𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧' 𝐆𝐮𝐲 ➺ 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒶𝓎 & 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃

20. Boiling Up Inside

"I always thought that Roger would be the less educated one," I murmured to Brian. He smirked, glancing over at the doorway to the living room where Freddie and Roger were engrossed in a game of Scrabble. Normally, Brian would join them, but since he had me as his company, he chose to be the true gentleman he was and stay by my side.

"They're always at each other's throats over that game. It's a rare occasion when only one of us is the reigning champion. I tend to come up with some very long words," he grinned, turning to put the kettle on the stove. "They're just lucky I'm not playing."

"I used to play Scrabble with my brother when we were younger," I began, watching as Brian expertly prepared my coffee and his tea. "It was a bit challenging, to be honest."

Brian raised an eyebrow. "It's not that difficult of a game, Maria."

"It was only difficult because my dog ate the O's and the Y's," I laughed. "The number of times I got scolded for using the world 'count' without the O..."

Brian laughed, shaking his head. "I didn't know you had a dog."

"I don't... We had to put her down. She had some nasty wounds from the neighbour's dog when he attacked her," I shrugged. The truth was, I didn't recall much from that time. I was sixteen then, and by that point, I didn't pay much attention to what was happening around me. Things had just started to go downhill, and I wasn't accustomed to such a drastic change.

Leaning against the counter, Brian looked thoughtful, and the kettle started to rattle slightly. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that... That's the thing about pets. They don't live forever," he frowned.

"I guess they don't. But at least you still have pictures and memories," I replied.

Brian smiled softly, his gaze fixed on me. "You're so optimistic... sometimes."

I chuckled, playfully nudging his arm. "I'm probably one of the most pessimistic people you'll ever meet. You're the optimist out of the two of us! You work so hard all the time and still manage to be nice to everyone around you. That's talent."

"Talent!" I heard a voice from the living room. "Damn it, I didn't mean to say it out loud!"

I turned my head to find Roger banging his head on his hands, while Freddie wore a smug expression, clearly having spelled out the word 'talent' on the Scrabble board.

When I looked back at Brian, he was pouring the boiling water into the mugs. "Do you want to go upstairs? It might be quieter," he suggested softly, picking up both mugs. I nodded in agreement, reaching out for the coffee mug, but Brian playfully pulled it away from my grasp. "I've got it," he insisted, gesturing for me to walk ahead of me.

"I am perfectly capable of carrying a mug of coffee myself," I protested, making my way through the living room where Freddie and Roger served as a comical obstacle course.

"Yes, but I don't want you to spill it and burn yourself," Brian stated matter-of-factly. I huffed, trudging into the hallway.

"I'm not a child," I sulked, stepping aside to let Brian go upstairs first.

"Care to explain that look on your face then?" he smirked at me, shimmying past me and making his way up the stairs. I glanced over at Roger and Freddie, who were snickering to themselves, probably amused by the playful banger between Brian and me.

Brian's room was a comfortable blend of normality—neither too extravagant nor too minimalistic. Poster adorned the walls featuring icons like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, Conway Twitty. Books lay scattered around, their pages undoubtedly filled with astrophysics and other subjects beyond my intellectual reach.