Chapter 3

Jason's POV

The song quietly playing in the car changed from Post Malone to Taylor Swift and I mouthed the lyrics along with Taylor's smooth vocals. Jeremy and I had almost the same taste in music, which was one of the things that made us start talking at first, years ago.

He pulled up outside a pizza parlour which was most definitely going to be filled up with a lots of people coming directly from their various working places, some who had families at home might prefer to get their orders and leave for home immediately, while some might prefer to eat theirs in the restaurant; like Jeremy and I.

I rarely get pizza on my own except if I was too busy to prepare my own food, I prefer making my own meals myself. It was one of the things I do at home to keep myself company. Being the last child and only son of a family of four daughters didn't stop my mum from making sure I got brought up with the usefulness of domestic choices drilled deeply into my head.

My phone rang just as I was about to push the car's door open and I sank back in my seat to dig out my phone from my bag. I answered the call immediately on seeing who it was.

"Jasonnn!" The familiar voice of one of my favorite siblings stretched into my ear and my face split into a wide grin almost immediately.

"Hey there Addison, you almost ripped out my eardrums with how loud you screamed." I drawled out, the obvious smile in my voice telling a different story from what I was trying to pass on.

Jeremy tapped my shoulder and I turned towards him and raised my left brow questioningly, he gestured towards the Pizza Hut with his hand, indicating that he was going in already and I nodded my head in understanding.

"Huh?" I asked Addison when she kept on rambling and I completely missed all what she said, some seconds ago.

"I said I've missed you so much, dummy." She rephrased and I snickered a little too cockily for her liking because she started taking back what she said almost immediately, which only made me burst out laughing.

Jeremy dangled his car keys in my face and I took it from his loose grip before turning back to him again.

"Lock the damn doors once you're done." He mouthed quietly and I nodded my head in understanding before giving him a tiny thumbs up sign which made him roll his eyes for a few seconds before alighting the car and closing the door as softly as possible, leaving me to my own thoughts, and my lousy immediate, elder sister.

"There's no need to deny it, we both know you've missed me so much." I continued as I slowly combed my fingers through the curls on my head.

"I didn't," She mumbled and my lips twitched slightly, threatening to break into a laugh but I held it back, knowing she was going to give in to the obvious in a few seconds.

She huffed out a deep, exaggerated breath, "Fineeee." She dragged out the word to place more emphasis on her confession and I laughed quietly.

"Perhaps I do miss you a little bit," She continued and I nodded my head despite the fact that we were not face to face at the moment.

"Right." I agreed with her, my smile evident in my voice. "A little bit."

"Shut up little brother." She huffed out and I snorted out another laugh.

"I am a lot taller and stronger than you are, Addison." I drew out in case she might have forgotten. A shadow fell on the window of the car and I noticed a small looking woman applying lip gloss with the help of the car's tinted window, thinking there was no one currently occupying the car.

"Quit bragging, bozo." Addison brushed my jab aside after a few seconds.

"How are you doing? How have you been?" She continued, switching from a playful mood to a serious one and I mindlessly traced my index finger against my pants clad thigh.

"I'm good, I guess," I replied slowly.

"You guess? You're not sure if you're fine or not?" She continued and I chuckled quietly before rephrasing, "It's not like that, I'm doing quite alright."

"That doesn't sound quite convincing but alright," She breathed out and I rolled my eyes, already knowing the question that was going to flow into my ear next.

"So… anybody in the picture yet?"

"I've told you this before but I'd be doing it again. There's nobody, there won't be anyone in that spot for a long while because I really want to focus on my work without any form of unnecessary distractions.

"Aw c'mon, I always ask this question because anyone can occupy that spot in the blink of an eye, and besides, it's not an unnecessary distraction, it's something everyone needs in their lives."

I breathed out a long sigh, my siblings are obsessed with my dating lifestyle than I am, and they've never bothered hiding it.

"Look, I have to go, my friend is waiting for me, we can continue this conversation later." I started to say as I placed my hand on the door in preparation to push.

"You mean a friend or a friend-friend?" She drawled out suggestively, curiosity dripping off her light voice.

"I meant my best friend, Jeremy."

"Oh." She echoed softly, they all knew who he was and had met with him once when we all agreed to have dinner at a restaurant in the city last Christmas Eve. I had taken him along with me because he had no one to spend the Christmas with since he only had one sibling and they weren't close one bit due to them having different mothers. Jeremy hadn't wanted to come with me but I had forced him because I knew he was going to feel so bored and lonely despite him reassuring me countless times that he was perfectly fine on his own.

Two of my elder sisters were attracted to him to my annoyance and they just wouldn't stop singing their appreciations about his looks after that particular dinner. I mean, who would find the thought of your elder siblings finding your friend attractive alright?

"Yes. I've really got to go now, Addi." I murmured as I pushed the door open and stepped out of the car before closing it firmly.

"Alright. This conversation isn't over though, call me whenever you're less busy." She continued and I walked around the car to close the driver's door more firmly.

"There's nothing else to talk about concerning this topic," I reminded her as I pressed a button on the keys which automatically locked the doors.

"Oh, there is." She paused and continued when I remained silent, "Everyone misses you."

I perked up at that, "Oh yeah? Where are you?"

"At our parent's house, I went to pay them a little visit and I'd be leaving in a couple of days since I took a week break from work, I'd be spending the rest of my break at Derek's place."

Derek was Addison's boyfriend of two years and I am in love with their relationship. He treats her well and makes her extremely happy, you can be able to tell by watching her face whenever his name gets mentioned. I really hoped he doesn't end up breaking her heart, because if he does… perhaps I'd ask Jeremy to come with me to beat him up because I sure as hell can't stand a chance against Derek.

"That sounds nice, Addi. Send my greetings to mum and dad, will you? I'll make time some day to pay them a visit, perhaps we could all meet up there some time from now." I slowed my footsteps to avoid walking into the restaurant while on the phone.

"That sounds awesome, it's been a long time since we all gathered together because of everyone's work and shit. I'll tell the rest of the girls and we'd be seeing in hopes of our schedules corresponding." She continued and I couldn't agree more.

"Alright, I'm going off now, take care of yourself please."

"I always take care of myself, Jason. I'm a big girl." Addison argued and I snickered mockingly which made her huff exparatedly.

"You're five foot five, Addi." I reminded her with a chuckle.

"Go to hell, Jason."

"Aw Addi, I love you."

"Fuck off my phone." She continued but the telltale sign of a smile was evident in her voice, I've missed her so much.

Being the second to the last born left only a little age gap between us, which made us glue ourselves to each other while growing up, and also because we were obsessed with a lot of similar things while growing up.

"Love you too Jerk." She finally whispered before disconnecting the call instantly. I shook my head with a small smile tugging the edge of my lips and a fond feeling taking a hold of my heart as I tucked my phone into my pants.

******

Jason's POV

"Who got you smiling like that?" Jeremy asked the moment I sank into the seat before me inside the restaurant and I shrugged my shoulders a little before placing my hands on the cold table and flexing my knuckles back and forth.

"Oh, it's Addi."

"Oh. The favorite sister." Jeremy mused with a quiet chuckle, a far away look crossing his face for a few, fleeting seconds and disappearing like it never happened.

"Yes, but that's just between us. My other siblings mustn't know I have a favorite. That's the same way my mum claims to not have a favorite child when we all know she does." I snickered the last part out, certain pieces of memories from my childhood danced around in my head the very next moment.

So, so many fond memories.

"And who's the favorite child?" He asked with raised eyebrows, his fingers lightly tapping against the table between us.

"That's obviously me, being the last child and only son." I drawled out in a tone that clearly meant he was supposed to know already.

"Must be a nice feeling." He mused as he eyed his fingers on the table and I felt my heart sink into my stomach.

My intention wasn't to rub it into his face that my family was everything his family wasn't, which was why I almost never bring up my family until he brings them up himself.

"Did you order the pizza already?" I asked, automatically changing the subject.

"Of course I did, would I have been sitting here for a while now without placing down my order?" He asked with an eye roll, his fingers drumming a tune of a song that sounded so familiar yet so confusing.

"Great! You didn't order fruit toppings, did you?" I asked as I scrunched up my nose in irritation the moment a few images of pizzas with pineapple toppings flashed in my head for a few seconds. Jeremy sometimes orders those kinds of pizzas for himself, I always wonder how people bring themselves to stomach such.

Yuck.

"Nah, the regular."

"Oh nice. Let me go get drinks then." I murmured and pushed myself onto my feet then straight to the counter housing waitresses attending to people who ordered different kinds of drinks.

I stood before the counter and waved a waiter over.

"What would you like to order?"

I placed my order and murmured my thanks to the waiter when he returned with the drinks almost immediately. I was about to pick up the tray holding my drink and Jeremy's when a firm chest slowly pressed into my whole back without warning. I placed the tray back on the counter and blinked for a second before shivering slightly when a jaw came to rest on my shoulders and the familiar scent of Jeremy wafted into my senses.

"Tell them to switch my Pepsi for a sprite and a beer." Jeremy murmured against my neck and my neck felt like it was burning up due to the amount of warm breath hitting my throat with each word of his.

This was something Jeremy was very good at; ignoring someone's privacy and stepping into their personal space without any care for how the person was going to feel… at least that was what he did the most to me.

I puffed out a breath and tried to ignore the way my heart was racing as I pushed out my next words as quietly as possible through gritted teeth, "Jeremy! Did you have to stand this close to me?"

"Actually, no." He replied slowly and my heart beat sped up a few millimeters more when he murmured those two, simple words against my neck again instead of pulling away like a normal human being.

My face was heating up in embarrassment and it felt like I was being closed up in an emotion I'd rather not try to identify at this very moment.

I puffed out a slow breath and glanced forward only to lock eyes with the waiter who was currently attending to someone else but was still shooting Jeremy and I a curious look.

"You can go back now, I'll get the drinks and be with you shortly." I mumbled quietly to Jeremy while shifting my weight from foot to foot on feeling a lot of eyes on us.

He didn't give me a reply and instead slowly pulled away like I've been wanting him to since the moment he crowded my whole space up, I puffed out a small relieved breath as the warmth of his chest slowly left my back.

The waiter came to stand in front of me once again and I lifted up one of the Pepsi on my tray and handed it to him, "Can you please change this to a sprite? And bring a can of beer along with you as well?"

"Of course," He replied smoothly and hurried into the cold room to change the drinks, he returned with the requested beverages and placed them on my tray.

"Thank you."

"Your boyfriend?" The waiter, whose hair was in a neat man bun and a tiny piercing in the right side of his nose, asked softly with a tiny wink while gesturing towards our table with his head.

I felt color flood my cheeks once again, damn you Jeremy.

"Oh no. He isn't my boyfriend, we don't play for that team." I explained to the waiter whose facial expression switched from a suggestive one to a confused one.

"Oh, my bad." The waiter murmured and I nodded my head immediately, feeling like I needed to clarify more. "Yeap, we're best friends and nothing more."

The waiter didn't seem like he believed me at the end of my explanation as I picked up my tray and headed back to our table. A few people threw me curious glances which I knew was because of the stupid move Jeremy just had to make, some minutes ago.

I got into my seat and glared at him from across the table. He pulled the tray towards him and picked up the sprite before opening the can and taking a large mouthful, completely oblivious to the amount of havoc he had brought upon my nerves, moments ago.

"What?" He demanded when I kept glaring at him and I breathed out a sigh before picking up my Pepsi and opening the can.

"Would the damn pizza ever get ready?" I mumbled in irritation as I sipped from my drink, the cold liquid sliding into my throat smoothly, chilling up my throat and lungs almost immediately.

"That's one thing that's tiring about this place, it takes ages to get ready due to how populated it always is." Jeremy started to say and I was about to continue from where he paused before trailing off and slapping my mouth close when a waitress arrived beside our table and placed a huge pizza between Jeremy and I.

***

Jeremy slowed the car before finally stopping a few feet away from the big, black gates of my apartment. I unbuckled my seat belt and turned my head around to find him watching me. The car was dark and the bright street lights only managed to penetrate into the car a little bit through the tinted windows.

"Don't stay up tonight, Jason." Jeremy said when I opened my mouth to say something and I froze in place for a few seconds before letting out a small huff.

"I wasn't planning on staying up!" I argued feebly but Jeremy only snorted and I didn't need to clearly see his face to know that he was currently rolling his eyes.

"You little liar." Jeremy mused and I felt my cheeks grow hot in an instant. I quickly picked my bag and draped it over my shoulders before thumbing the door open and letting myself out.

This wasn't the first time Jeremy would refer to me as 'little', and as usual, it hadn't failed in getting me flustered in a confusing, annoying way.

Jeremy got out of the car as well and waited until I had walked over to his side of the car and stopped a few feet away from him. His hands were deep in his pockets and the nearest streetlight managed to catch his eyes, making it glow in a mesmerizing way.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jason." He murmured, his words sounding almost whispered, the sound vibrating low and deep from his throat, making it sound all gravely and growly which sent a confusing shiver sliding down my spine.

Perhaps it was just the cold. Yup.

The atmosphere sure is cold.

"You too, Jeremy. Thanks for the ride!"

"You don't have to keep thanking me every time. I've said this a thousand times." Jeremy reminded me, sounding almost hurt.

He did kind of have a point.

But I was already too used to saying 'thank you' for even the thinnest of things.

"I'll try?" I let out in a questioning tone and Jeremy only shook his head before reaching out for my neck with his two hands.

I panicked immediately, leaning backwards without thinking but Jeremy grasped my shoulder with a hand and steadied me instantly. I flushed red in embarrassment and refused to look in anywhere but his face as he started— doing my top buttons, which I had forgotten to redo at a point at the Pizza Hut.

"Don't want you catching a cold, because you'd have to call in sick if you're unable to work. And who'd go to work with me and keep me company throughout?" He questioned as his fingers pinched my second button close before moving to the final one which was at the beginning of my throat, his finger managing to lightly scrape against the bare skin behind my shirt, making me super aware of his presence and what he was doing to my shirt— and my senses.