E r o s

"Do you want me to drop you off?" I asked Cole as I walked to the room, his hand moving across his paper as he scrawled on it.

Looking to me and then back to his paper, Cole shook his head.

"Nah, it's fine. We're just going to the library, it's not that far. Besides, we're not meeting up for at least another hour" Cole said and I nodded.

"Alright...I'm leaving now" I said but made no move to actually do so.

"Okay, have fun" was Cole's response and I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah...leaving for the rest of the night" I said, a bit louder this time and the only response I got was another nod.

"Mhm, be safe"

God damnit.

"Might not come back til the morning so if there's anything you want to...do" I said and I finally got what I was looking for when Cole's pen stopped moving and his eyes flickered to me, the green irises staring in amusement.

"You know like, a goodbye kiss. Or something loosely along the lines of it" I said.

Cole placed his things to the side before coming over to me. His hands made their way to my shoulders as he reached up and gave my lips a firm kiss, knowing good and well that I wouldn't accept anything half assed.

Pulling away too quickly for my liking, Cole looked up at me with an expectant look.

"There. Happy?" He said and I let a small laugh fall from my lips at his tone. He was so over my dramatics but he never failed to entertain them.

"Content for now. I'll be back for more later" I said as I gave his ass a light pat and Cole narrowed his eyes at me before pushing me out of the door.

"Go" he ushered and I let myself be escorted from our home. Giving one last wink on my way out, I finally left our home and headed to my car.

My first stop was picking up Jamie. Harvey had somehow by the grace of god convinced the man to go but I knew that he was surely not happy about it.

Jamie's adverseness to this banquet didn't need to be voiced, it was written all over his face, even now as I pulled up to his block I knew he wasn't ready.

Walking up to the door, I rung the doorbell repeatedly until Jamie finally answered the door with an annoyed face. The man wasn't even dressed, well fully, he at least had his slacks on but on his torso was just a tank top.

"Come on its bad enough I got stuck picking you up, don't make us late while you're at it" I said as I walked in the house.

"Stuck?" Jamie said and I turned to him with an innocent smile.

"Kidding. Now hurry up and get dressed please and thank you" I said.

Jamie went to go change and while I waited, I decided to sit on the sofa. Jamie lived by himself and it's pretty obvious he wasn't the comfy home type, his living room having the main necessities and nothing else.

The room was bare of any pictures save for the one of us at graduation that was on the table. Well, I attended their graduation since I had already since finished school. Harvey practically begged me to come even though I didn't want to attend a graduation for two underclassmen that I technically wasn't even supposed to know.

I stuck to myself and from what I heard from Harvey, Jamie was a loner and disliked anyone coming into his personal bubble. Harvey used to always do as he pleases, regardless of how others may respond, and it usually took yelling at him to get him to read a room.

But the truth is, had it not been for Harvey, none of us would know each other.

"Okay, let's get this shit show on the road" Jamie muttered as he came in, finally properly dressed for the occasion.

"It'll be so much fun" I said in a faux cheerful tone but Jamie just scoffed.

"I'm not going to have fun, I'm only going because of Harvey" Jamie said.

"Even though you said no like always?" I said as we entered my car.

"Yeah...this time's different though" Jamie said, buckling his seatbelt.

"You say that but you being Harvey's boyfriend now shouldn't make it different. Do you know how many years it's been since that stupid Christmas banquet?" I said and Jamie looked out the window.

"...six" he muttered.

"And how many times has Harvey invited you back?"

"Six"

"And how many times did you go?" I said and Jamie shook his head before leaning it against the window.

"None..." he said.

"He doesn't care that his family doesn't like you, y'know? He wants you there because you are his best friend, someone he feels comfortable enough to bring around his family members" I said and Jamie let out a sigh.

"I just don't want to be the one that ruins the mood. I'd also like to avoid any fights if possible" he said and I shook my head.

"You're not that impulsive person anymore. You've changed" I said and Jamie gave a humorless chuckle.

"So what? Want me to show them?" He said mockingly and I let out a hum.

"No, you're not there to please them. You're there to support your boyfriend" I said and that seemed to break Jamie's sarcasm streak as he remained silent.

"You know I'm right" I said.

"You can be...sometimes" Jamie trailed and I just took my victory with a satisfied nod.

Once we finally arrived, I was ready to curse myself to the heavens and back with our struggle to find parking in this place. It was packed to the brim and we were searching for fifteen minutes before finally finding a space.

"Remind me to bike it next time" I grumbled as we made our way inside the venue

"You guys are finally here, what took you so long?" The first to greet us was Mikhail who was standing with a woman on his arm.

Harvey was next to him just looking around, seemingly nervous but I decided not to question it as I gave my answer.

"We would have been here earlier if someone was ready but it is what it is" I said and Jamie rolled his eyes.

"Whatever" he said.

"So, Mikhail, please do introduce us" I said as I gestured to the woman who seemed to not be bothered at all by our banter.

The woman gave me a graceful smile and she was about to speak when someone else's voice clashed over hers.

"Mikhail! It's been so long" Riel came flying over, arms wide open and ready to capture the man within his grasp but Mikhail was quicker as he stepped to the side.

"You know, I completely forgot coming here would mean having to deal with...this" Mikhail said with a sigh.

Recovering from his failure, Riel turned back around, seemingly unfazed.

"Oh? Who's this doll?" Riel asked as he looked to the woman.

"A doll with a killer right hook if you aren't careful" She said, a menacing smile crossing her face and that seemed to throw Riel off as he let out a shriek.

"Oh goodness, don't hit me I'm too pretty for a black eye!" he exclaimed as he hid behind me and I just pinched his hand where it laid on my arm.

"This is my fiancé, Phoebe. I can assure you, she won't hit you" Mikhail said but all I could do is stare in surprise.

No one tells me these things anymore so I felt very out of the loop.

"Fiancé? You guys are getting married?" I asked and Phoebe let out a smile with a nod.

"Yes. We haven't set the date or anything yet so don't worry. And I apologize for the lack of communication, I'm just a very private person. I am extremely thrilled to meet all of you, Mikhail speaks about you guys all the time" Phoebe said as she looked amongst us.

She seemed very calm, nothing surprised her too much which only further proved that she's being truthful about Mikhail speaking about us.

All good things I presume, I'd accept nothing less.

"Tch. Too late" was all I heard Riel grumble and I was reminded that he was behind me.

He gave Harvey a pat on the back before speaking.

"Go greet our other siblings please you know how they get and I'm hardly in the mood for petty squabbling" he said, nodding to Harvey before taking his leave.

"So which ones are your siblings?" Mikhail asked and Harvey looked around a bit.

I noticed his eyes land on his younger sister, the sweetest girl I didn't know Harvey's family was capable of having.

"That's Risa, she's the youngest of us" he said as he pointed the young girl. I've met her a few times but when she was like ten, she's obviously older now.

Her brown hair was now lighter than it used to be but those sparkling blue eyes remained the same as she smiled to the person she was avidly chatting with.

"After Risa is me and then as you all know the idiot Riel is the middle child" Harvey said.

"And then there's Emile" he said as he pointed to a man in the middle of a small crowd. His striking resemblance to Riel was hard to ignore and if I remember correctly, this is the brother Jamie got into it with.

"And lastly, Minerva. Our oldest" The last sibling was one I've met briefly before.

Her black hair was laid down neatly and her eyes were also blue, just like her sister's. The gown she adorned was a dark green, gold floral designs littering the hem and she wore one white glove as opposed to two which meant that was the hand she chose to greet others with.

From what I remember, she wasn't all that bad but I haven't seen the woman in years so what would I know about her now.

"It's better to go greet them one by one rather than all at once but I don't want to go through all of that. They can come over whenever they see us" Harvey said, his words clearly deflecting Riel's previous advice.

"Jamie!" The sound of heels clacking quickly was heard from the side before I noticed a figure attaching itself to Jamie's back.

The figure being Risa who was now attached to Jamie and she gave a big smile to all of us.

"Hey Risa, long time no see" Jamie said and for the first time tonight, the man put a smile on his face.

I don't blame him, how can you not smile at the girl? She's so full of life, it's influential even.

"Yeah, it's been years!!" Risa exclaimed and she suddenly gasped before letting go of the man.

"If you're here then that means you and my brother...?" She trailed off looking for Jamie to finish.

"Risa" Harvey called her name in a warning tone and the girl pouted.

"Okay, okay. Sorry for being nosy..." she said but her words were far from genuine.

The girl's eyes shifted to me and her eyes widened once more.

"Eros! It's nice to see you again" Risa said and I nodded.

"Of course, it's always a pleasure to see such a bright smile. You've gotten taller since the last time we've seen each other" I said and Risa nodded vigorously.

"Mhm! I'm gonna be taller than big sis someday. I'm already taller than Harvey" She said and Harvey glared at the girl.

"We're the same height don't push your luck" he said.

"Not with the heels~" she taunted back and Harvey huffed.

Risa's eyes finally landed on Mikhail and Phoebe, her lips forming an 'o' at the new faces.

"And this is...?" She trailed.

"Mikhail and this is his fiancé Phoebe" I said as I pointed to the two and Risa nodded.

The young girl continued to stare at all of us, a look of uncontainable excitement on her face which was sort of confusing. Was she that excited to see us?

"I'm sorry, it's just you guys have no idea how happy I am that you're all here. Seeing my brother have so many friends that care for him is all I could ever ask for. Thank you so much for coming" Risa finished with a nod to us all and I couldn't help but think of how good of a sister she was.

Knowing the kind of man her brother is, it's no wonder she worries about what he's off doing in his free time. Harvey also isn't really one to bring friends 'home' so I can see why Risa is so happy.

"Stop, you're so embarrassing. Where's mom and dad?" Harvey quickly changed the subject, a red face clear as day and Risa just shrugged, ignoring the embarrassment she caused her brother to experience.

"Entertaining. Haven't seen them since we arrived. Anyways, let me not bother you guys any longer. I hope you all enjoy your time here" Risa said before leaving us.

"She's a literal angel..." Phoebe said after she left and we all nodded.

"When she wants to be. Don't let those looks fool you, that girl is a devil with an angelic face" Harvey said with crossed arms.

"I sure hope you don't mean our dear Risa" the voice from behind us had everyone turning their heads only to see Minerva standing there, a wine glass in her hand as she looked with narrowed eyes to Harvey.

"Hey Minnie" he said plainly and the woman frowned immediately.

"What have I told you about using that ridiculous name?" She asked.

"To not use it" Harvey said as if it held no real meaning or authority.

"And yet you still—...nevermind. You're slouching, straighten yourself. And your tie is crooked, it's as if you have no home training" Minerva said, handing her glass off to a passing waiter in favor of fixing Harvey's tie.

Harvey slapped the woman's hands away with a disgruntled look.

"Geez, nice to see you too" he said.

As Minerva looked around at us, she folded her hands against her chest.

"There is a time and a place for being relaxed, and unfortunately, this is not such. Please be mindful of your surroundings" She said.

"You know I don't give a shit what they think of" Harvey said, and I assumed by 'they' he meant his parents who still have yet to be seen.

"Yes, but I do. I dislike hearing them badmouth my hard headed kid brother" Minerva said and Harvey glared.

"I'm not a kid" he retorted and Minerva just sighed,

"And why exactly have you brought...this one?" Minerva asked as her eyes flew to Jamie who met her unreadable look with a blank one of his own.

"My name is Jamie" he said blandly.

"I'm aware. You're mighty crass for showing your face around this family" Minerva said but there was no real tone to it, telling me that she doesn't actually mean what she's saying.

"If that's your way of telling me to leave, you've got a horrible way of going about it lady" Jamie said.

"Minerva, give it a rest. They're not listening. Risa said so herself" Harvey said and just like that, the faux tension Minerva was building up was gone.

"That seems to be the case for now but you have to remember that they're always listening my dear" Minerva said and Jamie could only look at her perplexed.

"I'm confused...are you pretending to hate me? Or do you actually hate me?" He asked and Minerva waved her hand.

"Heavens no. I've got not a thing against your pour soul but appearances outweigh everything else around here. Putting a performance on the stage while pulling the strings in the shadows is an important tactic around these parts"

When Minerva said those words, I could understand it exactly. Coming up in any family like the ones we have can be difficult when it comes to one of the most important qualities of our lives; reputation followed by trust.

It must be hard for anyone in Harvey's family to trust others outside of it, it just makes me wonder why Harvey never feared anything in regards to it. He's always been a free soul, bounding off to numerous parts of his life as he pleases with no care for who disagrees with it.

It truly makes you wonder who he gets it from...

"Anyways, whenever you do, tread carefully when approaching that simmering turd over there. He's not exactly in the best mood" Minerva advised and Mikhail tilted his head.

"And why is that?" He asked.

"He's being forced to sit through an engagement meeting. This whole thing is just a cover up for him to meet his potential fiancé" Minerva explained.

"Yikes..." Jamie muttered and Harvey shook his head.

"We're too old for that bullshit anyways. I don't know why those two still try to arrange our love lives" Harvey said which seemed to tip something off in Minerva's head as she turned to her Jamie.

"Speaking of relationships, I take it you being here means you fessed up. You finally grew a backbone?" Minerva asked and some of us chuckled at her insinuation of Jamie being a scaredy cat.

"Yeah, whatever" he muttered while rolling his eyes.

Suddenly, music began to flood our ears and I looked at the orchestra that played the soothing music.

"Care for a dance Eros?" Minerva asked and I put my hand up to stop her from coming any closer.

"I'm married" I said and everyone's jaws went slack at my words.

"What?!" Harvey exclaimed.

"Since when?" Mikhail said with a distrusting look and I just turned my nose up, ignoring the way it grew in my imagination as I spoke.

"A few nights ago" I said.

"This is quite some news" Phoebe said and Mikhail sighed.

"He's currently a lovesick dog and probably will be that way for the rest of his life, don't mind him. He just tends to have his delusional moments" Mikhail said and I glared.

How dare he call me delusional?

"I...see. Well, where is the lucky person?" Minerva asked and a pang went through me when remembering the reason he couldn't be here.

"Studying for his school work. It's probably really boring work and he must miss me terribly" I explained to which I was just met with deadpan faces.

"Talk about wishful thinking" Jamie muttered.

"How's about we eat something? The night has yet to get started, we'll need our energy" Phoebe suggested and we all agreed to move to a table that was big enough to fit us all.

We were joined by Risa and Riel who had bounded over when seeing their sister was in tow with us.

"The crab looks so good! Do you want to try some Eros?" Risa asked and I just shook my head,

"I'm fine with what I have" I said and the innocent girl looked at me in confusion.

"You don't eat seafood?" Risa asked but before I could speak, blabbermouth Harvey had already interjected.

"He cut it out of his diet. He's deathly afraid that if he eats it and then kisses Cole, he'll cause him to have an allergic reaction" Harvey said.

Oh so it's just outing Eros day I guess.

"Better safe than sorry" I grumbled.

"You must really love him if you're even completely cutting something out of your diet" Phoebe said, a warm smile on her face as she stared at me and I gave one of my own.

"I do. I love him so much and I miss him, I just want to go home and hug him. Being apart for five minutes feels like years and I hate th—"

"I knew he had it bad but...this is just embarrassing" Mikhail said and I opted for not throwing my fork at him.

"I think it's cute" Risa said with a giggle.

"Why is he here?" We were suddenly interrupted when a clearly unhappy voice spoke up and there stood Emile, an annoyed look on his face as he stared Jamie down.

"Emi...hey"