The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm orange glow over the private court my family had specially reserved.
For an "impromptu" sibling bonding session, this had come together rather suspiciously fast. And by suspiciously fast, I mean Marcus called me last night with this sudden "team-building idea" for Ethan, the brothers, and me.
"Nothing like a little healthy competition to really bond, you know?" he'd said with a disturbingly innocent tone.
Healthy competition? With my brothers?
I should've seen through the ruse, but the idea of everyone getting along for a day held too much appeal. I had bought it. Hook, line, and sinker.
So here I was, clutching my water bottle, watching the court nervously. Ethan was stretching on the sidelines, his calm smile reassuring, even though the three figures on the court looked anything but friendly.
Julian tossed a soccer ball from hand to hand, while Theo and Dante held badminton rackets, looking like they were about to engage in some kind of battle royale.
I tried not to wince. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" I asked Ethan, feeling guilty for dragging him into whatever gladiator match my brothers had devised.
"Don't worry," he said, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'm here for the bonding experience. Besides…" he leaned in, grinning, "how bad could they really be?"
I glanced at the boys, catching the devilish smirk on Dante's face as he whispered something to Julian. My stomach sank.
Ethan laughed at my worried expression. "I think I can handle myself, babe. They're your brothers, not the mafia."
I bit back the urge to tell him he was only about half-right. Ethan strode toward the court, jogging in place as he sized up his new "teammates."
Julian and Theo gave polite nods, but Dante waved a little too enthusiastically, like a villain in a spy movie beckoning his nemesis closer.
"All right!" Marcus clapped his hands, pulling everyone into a huddle. "Welcome to the Alcove bonding experience. Today, we're just here to have fun, get to know each other better, and relax."
Dante shot me a sideways look, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "And remember—no one here is allowed to hold back."
Theo nodded, dead serious. "Complete honesty. It's the foundation of bonding."
Ethan, smiled as if they were all speaking the literal truth.
I sighed, mentally preparing for what would likely be a disaster. "Can I at least referee?" I asked, knowing that if I left the boys to their own devices, Ethan might not leave in one piece.
Marcus grinned. "Of course, Xan. Wouldn't want any… misunderstandings."
The first sport was badminton—a simple enough game, right?
It was supposed to be Dante and Julian versus Ethan and Theo. But within minutes, Dante's first serve flew across the net like it had been launched from a cannon. It whizzed past Ethan, who tried to deflect it, and smacked against the fence.
"Whoa!" Ethan laughed, grabbing his racket tighter. "Nice serve, Dante."
Dante put on an innocent face, a face I knew too well. "Oops. Must've miscalculated the strength." He flexed his wrist as if testing it.
Julian grinned, high-fiving Dante. "You know, Ethan, agility is key in these kinds of games. It's all about reflexes."
I glared at them, hands on my hips. "Dante, you better watch it. And Julian, no helpful 'tips' needed."
The game continued, and Dante's serves somehow only got stronger, sharper, as if he were trying to nail Ethan down to the spot.
Ethan, to his credit, took every hit with good humor, dodging the birdie with impressive reflexes and hitting a few fierce serves of his own. The score remained close, and my hope of actual bonding sparked again.
But I should've known that Marcus had something up his sleeve.
"All right, folks, that's game!" he announced, stepping forward as if he hadn't been plotting on the sidelines. "Since we're all warmed up, how about a quick soccer match?"
"Oh, soccer?" Ethan looked genuinely excited, and my brothers exchanged silent nods, all barely suppressing their smirks.
The teams were divided up— Marcus and Theo versus Ethan and me, while Dante and Julian acted as "commentators" from the sidelines. I didn't like how they watched us, standing at the edges of the field with identical grins that promised nothing good.
"Kickoff!" Julian shouted, tossing the ball onto the field.
As soon as the game started, Marcus took control of the ball with a flick of his foot and dribbled forward. Ethan ran up to block him, and I darted forward, hoping to intercept.
"Coming in hot, Xan!" Marcus smirked, passing the ball in my direction.
I ran toward it, thinking it would be a straightforward pass. But the ball rocketed past me with way more force than necessary, and I barely stopped in time to avoid colliding with the fence.
"Sorry about that!" Marcus called, looking anything but sorry. "Guess I just got caught up in the game!"
Ethan jogged up, giving me an encouraging smile. "We got this. They're just playing around."
"If by 'playing around,' you mean 'using me as target practice,' then yes."
Marcus passed to Theo, who sprinted toward Ethan with unexpected intensity, moving like he was on a mission. Ethan scrambled to catch up, but Theo was relentless, practically dancing around him, flicking the ball past with a little grin.
"Think fast!" Theo announced, suddenly swerving and—without warning—booting the ball right toward Ethan's shins.
Ethan sidestepped just in time, but the ball grazed his leg, and he stumbled. I could see him holding back a wince, trying to keep his expression calm. I shot a furious look at Theo, who only shrugged.
"Agility, remember?" Theo said, his tone so innocent it could have been used as an alibi.
"Yeah, Ethan," Dante called from the sidelines. "It's all about reaction time. Try to keep up!"
My blood was boiling. I jogged over to Ethan as he straightened, giving me a reassuring smile that made my heart twist.
"You okay?" I whispered.
"Of course," he said, wiping a bit of dirt off his shorts. "Just a little more intense than expected. But nothing I can't handle."
I wanted to scream. Here he was, trying to take this all in stride, while my brothers were clearly taking turns "testing" him like he was a science experiment. They were supposed to be bonding, not staging some obstacle course of torment.
The match continued, but it was clear my brothers had turned it into a game of psychological warfare.
Every time Ethan got the ball, someone "accidentally" blocked him with a little too much vigor, or sent a pass too hard. Each time he stumbled, they'd follow it up with a chuckle, pretending it was all in good fun.
Finally, Marcus kicked the ball so hard that it sailed past all of us, stopping just short of the fence. Ethan chased it, slightly winded, but before he could return, I marched up to my brothers, hands on my hips.
"All right, enough," I hissed, barely containing my frustration. "What's your problem? This was supposed to be about bonding, not a hazing ritual!"
Julian raised his hands, grinning. "We're just giving him a taste of family fun, Xan."
"Family fun?" I repeated, incredulous. "He's going to be in a full-body cast if this keeps up!"
Marcus chuckled, brushing off my concern. "Relax, he's tougher than you think. We're just… seeing how well he holds up under pressure."
"You're testing him?" I nearly shouted. "He's not an experiment, Marcus!"
Dante chimed in, throwing an arm over my shoulder as if he were the picture of brotherly innocence. "Xandria, you have to admit, it's a little entertaining."
Entertaining? Watching my boyfriend get repeatedly body-checked by my brothers? I took a deep breath, reminding myself that throwing a fit would only give them more reason to tease.
"Okay, fine," I said, smiling sweetly. "Then let's make a bet."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "A bet?"
If Ethan and I win, you have to back off for a whole month. No pranks, no interference, no weird secret meetings about how to scare him off. Just… let us live."
Julian chuckled, leaning casually against the goalpost. "And if we win?"
"You can keep doing whatever it is you've been doing," I said, my voice steady despite the nerves buzzing in my chest. I shot Ethan a look, silently begging him to back me up on this. He nodded, his jaw tightening in determination.
The boys exchanged glances, clearly loving the challenge.
"Game on," Marcus said with a smirk.
Once we started, the game dynamics changed drastically. I teamed up with Ethan, forming a solid strategy to outmaneuver my brothers.
Every pass I made was precise, and we backed each other up, weaving around Marcus and Theo's defenses with surprising ease.
It felt good, empowering even, to show my brothers that Ethan wasn't some delicate flower they could just steamroll.
Ethan even managed to score a goal, flashing me a triumphant grin. "Thanks for the assist!"
"Anytime," I replied, feeling a sense of victory.
But just when we were starting to gain momentum, Julian intercepted one of our passes, dribbling with speed and precision that made it nearly impossible to catch up.
"Not bad, Ethan," he called over his shoulder, a glint in his eye. "But let's see how you handle this."
With that, he kicked the ball with a strength that sent it flying—and for a split second, I thought it was heading for Ethan's face.
Ethan flinched but held his ground, and the ball zipped right by him, narrowly missing him. He let out a sigh of relief, and Julian merely chuckled, looking at me with a smirk.
"Well, that was… close," Ethan muttered, rubbing his neck.
Before I could respond, Marcus jogged up, looking far too pleased with himself. "All right, that was fun. But I think it's time we let Ethan take a little breather. What do you say, Xan?"
The smirk on his face was hard to miss, and it took every ounce of self-control not to call him out on it. Instead, I forced a smile and turned to Ethan. "How about a break?"
Ethan nodded, clearly exhausted. "Probably a good idea."
As we walked back toward the sidelines, I leaned in, whispering, "Sorry about all… that."
Ethan smiled, giving my hand a squeeze. "Don't worry about it. I can see where they get their… enthusiasm. Besides, at least now they know I'm here to stay."
I grinned, feeling a surge of pride. He was tough, tougher than even I'd realized.
And as we headed off the court, Julian called out, "See you next week, Ethan."
I froze, heart sinking as my brothers exchanged conspiratorial looks.