Chapter 64

"You two fought?" Felix asked as he watched Ethan practice in paper. Paper! And a pencil! 

When his brother and Isabelle returned from town, it was mid afternoon. Neither spoke and directly went to their tasks: Ethan took out the paper and pencil and started practicing his writing. Felix had been dazed for a moment, staring at the new supplements, and asked Ethan to let him try.

Sadly, Felix could not as they were necessary for Ethan's new job. However, Ethan did promise him that he would buy some paper and a pencil so he could practice. Felix could only sit and watch.

Isabelle, on the other hand, took out the sewing box, the fabric she had bought, some of Ethan's clothes and started cutting inside the house. When Felix asked her what she was doing, she only said she was making clothes. Nothing more, as she put herself to work. 

It was strange, so he had to ask.

"We didn't. I got a job as a waiter in a restaurant. I'm starting tomorrow and need new clothes. She was focused thinking on what to sew that we also didn't speak much on the way back." Ethan replied with a sigh. 

He had wanted to show some love to her on the way. He knew a few places where nobody would bother them, but she stopped all of his advances, saying they had to quickly get home so she could start sewing. 

He could only comply to her wishes.

"So, you need new clothes, and even got paper and pencil for this new job?" Ethan hummed in affirmation. Felix was a little envious. Ethan got good things all from a new job. "Maybe I should work, too." He wistfully said. 

Ethan chuckled. "If you start working, you won't be able to see Isabelle the whole day." In his opinion, his brothers were the lucky ones who could spend time with her. He only had a few hours a day.

"Then, I won't work." Felix easily changed his opinion, making Ethan smile.

"Where are Joseph and Lucas?" Ethan asked. Some time had passed since they returned, and he hadn't seen them around.

"At the patch, harvesting." In the morning, Joseph returned very happy from watering the patch, saying many vegetables were ready to be harvested. Lucas immediately volunteered to help him pick up the gains of their spring harvest. 

Felix had wanted to help, too, but someone had to stay back to take care of the house with the chickens and rabbits and to wait for Ethan and Isabelle's return. Sure enough, not long after his two brothers left, Ethan and Isabelle came back.

"You can go, too, if you want to." Ethan knew Felix wanted to be seen as useful after Isabelle arrived. He wanted to make a distinction between being a man who provided and a boy who stayed back to take care of the house.

It was understandable. Though, if Ethan had a choice, he would have really preferred staying at home to help around. It was no longer possible as he had realized he could not stay put for too long. He could no longer be a house husband.

Felix didn't need to be told twice before he was already running out of the house. He chuckled and went back to his practice. He had looked for the flattest place on the table, but the paper was too thin, making his words very shaky. 

Tearing through the paper sheet with the pencil's tip once again, he sighed and decided to look for a piece of wood that was very flat. He even thought of making a table for practicing his writing. The more he thought the idea, the more he liked it. 

Not only for himself and his brothers, but for his future kids, too.

"Can you come in, Ethan?" Isabelle's voice halted his steps, making him change direction. As soon as he opened the door, she was on him. "Try this." He looked down at the piece of fabric and took it, immediately noticing it was a shirt. Light blue. "No need to take off the one you have on."

She said as he made to take off his current shirt. The first thing he noticed as soon as he put on the shirt was that it wasn't short-sleeved. The sleeves ended below his elbows and were wide. Next, he realized the neckline surrounded his own neck.

It was definitely different.

"Let me help you." She said when he saw him struggle with the little strings. It was an open shirt with long lapels that he had to wrap around his torso and tie so they would not open. "Move a bit and let me know if it fits well."

Ethan rose his arms so she could see if it wasn't too short, then moved them around to see the flexibility of the shoulders and sleeves. He also moved his torso side to side and from left to right to see if it wasn't too tight. 

"It's perfect." He smiled at her. Best of all, the fabric didn't feel too coarse in his skin. "I can use it without a shirt below." He commented as a suggestion.

"Because of the color, if you sweat, it will show. So, it is best if you use a shirt below." She shot down his suggestion. "Take it off so I can wash it. You will use this one tomorrow. I just need to finish the pants and-" Her words were cut off by the lips that stamped on hers. 

"I still haven't shown my gratitude." He breathed on her lips, red from the kiss they just shared. 

"Let me finish this and we can-" She was once again silenced by his lips. 

She pressed against him once he deepened the kiss, making their tongues caress each other. His hands slid down to cup her ass and let them rest there. 

Not groping or fondling. If he went beyond, she would definitely not finish whatever she wanted to do with the rest of the fabric.

He just leaned down to kiss her lips, her face, suck her neck a bit, and then go back to her lips until they were red from his ministrations.

"I'll go start dinner." He panted, pecking her lips a few times more, unwilling to part from her. 

She let go of the shirt she had just made, cup his cheeks and pulled him down for one last lingering kiss before parting. "Alright. You can go." 

Ethan smiled, took off the shirt and walked out the house.

In the middle of his cooking, he heard his brothers return from the patch. Soon, they entered the kitchen and put their loads on the floor. From the baskets, Ethan could see plenty of beets, onions, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and even a few lemons. 

"Is this half of the harvest?" He asked.

Joseph smiled proudly. "Not even half. Many more are still left. We had luck this year." 

"We sure did." Ethan seconded, glancing at the house where a candle had been lit. The sun was starting to set, turning the land a bit dark. Her being inside the house, forced her to search for another source of light. 

Ethan thought she needed a special room for sewing, with plenty light at all times.

"The food's ready." Felix commented, once he checked what his brother had made.

"I'll set the table." Lucas said, heading out. 

"How'd it go?" Joseph asked Ethan how the search for a job went.

"It went well." Ethan replied as he helped Felix plate up the food. Taking the plates to the table, made him think of his new job. He had always done his very best at any job he had. It was just his misfortune that nobody hired him permanently.

This time, for sure, he had to be hired.

"Ethan." Isabelle called out. That earned not only the first brother's attention. The four of them entered the house. "Try this." She gave him a pair of black pants. 

He checked the pants and noticed they were a bit slimmer than the ones he wore. So, he took off his pants and tried the new ones. Sure enough, they were a bit tighter around the legs but still gave him the flexibility to move around.

"They fit perfectly." Isabelle nodded. "Try the whole thing now!" She said, reaching for the shirt. Having been taught how to wear it, he easily put it on. "Then this!" She took out a strange piece of clothe which she hung over one of his shoulders.

"What is that?" Felix asked confused at this new garment.

"Hm. I do not know. I just thought it would be useful. It has a pocket for him to put his stuff and it will prevent for his shirt to get dirty." Isabelle explained as best as she could. "Then, what do you think? How does he look?"

The three guys looked at their first brother wearing black slim pants, a light blue shirt with a high collar and long sleeves and this new garment that covered half of his chest, his abdomen and crotch area. He looked very different. Definitely not like a village man.

"You'd need to comb your hair well." Felix noted. His eldest brother's hair was tied in a careless ponytail, wasting the good looks from the clothes.

"Of course." Ethan smiled. He had no idea how he looked, but he trusted Isabelle would make him look good. 

"I want clothes made by Isabelle, too." Felix whined, making her laugh.

"Soon. Just let me finish your brother's clothes, then all of you will have new clothes." She promised. 

Felix cheered. 

Dinner was loud and lively, with Felix wildly commenting all the clothes he'd like to have. With Joseph and Lucas congratulating their eldest brother for his new job, and Isabelle trying hard not to fall asleep. She'd had a very eventful day and was tired. 

She barely made it through her bath, but had to be carried out by Lucas and put on the bed to sleep.