Fantasy World

"Ow! Fuck!"

Stephanie grumbled to herself as she made her way to the kitchen in her brother's house. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion when she watched him jump away from the stove.

"God damn it!"

"What are you doing?"

Steven jumped again when he looked at his sister, wide-eyed. "Uh..." His eyes flickered to the pan. "I was cooking?"

She snorted. "Since when do you cook?"

He rubbed the back of his neck as he studied the hash browns that were burning in the pan. "I was trying to make Maci feel better... Make it up to her..." he mumbled.

Stephanie grimaced. "You know she hates hash browns, right?" she questioned.

Steven's eyes snapped to hers. "Are you... Fuck!" he exclaimed as he tossed his spatula onto the counter. He ran his hands through his chopped hair. After sighing, he began cleaning up the mess he'd made.

Stephanie watched him, snorting when he cursed as he burnt his hand. He gave up on the pan, leaving it in the sink, before going to the waffle iron he had warming up. He began pouring in the batter, hoping he could at least get that much correct.

"What kind of waffles are you making?" she asked.

"Chocolate chip," he mumbled.

She let out a tired sigh before pulling herself up to sit on the counter. "We need to talk," she began.

He stared harder at the iron. "Steven..." she continued.

He finally turned to look her in the eye. "Don't hold this against her, Steph. I know what you're going to say about that, but really. I take the blame for it all. I kissed her first, I was the one that let it continue on. I've been the one to initiate all of this," he told her right away.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Okay... Why did you start it?" she challenged.

His face fell instantly. He looked down at his hands. "You want the honest truth?" She nodded her head. Steven turned around to take out the waffle and place it on a plate. "I've liked her for a long time... I've always wanted to make some kind of move, but it was never possible before. I didn't mean for us to sleep together, honestly."

Stephanie groaned, burring her face in her hands. "Why her?" she asked, pleading for an answer. It didn't make sense to her.

Steven faced her again. "Steph, I can't exactly help it. She just... She's..." He struggled to find the correct words. "She's Maci. She's different than the other girls I've been around and I like that. I like that she doesn't wear make up every day, that she doesn't care about the brands she wears, or if she's got money. I like that she's so focused on her schooling. I like that she's dedicated to her relationships no matter what."

He let out a sigh as he ran a hand over his hair again. "Maci's just... I don't know how to describe it, sis. She levels me out when I want to go do some crazy shit. I know she'll never admit to it, but I know she watches every single one of my games."

"How do you know that?" she questioned slowly.

He smirked. "She calls me after our games or texts me. She'll say good job or she'll send a joke if we lost. She knows how to make me feel better after a loss. And I want to make her smile all the time. I hate seeing her upset or hurt," he babbled.

Stephanie watched him carefully as he spoke on and on about her best friend. She'd never heard any guy actually say anything like it before. She could tell just how head over heels he was for her. "God, you're so fucking whipped," she mumbled.

Steven glared at her. "I am not," he mumbled. He quickly turned around to take out the waffle and put a new one on.

Stephanie laughed. "Steven, you are whipped. Don't even try to deny it!"

He stuck his tongue out at her before busying himself with the dishes. She sat back, watching him for a few minutes. "If you hurt her, I'll chop off all your man bits and stick them down your throat," she finally continued.

Steven dropped the pan he'd been scrubbing and turned to look at her like she was crazy. "Is this your way of saying..."

She let out a heavy breath. "I'm fine with it. I don't want to see any of your PDA crap, though!" she added in loudly.

His grin grew wider and wider. "Stephy!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to hug her tightly. "I love you," he sang out.

Stephanie rolled her eyes as she lightly patted his back. "Whatever. Your waffle is burning."