The six-month housemate

Ten

TEN

Oliver made us soup for dinner, to "prepare our voices". We ate in silence, with Alex looking at me with a smug smile, like he'd already won the game. I just glared at him.

"It's not because you're my brother that I'll favour you, you know." Oliver said at one stage, without looking up from his bowl. It had the immediate consequence to make Alex scowl a bit.

"I don't need you to favour me to win, you know." He pouted.

"Yeah right. I know you have your own rules, dear brother, but for the second round, we're playing with mine. I'll choose the three songs you'll sing, so it is equal."

"How can two songs be equal? If they're not the same, they can't be equal." I interrupted.

"Are you implying the songs we sang earlier were not equal?" Alex inquired.

"Are you kidding me? Wuthering Heights? Against Love Me Again? Please, you had such an advantage!"

"I agree with Emma, your song was really easy compared to hers. But let's forget you had a first round and focus entirely on the second one. The one who wins this wins the whole game."

"But--" Alex interrupted.

"Stop complaining Alex, you were losing anyway; it's an advantage more than anything else to only count the second round for you." I interrupted him.

"You're mean."

"Maybe. Only with you, though."

"Thanks; I feel so honoured." Alex replied, mocking.

---

"You're both going to sing..." Oliver said, imitating a drumrolling sound to add a dramatic effect. "Somewhere only we know!"

I grunted. I really like that song, but I listened to it a lot lately, and it kind of gets boring after a while. We had moved back into the living room after eating, leaving the dishes on the table to get over with this stupid competition.

"What, Emma? You have another suggestion of a song sang by a boy and a girl in two separate songs?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." I replied, thinking about Lost Stars, from the movie Begin Again. "But I'll go with Keane and Lily Allen."

"Good. Since Emma was the last one to sing, you'll start, Alex!" Oliver grinned.

"Seriously? I'll be a gentleman and let the lady go first." Alex replied.

"Oh. Now you're playing the gentleman card? Last round you were nothing like one!" I replied.

"Last round? What last round?"

Of course. Oliver said to forget the first round, and Alex was applying it literally. Stupid arse.

"Listen Alex, I'm the rulemaker this time; you're going first. And you better not mess it up or you'll lose." Oliver warned.

"Privilege much?" Alex mumbled. Oliver glared at him. "Fine."

Oliver set the song, and Alex started singing. He had a really beautiful voice, I must admit. I could've stayed sitting there during the whole song, if the doorbell hadn't rung.

"I'll get it." I whispered to Oliver, trying not to bother Alex's performance.

Without asking who it was, I opened the door, to find an old lady standing on the doorstep. I nearly laughed when I saw her. She was VERY unlike any old lady you could see everyday. I mean... you don't see a quite large old lady, with short white hair on the sides and a bright pink mohawk in the middle everyday, do you?