Chapter Seven

Shake It

“So,” Liam says, breaking the lengthy silence. “How do we write a song?”

I bite my lip, staring down at the keyboard, which reaches my waist with the stand. “Um,” I lightly slide my fingers across the white keys, pressing a few random notes. “I’m not entirely sure. I think normally you start with lyrics, unless of course you have a tune stuck in your head.”

“And do you?” Liam asks me, his eyes fastened on mine. His eyes the color of silver when it melts, blues mixing into the grays with each blink…

“Do I what?” I reply, having completely lost track of the conversation.

“Have a tune stuck in your head?” Blink. Silver. Blink. Blue.

Get a life, Finley. I mentally shake my head.

“Not particularly, no. Do you?”

Liam sighs, disappointed. “No.”

Another long silence. Tired of standing, I grab the chair from Liam’s desk and situate it in front of the keyboard. I start to play a few random notes, attempting to weave them together to create some form of music. Liam begins to strum along.

“This isn’t working,” he eventually says, pausing his playing.

My hands still. “I know.” I lay my head on the piano keys, releasing a disharmony of notes and knocking my glasses askew. “I think we need to take a break.”

Liam nods quickly. “Agreed. Wanna check on Tara and the twins with me?”

“Sure.” I follow him down the staircase and into the family room, where he opens a glass door that gives glimpses into the backyard. “I hope they’re still alive,” he muses, holding the door for me as I walk down the two stone steps.

I snort. “Yeah, me too.”

The backyard is small but well-groomed. Freshly trimmed green grass landscapes the narrow space and tall bushes line the back fence. A round table with chairs sits on a square of concrete against the house, a porch swing not too far away. A swing set with two swings is squeezed into the corner, on which two children are swinging happily.

“Jackie! Josh!” Liam calls, stepping onto the grass and going to his swinging siblings. “Where’s Tara?”

The twins stop their swings, looking up at him in sync.

“Taking a shower,” Jackie replies.

“She didn’t like our makeover,” Josh adds.

Side-by-side, it’s easy to tell they’re twins. Both have dark brown hair –Josh’s cut short and Jackie’s A-line barely brushing the middle of her neck. Their features are delicate, almost pixie-ish, all the more enhanced with their matching deep blue eyes that seem to be permanently wide-eyed.

“Surprise, surprise.” Liam rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “Why did you guys do that to Tara?”

The twins exchange a glance and turn back to their brother.

“She was sleeping.” Jackie shrugs.

“We don’t waste opportunities,” Josh says knowledgably.

I muffle my chuckle with my hand. Jackie and Josh’s matching large eyes snap to me.

“Who’s your girlfriend?” Jackie asks.

I move forward onto the grass to stand beside Liam. “I’m Finley,” I introduce, smiling at the brunettes.

Josh gives me a one-over and winks at Liam. “Nice.”

Liam pinches the bridge of his own nose.

Jackie rolls her eyes. “It’s nice to meet you,” she says to me. “We’ve heard nothing but good things about you.”

“We’ve heard nothing about her,” Josh whispers, loud enough for me to hear

Jackie smiles. “Exactly!”

“Okay,” Liam says loudly, obviously trying to stop this conversation before it gets too far. “Well, Fin and I just came out to check on you guys and tell you that your little prank will not go untold to Dad.”

The twins groan.

“Can’t we negotiate something?” Josh begs.

“Anything!” Jackie adds.

Liam purses his lips, the corners of his mouth twitching; he’s trying to hold in a smile. “Not this time.”

The twins continue their moans of anguish. It’s all so dramatic I find myself stifling a grin.

“Oh, and please stay away from Tara. You know she holds a grudge.” Liam adds. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and we start to head towards the house.

“Yes, master,” Josh says, mock-solemnly.

Liam snorts but we don’t pause our steps. “Behave!” He calls, letting the glass door close behind us once we’re inside the house. He goes to the fridge, shaking his head, and peers inside. “Hm,” he says thoughtfully. “We have…grapes!” He holds the container up triumphantly and sets it on the island counter.

“How wonderful,” I say. I perch myself on a stool at the counter and help myself to the purple fruit.

“Are you hungry?” Liam asks me, his head now in a cupboard.

“Yeah, a bit.”

“Me too.” His voice is slightly muffled. “How about macaroni and cheese?” He pulls a few boxes from the cupboard.

“Sounds good,” I say.

“Cool.” He sets to work heating the water on the stove, speaking as he goes through the motions. “Dad doesn’t get home until after six every night and I feel bad making him make us dinner. So I try to do it whenever I can.”

“That’s kind of you,” I say honestly.

Liam shrugs. “It’s the way it is.”

I want to ask him where his mom is but refrain. It’s none of my business, and I hate when people make a big deal about my parent’s divorce.

“This should be a balanced meal,” Liam muses, adding the noodles to the hot water. “So we have carbs and fruit. What else?”

“Protein?” I ask.

“Maybe. Check and see what we have.”

I rummage through the fridge, freezer, and cupboards. “Sunflower seeds have protein, don’t they?”

Liam furrows his brow. “I think so.”

“Okay, then we can add them to the menu.” I pull out the bag of shelled sunflower seeds and pour them into a bowl I find.

“Will you please grab the strainer from that bottom cupboard?” Liam asks.

I do as requested and hold the strainer above the sink so Liam can drain the water from the noodles.

“Thanks,” he says when the noodles are safely back in their now waterless pot.

“Anytime. Should we find a vegetable to add to our balanced meal?”

Liam shakes his head. “We’re already pushing it with the grapes. It’s best not to overwhelm them with health food.”

I nod. “Very wise.”

“Wanna tell Tara and the twins dinner’s ready?” Liam asks, stirring in the cheese mix.

“Sure,” I hop off my stool and stick my head out the back door, relaying the information to Josh and Jackie. Figuring Tara’s seeking refuge from her younger siblings in her room, I go upstairs and knock once on her closed door.

“If you’re Liam come in!” A girl’s voice says from inside.

I stop and think for a moment. Liam and I are both teenagers, live in a house, and have at least one younger sibling. We’re practically the same person. Shrugging, I open the door. Tara is lounging on her bed with a book propped on her bent legs. Her blonde hair, wet from the shower, appears nearly brown as it hangs over her shoulders. She glances up at my entrance, her brow furrowing in confusion since I’m not her brother.

“Hello?” Her word comes out more of a question than a greeting.

“Hi, I’m Finley,” I take a step into her room, “a friend of Liam’s. You saw me earlier when you ran down the stairs in a rage.”

Recognition lights her eyes. “Oh! Okay. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Tara, but Liam probably already told you that.”

“He did.” I nod. “I came to tell you dinner’s ready.”

“Cool.” Tara slides off her bed. She’s nearly my height, although her legs seem to stretch on for miles. “Are we having macaroni or sandwiches?”

“Macaroni?” It comes out as a question.

“That’s what I thought.” Tara heads downstairs and I keep pace with her. “Liam can really only make two things: macaroni or sandwiches. When he’s feeling really crazy, he sometimes tries spaghetti, but that’s a rarity.”

“Wow,” I say, unable to think of an adequate response.

“And we had sandwiches for dinner yesterday, so...”

The twins are at the dining table when we enter the room. Their elbows are on the table, mouths overflowing, and both are talking loudly over the other. Basically, it’s every etiquette teacher’s nightmare.

“Here’s a bowl, Tara,” Liam hands his sister a brightly colored bowl full of macaroni. “Make sure you eat some grapes and the sunflower seeds. They’re full of protein.” He sends me a wink.

“Okay, Dad,” Tara enunciates the second word, smirking as she pulls out a chair at the dining table.

Liam rolls his eyes good-naturedly and hands me a bowl. “Here, babe.”

“Wow, pet names already?” I ask, the corners of my lips tugging up. “We’re moving fast.”

“Hey, I read the contract; it’s included.”

“Contract?” Jackie interrupts, eyeing Liam and I.

“What contract?” adds Josh.

Liam doesn’t miss a beat, “Inside joke.” He eats macaroni straight from the pot.

I lean against the island counter, trying my own yellow noodles. They’re pretty good considering they’re from a box.

“How cute,” Josh coos.

“Pet names,” Jackie finishes for him. They both take large bites of macaroni, chewing in-sync.

“Yes, we’re adorable,” Liam deadpans.

I snort, choking on my food. Liam pats me gently on the back, leaving his arm there even after I’ve recovered from my episode. I’m very conscious of it, the tips of his fingers barely brushing my left arm, leaving hot tingles in their wake. His pot of macaroni lies forgotten on the counter.

I take another bite of noodles, ignoring the way my hand seems to be shaking.

Gosh, get a grip, Finley.

“So who has homework?” Liam asks the kids. The table suddenly grows unnaturally silent.

“I don’t,” Tara finally declares. “I got mine done in class.” She sends a gloating smile at the twins, who frown.

“We have a lesson,” Jackie admits.

“In math,” Josh says.

“Okay, well when you’re done eating go grab your backpack, alright?” Liam says to the younger two. They nod.

I can’t help feeling as if Liam and I are the parents and Jackie, Josh, and Tara are our kids. For some reason, the thought doesn’t strike me as odd.

“And eat some sunflower seeds,” I add. “I poured them myself.” I give a self-satisfied smile and help myself to another spoonful of macaroni. This time, my hand doesn’t shake.