was chasing down some criminal that was impossible to find. I weighed my options, I could either wait here, I could go back to the kitchen and sit with the adults, I could go up to Nicks room and play x-box or I could continue my search for him but I decided x-box sounded good.

I started making my way towards the staircase, but before I could reach it, a hand grabbed my wrist,

I found him. Finally.

"Where you goin'?"

"Nowhere now" I said changing directions and turning around.

"Where were you going?" He asked curiously as I walked past him.

"There you go with the questions again." I said turning around and smirking at him. I decided that those ripples I was creating, none of them were bad for me, none were causing anything insanely terrible, it didn't mean we were dating. I looked back in the kitchen to make sure that the adults were preoccupied so I grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer, and I didn't have to do anything else because as soon as we were close jurked me so close that our faces were centimeters apart and then he pulled a bit further and made our lips touch. The electricity was there again, the magnetic pull. The ripples were back in my head but I didn't care. There was something here, I just didn't realize how big it was going to be.