It was Saturday afternoon and I was reading Alice in Wonderland when Zane told me that his siblings were coming over the next day. Apparently, their parents had been invited to a charity event at the last minute and their babysitter wasn't available. Before Zane said anything to his dad, he asked me if it would be okay for his brother and sister to come over. Of course, I agreed.

When I was younger, I wanted nothing more than a sibling. Just someone to play with would have been okay, actually. As a kid, I had a hard time making friends because I was labelled 'bossy' and 'mean' by the other kids. It wasn't until I hit high school that I got better at the whole friendship thing. At that point, my dad had passed away and I stopped pestering my mom about a baby brother or sister.

When Lory and Ronald finally came over, they hugged their brother and waved at me. Ronald didn't waste any time getting comfortable. As soon as his brother moved to hug his sister, he threw his shoes against the wall and turned on the TV. Lory and Ronald were carbon copies of one another. They both had dark hair and large eyes. However, while Lory was shy and quiet, her younger brother was rowdy and loud.

"I have some work to do," Zane said, rubbing at his jaw where a 5'oclock shadow was forming. He was wearing sweats and a blue t-shirt. His feet were bare. Most of the time when I saw Zane, he was always dressed in a tux or sported a freshly ironed shirt. It still took me by surprise every time he wore casual clothes. "We can order pizza and watch a movie later tonight."

"That's what you always say," Ronald whined. Lory, who hadn't said a word in all this time, sat silently beside her brother. She was eying my book, which sat on the coffee table.

I was leaning against the counter, watching the exchange between Zane and his siblings. "Do you guys want to make ice cream?" I asked, pushing away from the counter. They all looked at me like I was crazy. Zane opened his mouth and then closed it again.

"Yeah!" Ronald hopped off the couch and ran towards me. "You know how to make ice cream?" His eyes were wide as he climbed onto the barstool.

"It's not too hard," I said with a shrug, turning towards Ronald. "We just need some cream, sugar and vanilla extract." Zane mouthed a thank you before he ducked into his office. Ronald watched me in awe as I gathered all the ingredients. After a few minutes, Lory shuffled into the kitchen and sat beside her brother. She watched me as I handed Ronald two Ziploc bags.

"Can I make chocolate ice cream?" Ronald asked as he sat up on his knees and placed his elbows onto the counter.

"Is that your favourite ice cream flavour?" I handed Lory the bags who took them silently.

"No, silly! Chocolate ice cream is gross. My favourite flavour is banana flavour," Ronald said before slapping his forehead and rolling his eyes. "Chocolate ice cream is my sister's favourite flavour." It was sweet that Ronald was thinking about his sister.

"Banana flavour? I've never tried that before," I said while placing the bananas in front of Ronald. "Let's try it." The process of making ice cream was simple. I filled a big Ziploc bag with ice, followed by salt. Then I placed the cream, vanilla extract, and sugar into the smaller bag. After sealing the tiny bag tightly, I dropped it into the bigger bag.

Ronald and Lory watched me carefully as they followed along. "Is this okay?" Lory asked, lifting the bags up to show me. Her eyes were wide and full of curiosity. Ronald was just excited at the prospect of eating ice cream. He kept bouncing up and down on the barstool. I was afraid that he might fall over.

I nodded in approval, giving Lory a thumbs up and scrunching up my face in approval. Then I gave my bag a shake. "This is the fun part," I sang. Both Lory and Ronald laughed as they watched me spaz out behind the counter. Their laughter was infectious. For the past few days, I had been wound up tight like a rope. Laughing with the kids felt good.

Several floss dances and dabs later, we managed to create something that resembled ice cream. The kids sat at the table, eating ice cream out of their Ziploc bags. Apparently, the sharp edges of the ice cubes had caused tiny rips in the big plastic bags. The counter was covered with water.

Zane took that moment to grace us with his presence, a giant book spread open across his arms and his glasses perched delicately on his nose. Without looking up he placed the book on the counter, realizing too late that it was wet. Eyes wide, he lifted the book above his head and shook his right arm. "What happened here?"

Giving him a sheepish smile, I wiped the counter with the towel I grabbed from my room. "We made ice cream." Grinning, I glanced at the dinner table. Ronald was sitting on his knees and leaning over to try some of his sister's ice cream. We managed to make banana and chocolate ice cream. "Ron, my man, how does the ice cream taste?"

He gave me thumbs up. "It tastes good. It's a little bit salty." Zane raised an eyebrow at me but didn't say anything. The towel was soaked but at least the counter was dry.

"Zane, do you want to play Monopoly with us?" Lory asked, tapping the board game in front of her. Before they sat down at the table, I offered to show her my modest book collection. This excited her. She had been quiet initially but she was starting to warm up to me.

"I would love that but maybe later," Zane said. "I'll be back in an hour, I promise. I just wanted to check in on you two." I rolled my eyes. Did he think we were going to burn down the apartment complex or something? We were making ice cream, not flambéing shit. Actually, my flambéing skills were also on point. Maybe that's what I would teach Lory and Ronald next time they came over.

"Come on, Zane," I said, lifting my dripping bag up from the sink. "We'll give you ice cream if you play with us."

He squinted his eyes. "The salty ice cream is tempting but I'm going to pass on that." Sarcasm dripped from his words. I went over to the dinner table and sat down. Lory laughed as her brother turned to leave.

I was in a good mood, which was rare for Sunday evening. I felt happy, giddy even. Having Lory and Ronald around seemed to lift some of the awkwardness that had settled like a blanket in the apartment. "Are you afraid of going bankrupt at the hands of children, Hendrick?" I said, placing my chin on my hand. Zane froze, turned around and closed his book.

"I'll have you know, that I'm actually the undefeated champion of Monopoly," he responded coolly, giving me a small smile.

"It's true. He's always the one with the most money at the end," Lory added.

"And I'll have you know, that I am also undefeated at Monopoly," I said with a dramatic hair flip. Zane glanced at his office. There was hesitation dancing across his features.

"Please, Zane. It's more fun if you play with us," Ronald said, reaching over to take a spoon full of my ice cream. Both Lory and I made chocolate ice cream, which Ronald apparently hated.

He let out a breath and dropped his textbook onto the counter. Then he slipped into a seat beside Lory and across from Ronald. "Son. It's on like Donkey Kong," I muttered, which made Ronald and Lory giggle.

"Can I be the banker?" Ron asked while he tapped my elbow.

Lory rolled her eyes at him, finding the idea to be ridiculous. "Nine-year-olds can't be bankers, Ron. Don't be stupid." We had a few siblings at the dance school I worked at. They would constantly bicker and fight with each other. Lory and Ronald were no exception.

"But you guys said I could be the banker last time," Ron whined, crossing his arms and leaning against the chair.

"Ron, I'll tell you what. You can be the banker and I'll help you out," I suggested. The two agreed on that.

While Zane set up the game, he said, "did Sarah tell you about how she got us kicked out of a grocery store?" 

For the past month, it was almost as if Zane and I were dancing this strange dance around each other. We were lost and confused like we were having a hard time figuring out the choreography. But Zane was different when his siblings were around. He was more laid back and open. Not the formal person I had gotten to know.

Lory looked at me with her eyes wide, her lips turning into a smile. I recounted the story for them. Apparently, it was the funniest thing that they ever heard.

"Wait. Did you guys get banned from Papa Joe's?" Lory asked as she picked up her play money. I nodded. Lory twisted to look at her brother. "You love Papa Joe's. Actually, that is the only grocery store you ever shop at. According to you, they have the best blueberries." This was news to me. I frowned. Guilt swallowed me whole for a minute.

"You didn't tell me that," I said to Zane.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's no big deal." We dropped it after that and started playing the board game.

|| Author's Note ||   

I absolutely loved writing this chapter. Please let me know your thoughts on Zane. I've been trying to make his speech less formal. I hope I was able to do that in this chapter.

Peace out. :)