Status: In Time

To Caress My Day

Chapter 142: The Bickerings Began

They landed in Connecticut on Seth's private plane. Off and on throughout the ride, Twigs and Bella would giggle behind their hands as big brother and little sister would squabble over senseless things while Spencer neglected it all to read from the newspaper or scrolled through his electronic devices. Seth sat beside Twigs with a mischievous grin on the whole ride because for the first time he didn't have to hide his affection for his girlfriend. For the first time they were among family and friends and could touch each other, and touch was exactly what he couldn't keep his hands from doing. Naturally, of course, his sister had an issue with it with her daughter there. Seth disputed that she was too young to understand what was going on around her anyway so it shouldn't matter, but his sister pursued. Thus, the bickerings began. From time to time, Seth would counter to Rachael in one of his silly cartoon voices and it would cause her to demand Twigs to smack him so he'd stop and take her seriously. Twigs found the bickering between brother and sister comical, and Bella found her uncle's funny voices entertaining. It soon became too much for the onlooking pair for they giggled themselves to exhaustion.

Departing the private plane was a problem for Twigs, and so she concealed herself with Seth's coat until they piled into the attending car, Spencer's as well due to his urging. The drive was to Kent was no different than the plane ride to Connecticut except this time all the bickering did for little Bella was make her belly ache too much from all the laughter that she ended up wailing. This reaction, however, postponed the nonsensical squabble between brother and sister for another time. Now, that Seth was no longer distracted by his sister, he wanted to lavish kisses on Twigs again. She was tightly tucked against his side with his arm securely around her when he turned his head and gingerly nudged it against hers to grab her attention. “Give me a kiss, Pixie.”

“Again?” Spencer demanded in surprise, never having seen Seth so all over a woman before. It was getting to the point where he was becoming concerned the couple might actually undertake to sneak in a quickie right in from of him and his wife.

Rachael rolled her eyes and whined next to her husband. “Pleaaaase, don't kiss him, Tahliah! His ugly face isn't worth it after the way he's been behaving on this trip thus far.”

“The way I've been behaving!?” Seth exclaimed in bewilderment that his sister would try and put all the accountability of their feuds on him.

“Baby, don-” Twigs tried to warn him, her hand lifting to rest on his chest.

“Did I stutter?” Rachael smiled beautifully, fluttering her eyelashes like she was the true innocent in all this. “I most certainly said the way YOU'VE been behaving, Seth.”

“Oh c'mon!” Seth protested before turning to request assistance from his brother-in-law. “Spence, you were there!”

“Oh god.” Spencer sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before turning his attention to study down at Bella who was having trouble keeping her eyes open. “Not today, Seth.”

“Tahliah, please! See reason here.” Rachael shifted around Seth, who was blocking her, to try and enroll his girlfriend on her side. “You saw him start the first fight, didn't you? I was just coming in peacefully!”

Seth's head jerked in his lover's direction, his brown eyes wide in terror as he reached out to cradle the back of Twig's head and press it against his shoulder to muffle her mouth before she could get a word out. “How dare you try to involve my Pixie, you fiend!?”

“EXCUSE ME!?” Rachael nearly hollered, taken aback by his audacity. “YOU just tried to recruit MY husband just now!”

“That's because I'm innocent!” Seth contended, rocking Twigs back and forth like she were an virtuous child in need of his security.

“You've never been innocent a day in your life, Seth!” Rachael criticized, and pointed a finger towards Twigs. “And I bet she's aware of that.”

“She knows nothing!” Seth affirmed her, caressing Twig's head as she'd finally had enough and began to to and propel away from him to deliver her peace.

“Oh yeah? Then why won't you let her talk!?” Rachael indicated with a triumphant grin.

“Seth, let me go!” Twigs complained after finally freeing her head from his grip at least. “I can speak for myself.”

“Not if you're gonna take her side in this.” Seth hurled a glare at his sister.

Rachael stuck out her tongue before addressing Twigs. “Well, who was in the wrong? Me or him? It's him right?”

“First of all, I'm not taking any sides. You both started it!” Twigs stated, not wanting to be on Rachel's bad side in case she was the vindictive type or on Seth's bad side cause she cherished him. She felt her boyfriend completely surrender his hold on her, and as much as she instantaneously missed his touch, she threw up her hands in a sign of peace. “Problems solved! Now you two can drop all this feuding business.”

“I agree 100%.” Spencer included his thoughts as well as he leaned his head back and relaxed.

“Whatever.” Rachael shrugged it off. “If you two want it to be over than it can be as easy as over.”

Seth nodded in compliance and regathered Twigs back against his side again, already missing her presence there. “Yeah, no longer will this have to be a repetitive fiasco that tears this family apart.”

Twigs smiled in satisfaction that she single-handedly got both brother and sister to see their indiscretions in all this as their expedition pulled them closer and closer to Kent. “That's great to hear, we're all proud of the sacrifice you two are willing to make.”

The siblings acknowledged to each other in mute understanding before Seth began again. “Absolutely...that is if Rachael is willing to accept she started the first round.”

Twig's mouth fell open in shock before she dashed to thwart another round of bickering from launching again. “Wait, wh-?”

“Me!? What about you?” Rachael opposed. “If you hadn't been trying to get it on with your girlfriend here I wouldn't have said anything in the first place!”

“Not true.” Spencer muttered from where he sat reclining with his head back and eyes closed.

Rachael aimed her glare towards her husband now. “Excuse me?”

“You two would have been arguing anyway. You always d-” Having now lifted his head and opened his eyes to recognize the look on his wife's face, Spencer gulped back his words. “I mean, you're totally right babe, it was all Seth's fault.”

“Good boy.” Rachael welcomed with a merciful pat to his knee.

“Not fair!” Seth refused to accept failure. “He was on my side before you gave him the glare of death, Rachael!”

“And?” Rachael retorted indifferently. “Now he's on my side.”

“You sonof-”

Twigs caught sight of the driver leading them into a driveway to a marvelous home and her heart rapidly started hammering it's way through her chest cavity. Her brown eyes widen with apprehension as she cut in to her boyfriend's arguing by clapping a hand over his mouth. “Baby, I think we're finally here...”