BRO CODE VS GIRL POWER

SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY, UNGODLY HOURS

The bro code, according to the guys was a real thing.

"It's the unspoken and universal rule among brothers." Shannon succinctly explained.

"Yeah, yeah." Jonah nodded, "Terms and conditions apply."

"I've never heard of such a thing." I said suspiciously. They were just taking me for a ride, right?

"What?" Tim's made an unnecessarily shocked face.

Angela rolled her eyes at that, "Oh no, here we go again."

Tim ignored his sister to expound, "The bro code is the crux of all friendship among men. It's the epitome of brotherhood. It's the rules that define a wolf from a weasel. Like even a guy like me - I know I'm not the nicest guy around. Yeah, okay, I can live with that, but even I would keep the bro code, cross my heart, I'm serious!"

Tim had given his best and more earnest speech to date. I was almost moved, almost, but not quite. I had seen Tim swear by heaven and earth in front of his mum before, but there were some things even the heaven and earth could not enforce.

"Oh yeah, then what are these "unspoken rules", huh?" Delilah challenged.

"No, don't go there!" Angela groaned.

"Oh boy." Lizzy sighed, "Here we go."

"For one thing, Bros don't dump their bros for a girl." Shannon said sternly. He patted Drew on the shoulder just to highlight the nearest example. Drew nodded and made a pouty mouth, "Yeah. I was dumped."

"Bros don't fight over girls. Unless its their soulmate. Soulmates are different." Jonah said.

"Of course, soulmates are different. Soulmates don't count." Shannon affirmed.

"Bros don't bring their girlfriend into bro territory at bro time." Tim said.

"Bros don't squeal on their bros." Shannon said.

"Okay, I regret asking." Delilah conceded.

"Make it stop." Angela groaned.

But the guys were just getting into it, "Bros help each other - one for all, and all for one!"

"Bros don't disrespect your parents."

"Bros don't trash your house."

"You guys are just making it up as you go along aren't you?" I asked.

"No, no, its all true." Jonah answered.

Yeah, right.

Lizzy rolled her eyes, "Please just stop. We've heard enough."

"Let's just leave your bro code unspoken." Angela suggested sarcastically.

But the fact that the girls wanted them to stop only fueled their fire.

"Bros don't ditch bros when they are in trouble."

"Bros don't joke about the things that really matter."

"Bros don't hit on their bros' sisters." Ben added at this point.

"Soulmates don't count." Jonah reminded him.

And then Savy said, "Bros don't talk about the bro code."

The guys stopped, Savy smiled sweetly and faced her phone to show them, "It says so here."

Wait, there was such a thing?

The girls laughed.

And then suddenly someone realized, "Hang on, where's Dean?"

"He went to the washroom." I said.

Ben checked his watch.

"How long can a guy use the loo?" Shannon quirked his brow, "Is he okay?"

"Omega go down the hole~~" Tim half sang.

"Shut up, Tim." Jonah said quietly.

"Yeah, he broke the code, he's paid the price. Let it go." Shannon nodded sagely.

"Well, it was good while it lasted." Tim shrugged amiably.

"He's not answering his mind link." Drew said.

"He's not talking to you, remember?" Shannon said, "Darlyn, you try."

"I did, but he's not answering." Darlyn said.

"Do you think he heard us, got upset, and ran away?" Shannon asked.

There was a pause.

This would not have been the first time.

"Get your coats." Ben decided.

"What? No... why?" Tim whined.

"Bros don't leave their bros out in the cold." Shannon said.

"No, no, no, no... that's not in the code." Tim tried to stop the search party, "Maybe he just needed time alone! We should give him space, you know?"

"You're such a jerk, Tim." Angela informed her brother, "Can you believe it? Of all the guys in the world, I get the jerk for my brother."

"At least you're guaranteed that he wouldn't be your mate." Delilah pointed out.

Ohhhh... so true.

"I'm not that bad." Tim tried to defend himself, "I mean, better me than Ben, right?"

"Get your coat, Tim." Ben growled.

"Just joking, beta. I'm joking." Tim reached for his coat. We had squabbled all the way to the front door. (Like I said, my house wasn't that big.)

The girls were getting their coats too.

"You girls can stay." Jonah told us, "It's cold out."

"We're going over to my place, doofus." Lizzy said.

"Uh, yeah. Good idea." Was all Jonah could manage as a comeback.

I waited at the door to wave my friend's off.

Just as we got onto the patio, our breaths making little clouds in the night air, the headlights of a car shone over our porch. We squinted against the light as a car soundlessly pulled up our drive way.

"That's Ki's car." Savy said as the car disappeared into the garage.

Shannon breathed a sigh of relief, "Whew, I thought my mum was here to get me."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "You did tell her you were staying over, right?"

"She was at work." Shannon shrugged, "I left a note on the counter."

Ki came over with his usual smile in place, "Hello. Were you just leaving?"

"Yeah." Ben said, "Dean went missing."

"Oh. I sent him home." Ki answered.

Wait, what? So Ki had to drive all the way out anyway?

"By the way, he overhead you guys." Ki stripped off his gloves as he passed through my gaggle of friends to go into the house. I followed him in, and before I knew it, the whole gang had returned all their coats and were standing around the kitchen island watching Ki prep the ingredients into the bread machine.

"What exactly did he overhear, Ki?" Shannon asked.

"I'm not entirely certain." Ki answered, "Can you pass me that bowl, please? Jax found him along the hallway and brought him to me."

"Bet he was crying." Tim smirked. Ki didn't respond.

Angela slapped him on the arm, "Can you just stop, just for ten minutes? Don't you think you've done enough damage?"

"Me?" Tim widened his eyes, "Oh no, I can't take all the credit."

Everyone stopped to feel guilty for a moment.

"He was the one who gate-crashed the party." Delilah tried to justify, "And broke your guy code."

"Bro code." Drew corrected her.

"Whatever." Delilah brushed him off.

Guilt was a real party popper.

"What did he say, Ki?" Ben prodded.

"Nothing specific." Ki answered lightly.

"How much do you guys think he heard?" Shannon asked.

Ben looked at his watch again, "Could be everything."

"Opps." Lizzy said.

"Are you still trying to contact him?" Drew asked his sister.

Darlyn nodded and then shook her head, "He's not answering at all."

"Maybe he's sleeping." Jonah suggested.

"Wouldn't he be too upset to sleep?" Shannon asked, "If it were me, I don't think I'd be able to fall asleep."

"But it's not you." Tim said, "It's the omega. Dean probably just curled up and cried himself to sleep."

"SHUT UP, TIM!" More than one person yelled.

"Not helping, alright?" Angela scolded.

Tim shut up, but not before muttering, "He's just getting what's due him."

Ben growled. Jonah gave Tim a fair left hand on the shoulder.

"Owwww..." Tim grabbed his arm, feigning his death on the kitchen counter.

Ki finished cleaning up in the kitchen, "Please excuse me, old dogs need their sleep. Goddess, is there anything I may do for you?"

"No. Thank you, Ki." I returned, automatically polite, "Goodnight."

Wow, I was starting to sound like Mum.

Ki beamed like a flower to the sun, "Goodnight, goddess."

My friends waited for the quiet tapping of Ki's footfall to disappear before speaking again.

"Even his footsteps are sexy." Delilah sighed.

"OMG. I was thinking the EXACT SAME THING!" Angela said.

The girls giggled together while the guys (and me) looked on with equally dumbfounded expression.

Exactly how can footsteps be sexy?

"You can tell a lot about a guy by his footsteps." Lizzy said thoughtfully.

I suppose that was true. I mean, I don't know about sexy, but Ki's steps had always been sure, even, and his shoes always sounded expensive.

"S***, now I'm going to be self-conscious about my footsteps." Shannon said with a self depreciating smile.

I laughed it off, "You don't have to worry, aren't you the Master of Charm?"

Even though the title was self-proclaimed, I thought it was quite apt.

"Yes, but Ki is on another level." Shannon admitted, "While it's true I charm the ladies, the ladies are falling all over themselves to charm Ki."

"I wish I was five years older." Delilah sighed.

I wish all of us would stay pups. Sigh.

"Tell the truth, Sam," Angela turned to me with a gleam in her eye - yes, that girl-talk gleam, "Had you ever crushed on Ki?"

What? I must have looked very surprised because everyone laughed.

"Sam's too pure to crush on guys like Ki." Shannon said.

"Plus, she's got Luna Bell." Lizzy reminded everyone.

Angela fanned herself with an open hand, "Whoa, now that's a real hottie. No offence, Sam, I'm not coveting your mate - okay, I am, but just a bit."

The girls laughed. I laughed too, because Angela was just joking, right? Boo rose up just an iota.

{Mine.}

Thank goddess she didn't speak aloud! That would have been too embarrassing.

"Sam, your face is red." Delilah told me.

"Okay, who's sexier, Ki or Luna Bell?" Angela had dived right into girl talk.

"Whoa, just Ki or Luna Bell?" Tim joked, "What about us?"

Shannon shook his head in mirth, "In the light of Ki and Luna Bell, we are invisible."

"Ben, take the guys home and leave us alone!" Lizzy ordered.

"You take the girls home." Ben said, "Are there still leftovers in the living room?"

Ben led the guys out of the kitchen, ironically, in search of food.

The rest of the girls got cosy at the breakfast nook.

"Do you want to join us, Sam?" Savy asked as she took out a tray of tiramisu.

I looked at the Tiramisu, and pulled a stool over to the table to join them.

Nevermind Ki's footsteps, or my Luna's temperature. Tiramisu... creamy and tinged with the bitterness of cocao, coffee, and alcohol.

"The bittersweet taste of unrequited love." Delilah sighed.

"Why? who are you in love with?" Lizzy asked.

"Ki." Delilah lied without batting an eye.

"Liar." Angela said knowingly.

"A girl's gotta have her secrets, you know." Delilah winked.

The girls laughed.

"So, who's hotter, Ki or Luna Bell?" Angela returned the table back to her impromptu poll.

"You asked 'who's sexier' just now." Lizzy raised her hand to clarify, "Do you mean sexier or hotter."

"Oh right, sorry. Who's sexier?" Angela asked, "Raise your hand for Ki."

The entire table (except me) raised our hands.

"Wow. I mean wow." Angela said at the result.

"It was the expected result." Lizzy shrugged.

"Sam's the only one who didn't raise her hand." Delilah teased.

"She can't. Luna Bell is her mate." Lizzy defended me.

The girls nodded.

"It can't be helped." Angela conceded, "Okay, now who's hotter?"

I'm not following the.... thing that was happening. This girl talk was too advanced for me...

"Raise your hand if you think Ki is hotter." Angela said.

Only Delilah raised her hand.

"What? I'm the only one?" Delilah looked genuinely surprised, "Even you, Dar? I thought you said Ki was the hottest guy in the pack?"

Darlyn turned red, "Er, YOU said that, Del. I just agreed he was hot."

"BUT Luna Bell is definitely hotter." Angela concluded.

"So Sam," Delilah held her spoon like a microphone, "How does it feel to have the hottest guy in town as your mate?"

"The hottest guy in the whole of Green Packlands." Lizzy corrected.

"Excuse me," Delilah said, "The hottest guy in the Green Packlands."

"Mine." Boo did speak aloud now.

The girls squealed and laughed.

"I love that possessive streak!" Angela approved.

"Girl power!" Delilah declared.

In this way, we spent the last few hours of the night. By the time dawn broke, a stack of Tiramisu trays were empty, and we were dead tired, but completely wide awake at the same time, no thanks to the high concentration of caffeine in the Tiramisu.

"Happy Valentine's Day to my best girlfriends!" Lizzy announced.

Best Valentine's Day Eve ever.