Brothers

Keisha’s POV

I jumped on my bed and cuddled my pillow as soon as I got into my room. My brothers were at their friend’s house and my mom wouldn't be back from work until later in the night so I had to eat alone. I texted my friends as I took off my clothes, wore something comfy and made my way into the kitchen to make a sandwich. It was literally the only food I could make without burning down our house.

I fed Robin, our dog, some food and went back to my room upstairs. I saw Nicole’s text on our group chat as I settled on my bed. The doorbell rang as I read Amy’s text. Yuri was typing something but I put my phone in the pocket of my shorts and shove the rest of the sandwich in my mouth before heading downstairs.

The doorbell rang again as I neared the door. Robin was already sitting in front of the door. He panted as he used his leg to tap the door like he wanted to open it.

“Coming!” I yelled as I hastened my steps and chewed the food in my mouth loudly.

I grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open. My breath got stuck in my throat as I came face to face with my neighbor’s son.

“Rowan.” I said in a girly voice that came out of nowhere. What a lovely surprise. I giggled quietly and forced the rest of the food in my mouth down my throat. I ignored the pain as I stepped aside and invited him to come in. Robin immediately ran towards him and danced around his feet. I had seen him playing with Robin whenever Joshua and Justin took him out on walks.

What was he doing here? Rowan had never stepped foot in my house before. Hell, we didn’t even talk much, just heys and hellos and me admiring him from a distance.

“Hi, I haven’t seen you in a while.” I said to him, I did a quick check of what I had on as he played with Robin. I brushed a few strands of my curly hair off my face and pulled my tank top down a little bit. That still didn’t change the fact that I wanted to run into my room and put on one of my best clothes. How could I be wearing a Winnie the Pooh tank top with holes in them and one of my oldest shorts in front of a crush that I hadn’t seen in a while. It was such a huge turn off.

“Yeah, I went to visit my Grandma during the holiday, I just got back a few days ago.” He explained as he sat on one of the couches, Robin sat at his feet.

“Oh! Hope you had a great time.” I took a seat on the couch opposite his and pressed my shaking hands on my laps so he wouldn’t notice them. I got so nervous whenever I talked to him, and I was extra shaky today because I had never been alone with him. 

“Yeah, I did.” He said as he looked at me and smiled.

Gosh! I could die right now. My insides melted and I felt myself almost turning to a puddle in front of him. I couldn’t think of anything sensible to say so I just stared at him with a wide smile on my face.

“Are you home alone?” He asked as he looked around the house.

“Yeah, the twins are out and my mom won’t be back until it is late at night.” I explained to him, my voice came out breathless which made him give me a look.

I instantly came back to my senses and jumped to my feet, surprising Rowan. 

“Pardon my manners, is there anything I can get you, water? Um, food?”

“No, I’m good. Actually, I wanted to invite you over to dinner at my house. Will you be able to come?”

“Sure, yes! I will definitely come.” I said with so much enthusiasm, I bet he thought I had been expecting that invitation for a long time. Well, any chance I get to be with Rowan was a yes.

“Alright, cool. I will see you later then.” He stood up and walked towards the door. I opened the door for him, holding Robin between my legs and making sure he wouldn’t go out with Rowan.

“Don’t be late.”

“I won’t be.” I giggled again. I held onto the door firmly so I wouldn't fall as my knees wobbled.

He smiled and stared at me for a while longer before he nodded and walked towards his house that was right next to mine. I shut the door as soon as he was out of sight. I slid down the door and couldn’t help the grin on my face.

I was going to Rowan’s house for dinner.

I started to have a crush on Rowan last year. He was the captain of the basketball team and one of the hottest guys in school. He was the first guy I liked ever since I got heart broken by Jake. He had dark hair and long lashes that made him look a bit feminine. He had a slimmer body compared to Jake and a fairer skin.

I rushed to my room so I could inform my girls about the new movement in my love life. I read some of the messages they sent while I was away.

Yuri- it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Nicole- It would definitely hurt, I don’t think she’s going to talk to him ever again. What he did to her was terrible.

Me- Guys!!! Guess what just happened.

Yuri- You have decided to be friends with Jake again?

Nicole- You know I hate guessing.

Me- Rowan came over to my place and invited me to dinner at his house!!!

Amy- Ah, he’s finally noticed you.

Yuri- I guess you do have a chance with him after all.

Nicole- What were you wearing when he came?

Me- Sadly, it was one of my ugliest sets of clothes, and my hair was in a really MESSY BUN!

Nicole- Yikes! I hate it when your hair is messy. You must have hated that he saw you that way.

Me- Yeah, I did. But guys, it was so cute and I think we had a moment.

Me- And I also need you guys to help me pick an outfit for the dinner.

Amy- It’s a dinner next door not at a fancy restaurant, you don’t even need to dress up.

Yuri- No, no, she has to, Amy. This is the first crush she has had after you know who, she has to look good.

Nicole- Pick out a few dresses, take pictures of them and send them, Keisha.

Amy- You guys never listen to anything I say.

After an hour of ‘wear this’, ‘no, this is better’, ‘you should go with this one’, ‘that’s so ugly’, from my friends, I eventually wore a sleeveless navy blue jumpsuit and a pair of white sandals. I packed my hair in a bun and left out two strands across my face. I applied a shiny lip gloss and checked myself in the mirror. 

The dress wasn’t too casual and it wasn’t too elegant either. It was simple, just the way I wanted it to be.

“Damn! You look good, girl.” I heard Nicole say over my laptop, I forgot I was on facetime with my friends. They insisted on watching me dress up.

“Rowan isn’t gonna know what hit him.” Yuri said and added a whistle, making me laugh.

“Guys, it’s just dinner, at her neighbour’s house! Don’t you think she is over dressed? I think you should let your hair down so you can look more casual.” Amy said in a low tone.

“You know she doesn’t let her hair down whenever she is going out anymore, Amy,” 

“Girls, if we keep talking like this then I’m gonna be late. I don’t want Rowan to think I’m a tardy person.” I informed them as I moved closer to my laptop, ready to close it.

“We don’t even know if he likes you yet.” Amy commented.

“Yeah, but we are going to find out tonight. You are going to tell us every fucking detail of that dinner, Keisha.” Yuri said.

“I will definitely tell you guys. Wish me luck.”

I knocked on the door and stepped back a bit, checking out my outfit for what seemed to be the hundredth time this evening. I heard footsteps approaching so I straightened up and held the box of chocolate in my hands tighter.

“Hey, Keisha.” Rowan said as soon as he opened the door. His eyes roamed my body before settling on my face, he smiled and opened the door wider.

“Hi, Rowan.” I said shyly, stepping into the warm house. I quickly handed him the chocolate so it wouldn’t slip away from my sweaty palms.

“I didn’t know what to bring.”

“Oh! Thank you, Keisha. You look good, by the way.” He complimented as he walked behind me.

“Thank you.” I smiled sheepishly as I walked into the living room. I looked around and saw some photos on the wall. A photo in particular caught my attention, I stepped closer to it so I could observe from up close. It was a picture of two young boys that seemed to be around the age of four or five. The both of them held a basketball and smiled at the camera. Well, only one smile, the other one who wasn't smiling looked awfully familiar.

“That was when my brother and I first met each other, I was so excited to meet him but he wasn't.” I heard Rowan say beside me. I didn’t even know he had been standing beside me the whole time.

“You have a brother? I didn’t know that.” I said in a low voice, turning to look at him. He smiled as he looked at the photo and then at me with a frown on his face.

“That’s funny, because he is someone you know very well.”

“Someone I know?” I looked at the photo closely once again, trying to figure out where I had seen the other boy before. Then, it clicked. I gasped and gaped at Rowan with wide eyes.

“Oh my God! You and-“

“Rowan, dad wants you to help set up the table.”

I was cut off by someone I least expected to be here, the older version of the boy in the photo. He looked up and was just as surprised as I was.

He masked the surprise with a smirk and then said, “Look who we have here. It’s the girl that hates me for no reason.”