After doing some thinking and observation, I reached a dire conclusion: my sister had no friends whatsoever.

“I don’t know about that, I think me and her could be called ‘friends’,” Violet argued back after I commented my conclusion to her. “At least I think we might get along a bit better than you and I did at first.”

“Are you trying to pick a fight or make me jelly?”

She shrugged and looked back to her homework. The last question was giving her some trouble in solving it.

My joke aside, she did have a point. I think it’d be fair to say that the two of them were friends. At least, they were on friendly terms.

I still wouldn’t count it as a valid friendship in this case. With Sophie being my sister and Violet my girlfriend, as happy as I was seeing it, it didn’t count. What I wanted was someone more on the “outside”. Someone closer to Sophie’s age too. Someone who could lend her an ear about issues she’d be unwilling to share with me or Violet.

“Done?”

“Yup. Could you just give it a once over? Just to be sure.”

I hoped on her lap and started to go through her worksheet. She really had come along in her studies. Very rarely did she make a mistake and was a lot more confident as Violet asked me to check her homework less and less often. Half of the times, I think it’s just an excuse to get me sitting on her lap when I already wasn't.

“If you’re that worried, how about Claire?”

Mathilda’s sister? That could work. We only met once at the pool, but she seemed to be very nice. I doubt Paul would date her if she wasn’t.

“That could work,” I answered.

“…How about we invite her this weekend?”

“What about our couple bonding time?”

She gave me a shrug before resting her chin on my crown. “It’ll be just for a couple of hours or so, it will be fine,” she tells me in a soft, reassuring voice. “Wasn’t it you who said we needed to find a balance?”

“Pfft, hehe. Does that mean I’ll be staying over tonight?”

“…If you want.”

Having her being such a dedicated girlfriend got me in a tender mood, so yeah, I did want to stay over. More than what I always wanted anyway. It’s been some time since I gave her back a massage, so I’d start with that.

“We should call Mathilda first,” Violet moaned when she realised what I was going for as I started kneading her shoulders while sitting behind her.

“But I feel like playing right now,” I whined.

She reached behind her, pulling me around and getting my back on her lap. “I’m not going anywhere,” she chuckled as she taped my stomach.

Since I had to get up to fetch my phone, I took the opportunity to change into something more comfortable than my school uniform. There’s nothing more comfortable than one of her shirts. Today, I’d wear her favourite one.

“At least put on some shorts,” she told me as I sat by her side with my phone pressed to the ear.

“But it’s hot and they’ll get in the way. Besides, you can’t see my underwear.”

“Erm, why are you calling me to say that?”

“Ah no! I snatched one of Violet’s shirts and she was telling me to put on some shorts.”

“Can I get a picture of that?”

“No, you cannot. This is a Violet’s exclusive.”

Violet, who was able to hear our conversation, nodded approvingly. To tease her a bit further, I crossed my legs over her lap. That backfired a bit because it got hard for me to not giggle while she skittered her fingers up and down them, but I managed to hold a normal conversation with Mathilda… I think.

Anyway, I explained her my idea and almost immediately had her telling me her sister would be in. Turns out, Claire had been feeling a bit lonely now that Paul was away, so meeting new people—whose quality could be vouched for by others she already knew, were right up her alley.

“Sunday sounds good?”

“Yup. I haven’t talked with my sister about it yet, but she rarely leaves the house anyway.”

“Alrighty then. You two can now go flirt all you want without making me jealous.”

Turns out, I didn’t manage to keep it in the down low. That, or she was taking a shot in the dark that happened to hit its mark due to how often we were all over each other.

Whatever the case, I still had to make another call before doing that. It was my sister’s turn. I could wait for when she joined us for the weekly family dinner, but I was too anxious to get this issue done as quickly as possible.

“Hey there. Did something happen?”

I thought it was a bit weird she asking me that right out of the bat, but then again, it was kinda late in the afternoon and it was the first time I called her since she came back.

I asked her if she was free this Sunday—she was—and if she’d like to join us in an all-girls outing. It took some persuading, but that was more her trying not to sound too eager, in my opinion. I also told her I’d be staying over Violet’s for the night. I was glad to hear her take that in stride. There was still a short pause, but she dealt with it like a champ. Then…

“Fufu, I bet Oliver will be very happy to—”

“Meow?”

“Aww! He’s with you right now!?”

Oliver had been peacefully sleeping on a makeshift bed and had somehow heard the mention of his name and called back. My sister went full gaga over him and asked me to put the phone close to him. As weird as her request might sound, I was curious to see what would happen.

She called out to him, he meowed back, purred and finalised with rubbing his cheeks on the phone, letting out another very affectionate cry. Even as I held the phone far away, we could hear my sister giggling like a little girl.

One silent exchange with Violet and I knew she was thinking the same I was: our cat was a sell-out.

 

◊◊◊

 

My dear girlfriend was clearly nervous. Not a hundred percent in a bad way, but there was a certain unease in her heart. Seeing her hopping in place like a kid waiting for a person to hand them candy was very endearing, and the giggles that resulted from me seeing her like that were being enough for her to forget about her uncertainties.

“Boing, boing, boing!” she laughed, making me laugh more than what I already was.

“I swear, you two…” Sophie chuckled as she shook her head. “Shouldn’t you act more your age?”

“But that sound so boring!” Abby protested. “Right, Violet?”

I wholeheartedly agreed with her. For too long I had “acted my age”. Being silly every now and then was a better way to face life, hands down.

“There they come!” Abby almost shouted, pointing at the other two people that’d be joining us for some afternoon ice cream.

Her sister gave her a light scolding, but that was a bit unnecessary. We were the only people seated at that café.

It was a nice place that Mathilda and Claire picked. We sat outside in a space delineated by a short wrought-iron fence, with round tables and chair mimicking an older style. My favourite part was the red and white umbrellas providing us a very nice shade.

The introduction were… interesting.

Sophie had stood up to greet the new arrivals and immediately caught the attention of Claire. She stared at her, chin in hand and humming, making Sophie visually uncomfortable. Then, Claire grinned from ear to ear, showing a bit of her pearly-white teeth.

“I like you,” she told Sophie as she latched on to her arm. “Let’s go over there have a big sisters’ talk!”

Sophie couldn’t get one word out, and neither could we.

…She might be even wilder than Abby.

Those two sat on the opposite side of were we three were and, under our watchful eye, started a conversation that became very animated.

Looking at Abby, I could see she was very happy with that development.

“Do you believe that I didn’t even explain my sister why she was coming along?” Mathilda asked her, looking kinda smug. “sister says she has a very good eye in picking friends and stuff. I’m sorry for your sister.”

“Why is that?”

“She had a couple of bad relationships,” Mathilda said with a small shrug. “Now, when she finds people that she likes and are good to her, she practically adopts them.”

“Hmm… I can kinda relate to that,” Abby hummed.

Mathilda assured Abby that Sophie was in very good hands. She was just joking when she said she was sorry for Sophie.

Now, she was studying us, at first with a serious expression, but slowly, that turned into mischief.

“You two banged, didn’t you?”

I almost choked on my water, but Abby had a more composed reaction and turned the conversation back to Mathilda’s own relationship. Or rather, lack of.

“Progress, you ask…” Mathilda drifted as she reclined on her chair. “Not really… I was hoping he’d act upon that huge hint of me holding his hand, but… nope, nothing.”

If she wanted something to happen and Stephen wasn’t doing it, then why didn’t she do it instead? He didn’t come across as a shy guy, him giving us compliments on our looks and having asked me out once, but if she only gave him one single hint, I think it’s a talk ask to have him pick it up and act, right?

By what Abby told her, she thought the same, so I must be.

“What you suggest me to do next?”

“I don’t know, I never dated guys,” Abby shrugged. “Aren’t they kinda weak against compliments though?”

How did she… right. Marcus.

Unlike me, Abby had some experience in dealing with guys. I really, really didn’t like that one bit. It made me jealous knowing guys got touchy with her in the past and…

“Easy there, dragon,” Abby spoke softly as she tapped my hand. “None of that matters, right?”

“…Right.”

She had way too much of a good read on me.

“Haah, why don’t I like girls instead?”

“If you think you have it hard now, then count your blessings,” Abby stated, before raising a fist with the thumb protruding to point at me. “I had to practically spell it out until this girl started to even suspect I was interested in her.”

“Well, sorry for being thick-headed,” I grumbled.

Abby giggled and bumped her shoulder on me, giving me cute eyes all along. Yeah, I knew she was just messing with me. I wasn’t mad, not at all. Still, I’d give her some punishment once we got home and alone. The soles of her feet were super ticklish, I found out this morning.

“…”

By the way she was looking at me, I knew she already knew what was coming for her. At the very least, she had a very strong suspicion. She also seemed to be looking forward to it. Kinda beats the point of it being a punishment, doesn’t it? Oh well, since I wasn’t really mad… it’s whatever, right? Yeah.

I looked back to Sophie and Claire while Abby and Mathilda carried on with their conversation about Stephen. The two had their phones out and, I assume, were showing pictures to each other. I could guess what the contents were… and wanted to see them I that were the case.

Abby’s picture of when she was younger… how nice…

I’d have to ask Sophie if she had some she could show me one day. Abby had seen pictures of me, so it was only fair. Not that I expected to see much of a difference. Still, an even more petite Abby… truly, adorableness in a brand-new level.

“Abby, you don’t like this,” I told her when I looked back and saw her with her mouth open, waiting for me to feed her some of the coffee ice cream I had just been served.

“I like it now though.”

I wondered if that was true, so I fed some to her. She didn’t make the twisted expression I had expected. Instead, she seemed to enjoy it.

“Yup, it’s yummy now,” she singsonged before offering me some of her mint and chocolate.

Next up was me and her staring at Mathilda. She had her mouth open and also seemed to be waiting to be fed.

“Get Stephen to feed you some.”

“Oh, come on! I’m feeling left out!”

“No, I mean it. Get Stephen here and do the same we were doing with him.”

“Oh! That could work, yes!”

Wasn’t it way easier to come to him and say, “I’ve liked you for a long time, please go out with me?” Why complicate stuff so much? Then again, I’m guilty of not doing that either, so I might as well just shut up and keep it to myself.

“…Pfft!”

Abby notwithstanding, of course.