Syn

Queen kissed my hand and bopped to the music as we waited in the parking lot of the pizza place. We were both shocked when Cain called us at almost five in the morning to get him, but we were up. Since he called me, I was planning to get him alone, but Queen insisted that she come too.

Since Adam was up, he insisted on watching the baby which was completely fine. Saint seemed to have grown attached to him anyway. Whenever anyone tried to remove him from Adam's arms earlier, he cried. We were only finally able to pick him up when he fell asleep.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Queen asked.

"Yes, this is the address he sent me," I said as I double-checked my phone. Queen looked at it with me and when I got a notification, I tried to grab my phone but she took it first.

"It said someone liked your post, Syn," she said. "What did you post?"

"Myself," I said as I cringed at the half-truth. I thought my notifications were off, but this was going to be hell if Queen saw the pictures I took.

"Aww," she said as she passed my phone back to me. I let out a sigh of relief until she pulled her phone out and I took it from her hands. "Why'd you take my phone? I want to see your post."

"You can look at it later," I said as I slipped both of our phones into my sweats pocket. "Right now is quality time." I took her hand in mine and kissed it and smiled in victory as she forgot all about our phones.

"That's so cute," she said with a shy smile. "I'm going to still look at the post later, but you're cute, Syn."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. She'd probably see it soon anyway. Not showing her now was only delaying the inevitable. I took her phone out of my pocket and held it out for her as I looked out of the window.

As soon as she took it from my hand, I grabbed my lighter and pack of cigarettes and left the car. I leaned against the driver's door and lit my cigarette as I waited for Queen's reaction. I took a long drag of the cigarette as I looked up at the dawning sky and relaxed.

A scream from inside of the car tore my focus away from my relaxation and I winced. She had to have seen it by now. "Syn! What the fuck?!" I heard her yell from inside the car.

I kept my back facing the door and laughed softly at her outburst. She must've gotten tired of me ignoring her because the next thing I heard was her door opening and her footsteps coming around the car.

She waved the smoke from in front of me as she glared up at me and I held in my lips to keep from laughing. "Syn, why would you do this to me?"

"You looked adorable," I said in a strained voice as a laugh escaped from my mouth.

"No," she argued as she swiped on her phone. "You looked adorable. I look like a fucking potato in this picture." I shook my head at her dramatic attitude but when she turned the phone to show me the picture, a laugh rumbled from deep within me.

I'd never call Queen a potato, nor did she look like one. But her saying it and showing me the picture within the same second broke me. "Syn, this is not funny," she said as she pouted and laughed softly. "One hundred million people just saw me sleeping and I'm an ugly sleeper. You know this."

She turned her phone back to her and looked at it again when she gasped loudly. She held her hand above her chest as she stepped away from me weakly. Her mouth was parted open and her eyes were watery as she stared up at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Syn, bro," she said as she put her phone into the waistband of her shorts. "Bro..."

"I'm not your 'bro'."

"Bro," she said as she clapped her hands together.

"What?"

"Syn. Tell. Me. You. Did. Not," she said as she clapped. "Post. Me. With. My. Bonnet. On."

I looked at her for a moment before dropping my cigarette and stomping on it. "I. Did," I replied as I clapped back. "Stop clapping at me, Princess. It makes me think you want to fight."

"I do want to fight," she confirmed as she raised her fist. "Because you keep playing with me and I'm not the one."

I smiled down at her as I ignored her threat and I opened my arms. "Come here."

"No," she declined as she scowled at me.

"Come here," I asked again in a softer tone.

She slowly dropped her fists and rolled her eyes as she walked into my arms. I could tell she was still mad with how she kept herself restrained in my arms, but knowing her, she'd loosen up within a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, Princess," I whispered as I kissed her head. Instead of answering she made a low sound that made me pull away and look down at her. "Did you just growl at me?"

"Syn, let go of me. I don't like you right now."

"You still more than love me though," I said as I let her go.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." she muttered as she walked back around the car. I got back into the driver's seat when she got in and I laid a hand on her thigh. She squinted in my direction before taking my hand into hers and played with it as she always did.

I looked up when I saw Cain and Iris exiting the restaurant and I turned to Queen. She knew we were coming to pick up Cain put I didn't exactly give her any more details. I wanted to see her authentic reaction to Cain and Iris.

I expected her to be upset because she was Mia's friend but she smiled in their direction and looked at me. "We're giving Iris a ride too?"

"Yes, is that okay?"

"It's perfect," she whispered excitedly. "I wanna say hi."

"You'll get to say hi right now," I said. "Don't embarrass your brother."

"Syn," she said slowly. "You wouldn't ask me not to breathe, so don't do that."

I gave her a warning look before the doors behind us opened and they both entered. "Hey, Iris," Queen said as she looked behind her.

"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good. Did you guys have fun?"

"Umm," Iris said as she and Cain looked at one another. "We had...something."

I looked at Cain through the rearview mirror to see his face covered in spots of red and I raised my brow when I saw other items in him. "Why is there pepperoni on your head?"

"Iris threw a pizza at me," he answered.

"Okay, but tell them why," she said.

"Because she's rude."

"That's not what happened," she said as she looked in our direction. "I was provoked."

"No need to explain," Queen laughed. "I get it. If I got the opportunity, I would've done the same, Iris."

"How rude of you," Cain said defensively

I inserted the address to Iris's house that Cain had told me and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. I looked around at our surroundings and frowned before glancing at the pair in the back.

"How did the both of you get so far out here?" I asked.

"We had to go to the hospital," Cain said. "Iris broke my nose."

"It was an accident, I swear," she said.

"I don't know how you accidentally punch someone," Cain muttered. "But okay."

Queen smiled in my direction and I shrugged. If Cain was happy, I didn't honestly give a fuck who it was. I knew Queen felt the same. Anyone that cared about him had to.

Queen and I remained quiet throughout the drive while Cain and Iris pestered each other in the backseat. It was mainly Cain doing something to her and she'd retaliate, but Queen thought it was adorable.

After an hour, we pulled up to Iris's house and she said her goodbyes as she left the car. I gave Cain a look in the rearview mirror and he nodded quickly before leaving the car as well. When they both closed the door behind them, Queen turned to me and screamed excitedly.

"Syn! Did you see that?!" She asked as she grabbed my arm.

"I've been here like you have, Princess. I saw everything." She squealed again before practically smashing her face on the window to watch them.

We waited for another few minutes for Cain to say his goodbye and he jogged back to the car when he was finished. When he got in, Queen wasted no time turning around to face him.

"Spill, I'm nosy," she said.

Cain shrugged and sat back in the seat. "It was fucking fantastic."

"Even though you broke your nose?" I asked slowly.

"It gave us an excuse to hang out more," he shrugged again.

"Do you like her?" Queen asked.

"I do," he said. She began cheering but I put a hand on her leg and he held a finger up. "But, I want to get to know her before anything."

"Aww," Queen said again. "We love men who don't trip women in the dark and trick them into being with them."

"Mhmm," I hummed. "We love women that don't kiss men when they think they're sleeping."

"Hey," Queen whined as she slapped my arm.

"Baby brother," Cain said as he laid a hand on my shoulder. "When we get home, can you make me breakfast?"

"First of all, get your damn hand off," I said as I moved away from him. "Secondly, not your little brother. Thirdly, it's six in the morning. Fourthly, we're fucking tired. And lastly, you just came from a pizzeria."

"Umm yeah," he said. "But as you can see, the pizza is on my face. I ate nothing." When I ignored him and continued driving, he turned to Queen. "Please tell him to do it. I need those blueberry waffles he makes."

"Ooh," Queen said. "I kind of want one too."

"Yes!" Cain cheered. "Ask him."

"I'm literally right here."

"Synny-pooh," Queen started as she looked at me.

"Synny-what?!" Cain asked as he burst into laughter in the backseat.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head not only at the nickname but at him. "Let's calm down, CandyCain," Queen said.

It was my turn to laugh and although it wasn't that funny, I forced it until Cain's smile completely dropped. "I don't like that, Queen," he said.

"Anyways," Queen said as she brought her attention back to me. "Please, Syn. We're starving."

I took a deep breath and blew it out in annoyance. "Fine."

"Oooh," Cain said from the backseat. "Fucking whipped." Queen laughed and made a whip sound from beside me and I glanced at Cain.

"Let's not talk about me being whipped, Cain," I said. "You literall-....mmmm. You almost made me act out of character."

"I'm sorry Syn," Cain laughed. "I love you!"

"Mhmm."

Can I ask you both a favor?" Cain asked.

"What?" Queen replied.

"Please don't mention this to Mia," he said. "It's none of her business, plus judging from her past with the both of you, I don't want to trigger anything. I know she's changed and stuff, but I don't want to risk it and hurt her mentally."

"I don't even talk to her," I muttered.

"Well, I won't lie to her but I won't mention it," Queen said. "Is that good enough?"

"That's fine, and if it slips out that I was with a girl, don't mention Iris."

"Okay," Queen said with a sigh. "I mean I think she's with Jackson anyway so I doubt-"

"Hold on," I interrupted. "There's something about Jackson that I need to tell the both of you."

Queen and I looked at each other momentarily before I looked back at the rode. "What is it?"

"Queen, promise me that you won't be upset," he said slowly.

"I can't promise when you say that."

"Still. I won't say anything until you promise," he said.

"Fine, I promise," she said in defeat.

"Jackson is my brother. He's Abel."

꧁꧂

Author's Note

Lmk your thoughts ✨