[chapter 28. 50 sounds good]
"You stink."
Selena froze in her tracks as she heard Samuel's words. Her face twisted into a scowl as she turned to face him, her eyes blazing. "Excuse me?" she spat out; her tone sharp with annoyance.
Samuel merely shrugged his face, a picture of innocence. "What? You do smell like a man, Selena," he said, raising an eyebrow. His eyes carried a hint of accusation. Who was she with to smell this bad? What did she do?
As she took a step toward him, her lips trembled in anger. "That is so not true," she hissed, her eyes boring into his.
She discreetly scrunched up her nose, inhaling the air around her. She had to clean the entire arena and was too lazy to bathe after work. She did not stink.
He shamelessly nodded his stupid head. "It is."
"You're one to talk, Samuel," Selena retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't remember the last time you showered."
Samuel rolled his eyes. "I showered yesterday, thank you very much. And I don't smell like I've been rolling in a dumpster."
Selena scoffed. "Please, you smell like sweat and stale socks."
"At least I don't wear too much perfume like you," Samuel clipped. "I can smell you from a mile away."
Selena crossed her arms; her lips formed a snarl. "Excuse me! I happen to like smelling good."
"You smell like a strawberry exploded on you," Samuel teased, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Eww," he gagged.
Selena rolled her eyes. "Well, at least I don't smell like a locker room,"
Samuel smirked. "And at least I don't spend an hour in the bathroom getting ready like you do."
Selena glared at him. "I do not spend an hour in the bathroom!"
"What's going on?" Liliana walked in. Her face scrunched, looking at her kids' glaring daggers at each other.
"He is being mean!"
"She is being mean!"
They both shouted at the same time. The two siblings turned to glare at each other- their faces contorted with anger. They huffed and puffed, turning their faces away from each other in a show of stubbornness.
Liliana's lips twitched as she bit her lips to control a giggle. "And why is it so?" There was a hint of amusement in her tone. They finally looked like brothers and sisters; her heart warmed at their banter.
"Because your daughter smells like a man drenched in 10 liters of sweat," Sameul smiled at the glaring girl. He poked out his tongue when her face darkened.
"Sam, now that's not a good thing to say about your sister," Liliana said, though she could not hide her smile.
"Oh please," Selena scoffed at his words. "Tell your son that he is being an [fucking, bitchy, asshole] a... rude boy," she controlled her inner sailor and chose a little appropriate word.
"Selena is right," her mother agreed. "That is not what you say to a lady," she intoned. Her tone was almost cooing. Liliana loved babying her kids. She did the same with overgrown Maxim too.
"If you keep up with this attitude, you won't get a girlfriend," Selena flicked her greasy hair.
"Anyways, who wants a girlfriend," he mumbled lowly so that no one but he could hear that.
"As if someone would like you to date a stinky gorilla like you," he snapped at her, making her take a threatening step forward.
"Oh please, I could make men and women fall for me with a snap," Selena smirked at him, flicking her hair like a proud peacock.
Samuel froze; his eyes sharpened the moment she uttered those words. "You are not dating," he drawled each word grimly. The thought of her being with someone burned his stomach.
"Who is dating?"
Theodore strode into the luxurious house, his confident steps echoing off the marble floors. He peeled off his long coat and tossed it to the awaiting servant with a swift flick of his wrist. As he made his way further inside, he loosened his tie, relishing the sensation of air on his skin.
Liliana's eyes quivered at the scene as she gulped.
His lips curled into a sly smile as he watched his wife's reaction.
Stop- we are in front of the kids. Liliana's eyes widened as she screamed in her mind.
Later, Theodore winked a promise watching his wife's face turn pink.
Selena rolled her eyes. Could they be at least a little subtle in showing off their affections?
"They disgust me more than you," Samuel muttered to his sister while they finally agreed about something. They both looked at each other with surprised looks. Did they just... find their common ground?
"So what about dating?" Theodore walked closer, his hand curling around Lilana's waist as he kissed her forehead. "Who is dating?"
"Selena."
His lips froze on the forehead. His eyes dilated as he robotically turned around. His daughter was dating someone! The sudden change in his demeanor was palpable as if a switch flipped within him.
"Selena?" he repeated, his voice tight with concern.
"Yes, she says she wants to date," Samuel added.
Am I aging? My ears are ringing- yes, they are. My daughter, my little girl, wants to date! Haha, I must be tired from work. I am hearing nonsense.
The absurd statement made him wonder whether he was exhausted from work and imagining things. Shaking his head in disbelief, he brushed it off as a figment of his tired mind.
Selena, who was present with Theodore, couldn't help but feel confused about the situation. She raised her hand to her forehead, exasperated and unsure what to make of it all.
"You will date when you are 40," Theodore grunted, his face stern and grim as Samuel nodded in agreement.
"50 sounds better," a cold and bitter voice suddenly resounded across the hall. Maxim had entered the scene, and Selena couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement at the absurdity of it all.
Her father looked at Maxim with pride as if his son had just come up with the greatest, smartest, most mind-blowing idea in this world. "Your brother is right," Theodore nodded his head once. "You are allowed to date at 50."
Maxim looked happy with the conclusion; she could see the smile in his eyes even though he had a poker face.
Selena's lips wobbled like a fish as she tried to form words, her mind reeling with disbelief. How could they be so ridiculous?
Selena couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her jaw dropped as her father and brothers discussed her dating life as if it were some joke. Their ridiculousness was almost too much to bear.
Suddenly, Hayate walked into the room, his presence only adding to the chaos of the situation.
"I agree with your brothers and father," Hayate continued, his voice suddenly serious. "Dating at 50 sounds ideal."
All the males in this house are batshit crazy, she concluded.
It was the first time Selena noticed a hint of approval in her father and brother's eyes as they looked at the stranger boy. It was almost as if they were now welcoming him into their absurd world as if he belonged there- with them.
This bitch. Selena gritted her teeth as she scowled at the backstabbing friend.
"Payback is a bitch, you threw me to Maxim, and I am throwing you to them. Hehe~ enjoy girly," he spoke in Russian, giggling at her darkened face.
~~~~
Thanks for sticking with me on this journey!
Love, vairhans.
Vote. Comment. Follow.
Instagram: @vairhans
vairhans.carrd.co