My Boyfriend and his Brother: The Apartment

Two: Zach's Story

What? his expression faltered, and I smiled. I pulled him closer and made out with him. I ruffled his hair. His body pressed against mine, and I was basically swallowing water. I couldn't breath, so after the kiss I swam upward, surfacing, gulping down air. Eric looked at me funnily, but he just got splashed as I was focusing my breathing. Eric looked a bit purple-faced, so I led him to the shore. We were breathing heavily, as if we had just been under for about a year.

"Do. You. Want. To. Leave." Eric asked between panting. I just nodded and rested my head on his shoulder. I was tired. I closed my eyes and then lay out on the warm sand, letting the sun tan me. Eric, the same, inching a tad too close for comfort, only letting it be more comforting.

---

We left the beach around almost 11, I almost asleep on the ride home.

"Hey, you awake?" He asked, my door open, him standing there. I shivered. Shut the door! I thought. I'm cold...

We were parked in his driveway, and I groggily and sleepily said, "Mhm... Y-You need to... To c-carry me..."

He smirked and unbuckled me, and carried me to the door. I buried my head in the crook of his neck, closing my eyes as he lay me down on his couch in the living room. I heard two sets of footsteps.

"Why's Emma here, Eric?"

That was Eric's twelve year old brother, Zach. He lived with him, ever since his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and his father had gotten fired from his job at the refinery.

"She's sleeping. She fell asleep on the way here," Eric explained. I heard footsteps lead away, and some lead to the couch. I fell completely asleep a few minutes later.

---

I woke Emma up at noon. Man, she's a heavy sleeper. She slept through Zach's fit.

Zach moved in when I turned sixteen. I had to leave due to my mother getting cancer. I had to take him in. He was ten at the time, and was just diagnosed with bipolar depression and anxiety.

A year later, also a year ago, I found him passed out in his bedroom with a deep gash in his arm, along with many old, some fresh, some barley recognizable, scars. I found a pocket knife on his bed also, and I took him to the hospital. Being suicidal and self harmful, I had/have to take care of him. He attempted that again less than a month ago. Emma knew this, so did Pa and Ma.

Zach was special, but not as 'mentally' special, but 'special' as in, God created every one, special. Like Emma, Ma, Pa, Emma's parents, etc.

Emma groggily said 'five more minutes' and fell back asleep. Poor Emma. Zach must've woke her, but I never realized...

Zach was in his room, probably cutting again. I checked up in him, but his knife wasn't out. He was reading off of his kindle.

"You ok?" I asked.

"Yeah. Reading Harry Potter: Book Two. It's awesome! Harry defeats-"

"Hey! Don't tell me, I'm reading it! Now, nerd, read!"

"Shut up! Amelia Opez already has five hundred points, and its only been three months into the seventh grade!"

"And how many do you have?" I teased. His face went ablaze.

"Four eighty-nine point seven..."

"Ha!" I said as I left to check on Emma.

---

"As you may recall, we ARE graduates..." I whispered as I inched closer on the couch to Eric.

"Yeah, but no college," he argued.

"Jerk!" I tested. He smirked and put my head in his hands, and kissed me passionately on the lips.

We were debating whether we wanted to marry or not. Stupid college degrees... Why can't you accept in true love and marriage? Sheesh...

---

We agreed to wait after a year of college to marry. Why the long wait?

Emma looked a bit furious, but we agreed to wait until after church. A bit of Mr. Nelson's lesson won't hurt...

---

After church, I went home alone, Emma going home with her parents.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

"What, Zach?" I asked calmly.

"I need to pee," he said.

Brothers. I pulled over and he 'did his business'. He came back in, sat down in the passenger side, and we left.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Zach asked.

"Yeah?"

"Um... I like a girl. Shelly Robertson... You know, the girl from church?"

My brother and I had WIERD conversations. Don't even ASK about what he asked me on the way to church. If you want to know, text me (on my wall~lainiebug11).

"And?"

"Can I date her?" Zach asked. I smiled.

"Yeah, but no making out... Ok, fine. But in front of me, ok?"

"Fine! Wait... Why?"

I rolled my eyes and parked into the driveway. He egged me on about what I'd said, but I just went to my room and face timed Emma. Her beautiful face filled my iPhone's screen.

"Hey beautiful," I said. She giggled and blushed, her face a light pink.

"Hi bæ," she said.

"Kiss?" I said. She puckered up and kissed the screen as I did. She smiled a toothy grin, as did I.