At the Restaurant

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The Johnson siblings got to the ‘V’ at exactly 6:30 that evening. This meant they would have time to take pictures and grab a drink before ‘The President,’ sarcastically termed by Clara, came to ruin their supposedly lovely evening together as siblings. They seldom go out these days, being too busy launching their product and developing their technology. It left them exhausted all the time. It was like the more money they were taking in, the more it drained them. Some days, they don’t even see the others at home.

The ‘V’ had an outdoor balcony where people gathered as they waited for their reservations. So the siblings chose this as their selfie spot. Yeah, selfies seem foolish to some people, but when you have no pictures when you were younger, you compensate by taking lots of pictures of your activities and places that you visit in the present, so when you grow older, you can have something to look back on.

Max’s eyes were roaming the scene, trying to find his new target. Why not have fun in San Diego while he was there. He had plans to get laid tonight, and he would not let his siblings stop him from doing that. Clara was talking, but he was not paying attention because he was trying to catch a woman’s eye from across the balcony.

He got the tail end of her statement, ‘... I’m a grown woman, and I will not be a subject of anybody’s fantasies.’

’Whoa, whoa, whoa... When did this happen?’ Max reacted. ‘What is going on here? Are we talking about Mr. Colfer? I thought he was a very nice guy. Very handsome, if you ask me.’ Max chided. He was pretending not to know what was happening. He winks at Jeremy.

‘Maybe it’s time you thought about someone that way, sis. You are not getting any younger. You know, biological clock and all, plus you don’t want to end up as a cougar, preying on the young, do you?’ Max added, smiling to himself.

‘Oh, shut up! Cougar? You think I’m a cougar?’ she slaps Max on the arm.

‘I think you look lovely, Clara. We both know what you’re talking about. This idiot here is just teasing you.” Jeremy pointed to Max.

‘Heeey! I’m not an idiot. I’m a matchmaker!’ Max said, forming a heart with his hands. ‘I love you, Clara,’ she shook her head and laughed.

‘If you do not want his attention or his comments, let me know. I’m here. I will protect you,’ said the ever-loyal Jeremy. Being the youngest, he had always been protective of his siblings. He would do anything for them to always be together. No CEO would steal his sister any time with his sweet words, just to play with her feelings.

‘Thank you, my dearest,’ she says as she holds his face in her hands and kisses him on both sides of his cheek. ‘See, this is the reason you are my favorite.’

‘Hey!’ Max pouts. ‘Why is he your favorite? I’m much more handsome than he is.’

‘You are such a kid, Max. Just stop it.’ she glared at him. ‘But kidding aside, I’m glad you guys came with me today. It wouldn’t have been the same without you. Remember when we did these installations a lot in the beginning? Those were memorable.’ She thought about how sweaty and grimy they looked when they finished the jobs when they were younger.

‘And for the record, I love both of you equally. I am so lucky to have you in my life,’ she says as she kisses Max’s cheek. And gives them both a hug. Then she proceeds to wipe the lipstick off their faces. ‘We just need a little more patience, and all our hard work will pay off soon. This is it, guys. I think this calls for a celebratory drink,’ she says, looking around for the bar, but instead, she found Sebastian staring at her.

‘Hey, do you want me to take the picture for you?’ Sebastian volunteers, smiling at all of them, his gaze lingering on Clara.

Max grinned as he looked at his sister and the CEO. ’Oh ho ho, look at these two, making googly eyes at each other. This is not a one-sided love affair after all.’ He places the camera in Sebastian’s hand to break the ice. ‘Just press the button in the middle. What am I saying? You know what to do.’

Sebastian shakes his head and walks a few steps back so he can get a better picture and include the view behind them.

‘Okay, here we go.. 1,2,3, smile!’ He takes a few more pictures from different angles from different locations. They were laughing, by the time they took the last picture. Making the mood lighter.

‘We’re going to get drinks,’ Max declares as he pulls Jeremy with him. ‘C’mon, leave those two alone for a while.’

‘Clara will get pissed when she sees that both of us abandoned her,’ Jeremy protests as they wait for their drinks.

‘Relax, she’s in good hands. Sebastian won’t bite. I think he likes her, and I think she feels the same, right?’

Jeremy shrugged. ‘I don’t know about him, man. She hasn’t dated in a while. Is she ready for a long-distance affair if they continue with this? She’s not built for that.’

‘Yeah, but he’s loaded, man. Maybe he’s what she needs.’

‘Exactly, he’s loaded, and he can get anyone here in San Diego. Why chase Clara?’

Max shrugs, ‘Beats me. Man, what happened to you? You used to be so much fun. Remember when we dated multiple girls in high school?’

‘That wasn’t me.’

‘You suddenly turned into an old man, worried about Clara’s dating life, and you’ve become a recluse since you went to college.’

Max looks at his brother and wonders what really happened. ‘Jeremy has always been secretive about his personal life. But something must have happened to make him this serious. I barely know him anymore. Maybe we should hang out more. I need to get this guy drunk to make him talk.’

And just before he could prod Jeremy further, their drinks came.