The next day after lunchtime, Edward, Terrence, Peter, Daniel, Raquelle, Anna, and Helene decided to come together to the country and spend time outside. But now only Edward, Natalia, Terrence, Raquelle, Daniel, and Anna came together, while Helene and Peter have not come yet. Anna decided to try to learn how to play guitar for fun, and Daniel is helping her with pleasure, as he is sitting behind her and saying what strings to pluck and what chords to strike. And if the girl does everything perfectly, the man says nice words to her or kisses her shyly.
Edward and Terrence help them sometimes, but they are busier with their sweet girls and do not hide their tender smiles when looking at them. Natalia strokes Edward’s hair with a slight smile on her face or caresses his cheek, while his head rests on her laps, and he feels relaxed while the blonde’s fingers get through his black strands of hair. And Terrence is pressing Raquelle to himself with great pleasure, sometimes caressing her legs that she placed on his ones, while enjoying the way the warm, tender hands slide over her amazingly soft skin, using the fact that she is wearing mini shorts.
“I can’t believe I didn’t take those high notes again,” Daniel says disappointedly, exhaling sharply. “I thought everything would be fine that time, but no…”
“C’mon, Daniel!” Terrence waves a hand, caressing Raquelle’s knees and kissing her on her temple cutely. “Relax! Do you think everyone sings perfectly and never screws it all up? There have been so many cases!”
“Yeah, but it’s happening not for the first time.”
“I think nobody noticed that! The people were so excited that nobody paid attention to these things.”
“But someone may notice it when watching the videos that they recorded yesterday. And the people that watched the air could hear me becoming a screaming goat.”
“Dude, did you hear how the crowd was screaming?” Edward asks cheerfully. “I’m sure it would’ve been very hard to hear us in that situation.”
“Trust me, guys, everybody has already come to themselves and is now watching videos of our performance. Swearing on me…”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Anna says with a slight smile, sitting between Daniel’s legs and plucking the strings of his guitar hesitantly. “Nobody’s gonna swear on you. Terrence is right: many artists might get confused somehow.”
“And nobody would love them less just because they didn’t take some notes or forgot the lyrics,” Natalia adds confidently.
“Well, I dunno…” Daniel exhales sharply with sadness in his eyes. “It all strikes me down…”
“It’s okay, Daniel, don’t worry about it,” Terrence says confidently. “We all had not the best day yesterday. The only thing that helped me was our fans, who screamed with happiness and sang along with us with pleasure.”
“Agree. There was nothing more to remember.”
“But to be honest, I almost became deaf from their shouts.”
“That’s right!” Edward agrees. “And because of them, I couldn’t always hear myself and you in my earpiece. I was also afraid to screw it all…”
“But you three did it well,” Daniel replies thoughtfully. “You, as always, warned the crown up, your brother made everybody scream after barely showing up, and Rose was imitable when playing drums and got tons of compliments during his solo.”
“Trust me, buddy, you were incredible, too,” Raquelle says confidently. “The girls and I had the pleasure of watching your performance yesterday. And the servants of Terrence and me joined us, and we were all dancing along with your song.”
“That’s bad it was the only performance shown on TV,” Anna notices with sadness in her eyes.
“It’s okay, beauties, the video of the performance that we recorded yesterday is gonna be out soon,” Terrence promises with a mysterious smile. “You’re gonna dance along with our song again.”
“I can’t wait…” Natalia exhales with a slight smile.
“You know, guys, sometimes similar things make me think of giving up on this business,” Daniel confesses hesitantly and kisses Anna on the top of her head, starting to caress her head, while she looks at him with sadness in her eyes. “But when I see the happy faces and heard loud shouts of our fans, I understand I can’t do it.”
“Hey, get these thoughts out of your head!” Terrence demands confidently. “Nobody is gonna leave it all! If one of us leaves, the band will be doomed to break up.”
“Of course, I won’t leave. These confusions just make me think about it.”
“Don’t even dare to. The band needs all four members.”
“I know, I know, we’ve gotta work for ourselves, our fans, and the girls. They all believe in us, and we have no right to betray them.”
“Exactly! Moreover, nobody has let us know that someone wants one of us to leave. Our fans love us. And you all saw it yesterday when they were screaming after we barely showed up.”
“Yeah, remember how happy some of them were when we gave them a five and even took a phone from someone to record short videos and take some photos,” Edward recalls confidently. “I personally thought they would’ve died with happiness… Or they would’ve fainted from an overabundance of emotions.”
“I remember,” Daniel smiles slightly. “That’s one of the things that makes me wish to continue my career.”
“I’ve been working for this for many years,” Terrence confesses. “Although there are rare cases when fans act like obsessed maniacs, I’m lucky, after all.”
“Yeah, when fans start chasing you wherever you are, that’s not good,” Natalia notices, stroking Edward’s hair, while his head is resting on her laps, and he folds his hands on his stomach and bends his legs at his knees slightly.
“That’s terrible!” Raquelle exclaims and tucks a thin strand of hair gathered in a beautiful big topknot. “I know one photomodel that I somehow worked with. So, she was chased by a crazy fan, who wanted her to marry him. He was looking for her anywhere, tried to break into her house many times, and even went abroad when she did. But that girl went to the police immediately, and that man was eventually sentenced to mandatory treatment. He had a mental issue.”
“And you know, my darling, knowing that you’re very famous, and men are ready to sell their souls to get you, I’m honestly surprised that you haven’t had a situation like that,” Edward says amicably.
“Not at all, Edward. Something like that happened to me, but a long time ago. I was kinda eighteen… My career was just getting started. But I didn’t suffer and asked the police for help in time.”
“Yeah, and even after that, you didn’t surround yourself with security,” Anna says thoughtfully.
“Luckily, no cases like that have happened. And the only people that chase me are the paparazzi. But thank God, I have a good relationship with them.”
“But I think you don’t have to worry now,” Daniel notices and clears his throat quickly. “Terrence will obviously make any crazy fan leave you alone. If he sees someone accosts you, he will tear them apart.”
“The truth is true,” Terrence replies with a slight smile and cuddles Raquelle stronger, pressing her to himself to give her the feeling of protection and calm that helps her relax. “Terrence MacClife will replace four or five bodyguards for this beauty and deal with anyone to dare to hurt her.”
“And actually, I’ve always been sure that you get much more attention by surrounding yourself with lots of bodyguards,” Raquelle confesses shyly. “Trying to hide from everyone like a criminal, people get much more interested in you.”
“Definitely,” Edward pronounces thoughtfully.
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Anna is still learning to play guitar with Daniel’s help. And because the girl is doing almost everything pretty well and rarely gets wrong, she often gets compliments and kisses from her sweetheart.
“You’re doing this well, beautiful,” Daniel says with a slight smile and kisses Anna on the temple. “I believe you’ll learn to play guitar very soon.”
“Yes, but my fingers hurt a little,” Anna replies shyly, slightly rubbing her hands.
“It’s a matter of time, Anna,” Edward says confidently. “If you play every day for one or two hours, your fingers will harden to this.”
“Daniel says the same.”
“Listen, try to take much higher notes. It would sound much better.”
“That’s the idea!” Daniel exclaims and slightly changes the position of Anna’s fingers on the fretboard. “Try to play on these chords.”
Anna strikes all six strings of the guitar a little hesitantly, playing a very nice melody that Daniel likes.
“That’s very good!” Daniel smiles slightly. “Very good.”
“It sounds like a lullaby,” Edward notices.
“Hey, don’t dare to fall asleep!” Terrence exclaims. “I know you’re doing well, and your fiancée is caressing your head, but you’ll sleep at home.”
“Oh, you can’t imagine how good I feel now…” Edward closes his eyes for two seconds with a slight smile. “My sweetheart is stroking my hair, and a nice melody is being performed… What a pleasure…”
“Your happy face says it… You’re lying there and being as happy as a well-eaten cat.”
Edward says nothing and just smiles much wider when Natalia caressing his head nicely kisses her fiancé on the top of his head and puts a hand on his cheek. Meanwhile, Daniel decides to finish a guitar lesson for Anna, noticing that her fingers get kind of red.
“Okay, princess, it’s over for today,” Daniel says quietly, taking the guitar from Anna. “Good job, you worked well!”
“Really?” Anna smiles shyly.
“Sure! And tomorrow, we will continue the lesson. I’m gonna try to give you something harder ‘cause you play simple melodies well.”
“But I’m not tired and could work a little bit more.”
“No. Your fingers are red.”
“Okay then. Tomorrow.”
“Good girl.”
Daniel gives Anna a cute kiss on her cheek that makes her blush and moves her eyes down shyly.
“Yes, Perkins, you’re very good at guitar lessons,” Terrence says with a kind chuckle, embracing tightly Raquelle, on the chest of whom he locks his fingers. “I thought you could give guitar lessons – you’d be a great teacher.”
“Are you gently hinting at my yesterday's great fail?” Daniel arches his brows surprisingly.
“I said nobody judges you for not being able to take those notes.”
“But it won’t stop you from wishing to reproach me. At first, you were laughing at me for six months because I kinda fainted at the sight of blood. And now you found a new reason – I can’t take notes on a show.”
“You can solve this problem easily – you just should really work on vocal lessons, instead of doing stupid things.”
“Yeah, someone gives little attention to warming up his voice before a show,” Edward notices.
“By the way, when you and Terrence were walking somewhere, Peter and I were doing that. We agreed to do it together, but you forgot everything when you felt the smell of delicious food.”
“Actually, I went to eat because I ate nothing at home when going to the shooting in the early morning. I didn’t wanna walk barely because of starvation.”
“I ate nothing, too!” Terrence exclaims.
“Yeah, nothing!” Daniel chuckles loudly. “You eat constantly!”
“Not constantly!”
“Listen, Daniel, maybe, the fact that you were worried was the reason why your voice was shaking when taking high notes?” Natalia asks.
“Actually, we’re excited before any show because we wanna make it perfect,” Daniel replies.
“God, Daniel, stop thinking about it,” Raquelle says tiredly. “Nothing terrible happened. You just didn’t take notes. Even the most famous artists may get it wrong and disgrace themselves. Check out the Internet, so you can see how many singers may get wrong when taking a note. And actors might overplay or fail something at all. The most loyal fans will love them anyway.”
“But the fact that it has happened not for the first time isn’t normal!”
“And what? I might get so confused on the set that it makes me ashamed. You know how many times I’ve been confused at the beginning of my career! When I was learning to be a good model. But it’s okay! I learned! But even in this case, I may get confused.”
“The people expect very much from us, and none of us can let them down. Somehow, we almost let the band break up. We must not let that mistake happen again. I can’t be the one to blame for one more problem of the band.”
“I’m sure it’s gonna get better soon,” Natalia says confidently with a slight smile. “Maybe, you will have a rest for a few days and solve this problem. You and the guys were lately working non-stop.”
“And that’s good the lads saved the situation and helped me take those notes. They pretend that it should happen.” Daniel exhales sharply. “I don’t know what I’d do without them…”
“Maybe, you just change a key, so you can sing comfortably?” Anna suggests. “At least for a while! A song recorded at the studio and a song performed live may be different.”
“But that’s gonna be different.”
“Yes, right. But it won’t get worse. Think about it. And take a couple of vocal lessons and rehearse at home or the studio… Just in case, I can help you with pleasure. Because I took vocal lessons somehow and know what to do.”
“I don’t know, Anna… It all strikes me down… I can’t focus…”
Silence settles in the air for some time, during which Anna watches Daniel being a little sad, sits next to him, and kisses him on the cheek tenderly, having her arms wrapped around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. That’s why the man feels much better and finds the will to smile much wider.
“Listen, guys, let’s stop talking about that show,” Terrence suggests tiredly. “We did agree to forget any bad things and relax a little. But you’re making yourself and the others upset.”
“Yes, guys, we know the show wasn’t the best,” Raquelle says quietly. “But what’s done is done. You should forget it and keep moving on. Yesterday, you didn’t perform well, but your performance is gonna be much better next time.”
“Not us, friend, but me,” Daniel fixes. “The lads completed their mission brilliantly, but I messed up everything again.”
“Damn, Perkins, stop whining, at last,” Edward moans quietly. “It’s okay! Next time, we will perform much better. But now we better have a rest.”
“Yes!” Terrence exclaims. “Don’t start talking about Connor, who does love brainwashing us, so our mood gets much worse.”
“Oh, no, don’t remind me of him,” Daniel moans quietly, running his hands over his face. “That pizza-face kid did laugh at my failure like a moron again.”
“No, no, don’t even call the name of that idiot,” Edward adds tiredly. “Otherwise, he might use his magic and end up here suddenly. That shorty has a phenomenal talent to show up where he’s being discussed.”
“Does that boy keep mocking you?” Natalia asks thoughtfully.
“Oh, yay!” Terrence pronounces tiredly. “We did nothing to him, but he behaves like we’re guilty of hundreds of sins.”
“Yeah…” Daniel nods. “That kid doesn’t also let us focus on performing…”
Everybody says nothing for two seconds, just sharing a look and giving some attention to the second half. And then Anna looks around quickly and frowns slightly, while Daniel tightly presses her to himself and tenderly kisses her on the shoulder at some moment.
“Hey, when haven’t Peter and Helene come here yet?” Anna asks thoughtfully.
“I don’t know,” Terrence shrugs. “It’s been a long time, though.”
“Yes, that couple disappeared somewhere…” Raquelle nods. “And said nothing to us…”
“At least they said they were coming when we had a talk with them,” Daniel notices.
“Maybe, something happened?” Natalia expresses anxiety.
“I think they’ll warn us…” Edward assumes.
“What if those lovebirds decided to leave us and spend time together somewhere in a beautiful place?” Daniel assumes, clearing his throat.
“No, no, promising to come and not doing it is not about them,” Terrence replies confidently.
“I dunno… Rose uses any moment to spend time with Helene.”
“Yeah, since those guys started to date, Pete has been very happy,” Edward smiles shyly.
“And Helene has really changed since school times and become very good,” Anna notices. “Nothing left from the girl that Raquelle, Natalia, and I knew.”
“Yeah, I’m glad we gave her a chance,” Natalia smiles shyly. “Though, Helene has never been a spoiled bitch. She just danced attendance upon Ms. Christensen, who thought she was God.”
“I think her love for Peter helped her,” Raquelle assumes. “She kept her promise that she wanted to keep in case Peter had survived. Gave some blood and donated money to a certain foundation.”
“Yeah, she donated a part of the money gotten from the shooting in the music video,” Anna recalls. “And she gave the other part to her grandmother.”
“I think we are all happy the blond started to date such a good girl,” Daniel smiles shyly. “Helene’s past is not the best, but let’s remember nobody in this world is perfect.”
“No, Helene is a wonderful partner for Pete,” Edward says confidently. “After hearing about the girls’ case, I doubted her, but she proved that she became different and wouldn’t hurt them anymore. And wouldn’t betray Rose.”
“I’m also glad I forgave her and became her friend,” Raquelle confesses, twirling her thin silver necklace on her neck. “At first, the girls and I did it for you, guys. We didn’t wanna make you upset… But later we realized we did the right thing.”
“Yeah, we’re glad we got another friend,” Natalia smiles slightly.
“Say, ‘thank you’ to Peter,” Anna says confidently. “It happened thanks to him. Thanks to the fact that he started to date the girl that we had known since school.”
“That’s right.”
Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which everybody just shares a slight smile. At some moment, Raquelle glances aside, while Terrence embraces her tightly with both arms and nicely kisses her on the naked shoulder, as well as the other men, using the fact that all the girls gathered their hair up and put on open crop tops that perfectly fit their shorts.
“Oh, it seems like I see Peter’s car…” Raquelle says thoughtfully.
“Did our lovebirds come?” Edward wonders, sitting up slowly.
Everybody moves their eyes to the side that Raquelle is looking at and really sees the car that has just come here. It really belongs to Peter, who leaves it a few seconds later, and then Helene does the same, fixing her hair brushed up and taking her purse from the salon.
“They did,” Terrence says with a sly smile.
Peter and Helene leave the car but stay near the car for two seconds longer. And then the girl comes to the others, while the blond opens the back door of the car. One second later, a large golden retriever jumps out of it and looks around with interest, waving its puffy tail.
“Hey, guys!” Helene waves her hand.
“Finally, you’ve come!” Natalia exclaims cheerfully. “We’ve been waiting for you!”
“Sorry, we’re a little late.”
Natalia, Anna, Edward, Daniel, Raquelle, and Terrence greet Helene with slight smiles on their faces by hugging her and sharing an amicable kiss on the cheek. And two seconds later, Peter comes to them, while the retriever follows him.
“Hey, everybody!” Peter greets happily. “Would someone mind a little addition?”
“Do you mean this doggy?” Terrence specifies.
“Aha. This doggy is gonna be with us.”
“I personally don’t mind it,” Edward replies with a slight smile.
“My gosh,” Daniel wonders. “Hey, Peter, did you decide to adopt a dog?”
“Well, actually, it’s not mine…” Peter replies thoughtfully after he greets Terrence, Daniel, and Edward by hugging them amicably and sharing a homie handshake. “But if I decided to get a dog, my neighbors would strangle me with their hands.”
“Erm, this is my dog,” Helene confesses shyly and caresses the head of the doggy that moves its eyes to her, still wagging its tail.
“Yours?” Terrence wonders.
“Yup. But this dog finds Peter his second owner and obeys him in everything.”
“My gosh, what a good doggy,” Raquelle gets tender feelings with a slight smile.
“And the eyes are kind,” Natalia adds after greeting Peter along with Raquelle by hugging him and sharing an amicable kiss on the cheek.
“No, girls, the doggy is very amicable,” Helene replies confidently. “And it loves meeting new people. So, it won’t be shy.”
“By the way, guys, you can pet it if you want,” Peter says, scratching the dog’s head. “It doesn’t bite.”
The retriever quietly standing near Helene and Peter barks quietly, wagging its tail happily, as it watches the unfamiliar people, who like this beautiful and well-groomed dog.
“It’s clear that it is sweet,” Daniel smiles shyly, clears his throat quickly, gets down on his knees in front of the doggy, and carefully runs his hand over its perfectly clean, soft hair.
“He does love when it’s petted or scratched,” Helene confesses.
“And… What’s the name of this fluffy thing that I already like? Huh, doggy? Something tells me you’re a boy.”
“That’s a boy. And his name is Samuel. But he doesn’t like this name and has a bad reaction to it. So, call him just Sammy.”
“Sammy?”
The dog named Sammy barks loudly, as if he agrees with Helene.
“So, Sammy, nice to meet you,” Daniel says confidently and moves his eyes to Helene and Peter. “Can he do commands?”
“Yup, he can,” Peter nods confidently. “He barks, gives a paw, lies, sits…”
“M-m-m…” Daniel looks at Sammy with a mysterious smile and gives him a hand. “Paw, Sammy.”
Sammy performs the command by giving his paw to Daniel, who shakes it carefully.
“Good job, good boy, good,” Daniel says amicably, caressing Sammy and quickly examining what is on the table hanging on the dog’s black collar.
Two seconds later, Daniel gets up and lets the others give some attention to the dog named Sammy.
“I don’t know what about you, guys, but I like this doggy, too,” Raquelle confesses.
“Pet him, Raquelle, don’t be afraid,” Helene suggests with a slight smile. “Sammy isn’t angry but a very kind and sweet doggy. You, too, guys. Don’t be shy.”
Raquelle comes to Sammy with no fear, gets down on her knees, and carefully strokes the dog’s head with a slight smile, while he is wagging his tail with his tongue hanging out and licks the girl’s hand later.
“Hey, whatcha doing?” Raquelle laughs shyly.
“That’s how he shows love,” Peter explains.
“That’s how…”
Raquelle yanks Sammy’s ear for some time and gets up, while the doggy keeps looking at the unfamiliar people with interest.
“Helene, why didn’t you say you decided to get a dog?” Natalia asks, not refusing to scratch Sammy’s hair and caress his head.
“I just wanted to wait for a while,” Helene replies shyly. “Until he grew up.”
“But you could just say you got a puppy,” Terrence notices.
“Sorry. It happened.”
“I hope you’re gonna always take Sammy to our hangouts,” Daniel shows up.
“Of course, I will. If you all liked Sammy, I’ll be happy to take him with me.”
“Oh, I do adore dogs! As big as Sammy.”
“Wow…” Peter wonders. “You’ve never said it.”
“By the way, I even had a dog when I was a kid…”
“Really?” Terrence rounds his eyes.
“But the dog was tiny.”
“What kind of breed?” Raquelle asks.
“Chihuahua. A girl. Her name was Chelsea. She was very mischievous, but kind. With light hair.”
“But what happened to that dog?” Natalia wonders.
“She died. An age. Chelsea died when I was a teenager. About thirteen or fourteen.”
“Sorry…” Helene pronounces with sadness in her eyes.
“It was really hard to survive the loss of the dog that lived with us for a bigger part of life. At least mine. I knew her since childhood and always loved playing with her. Chelsea lived with my parents before my birth.”
“But why didn’t you wanna get a dog when you lived alone?” Peter asks.
“A dog requires permanent attention,” Daniel explains. “But I had no time to do it. If only there had been someone at home…”
“It’s true,” Helene nods confidently and caresses Sammy’s head with a slight smile. “I can’t always be with Sammy ‘cause I work. And I’m lucky Grandma watches him. And in order not to overload her, Peter takes him out sometimes. Despite the risk that his neighbors might start a scandal.”
“You wanted to get a dog so much?” Natalia asks.
“Yup, I dreamed about it for a long time. And I always knew if I had a dog, it would be a big one. Even if I love small and big ones.”
“But how long ago did you get Sammy?” Edward asks, while Sammy goes around him and sniffs his sneakers with interest.
“About six months ago. I took him out when he was a little puppy. At the age of three months. And now he’s almost nine months.”
“Did you take him to a kennel?” Natalia specifies.
“Nope. I’ve just been working with the girl, who has a dog that gave birth to four puppies. She decided to sell them. But because we’re friends, and she knew about my wish to get a dog, that girl let me take one of them. She demanded nothing. So, I got Sammy for free.”
“Your grandma didn’t mind?” Raquelle asks.
“Oh, I was persuading her for a very long time. I started to ask her and Grandpa to let me have a dog when I was a kid. But they didn’t let me do it and said it was a very big responsibility. And after a few weeks of tears and promises to take care of my pet, I managed to make my grandma agree to take a puppy.”
“And how does she treat him?” Terrence asks.
“Very good. Sammy got her love immediately, and Grandma doesn’t regret giving in to me. And as she doesn’t work and stays home all day long, spending time with Sammy became something good for her, while I worked or spent time with friends or Peter.”
“Good,” Daniel smiles slightly. “But it’s not amazing ‘cause Sammy is so good. Look how he’s running around us.”
“So, he liked all of you,” Peter shrugs. “Dogs do know who they can trust, and who they can’t trust.”
“He should’ve liked Terrence MacClife himself,” Terrence says with his head proudly raised. “I’m loved by everyone: people and animals.”
“Oh, here we go again…” Edward, Peter, and Daniel moan quietly, rolling their eyes.
“Say nothing! You do see Sammy liked me. He’s running around me.”
“He’s running not only around you, honey,” Raquelle smiles slyly. “You’re not alone here.”
“I don’t know, I didn’t see it.”
Terrence gets a slight slap on the head from Edward and fixes his little disheveled hair quickly, while Sammy barks quietly, wagging his tail and looking at the brothers and the others, who laugh quietly.
“Hey, Natalia, are you okay?” Daniel expresses anxiety, seeing that Natalia thinks about something, embracing herself with both arms. “Why are you so sad?”
“It’s okay,” Natalia smiles slightly, looking at everybody. “I just thought about something from my childhood…”
“Bad?” Edward frowns slightly.
“Nope, sad.”
“Did you also experience the loss of a dog?” Peter asks.
“Not a dog. A kitten.”
“Did it die?” Terrence rounds his eyes.
“No, it didn’t die… But… I had to say goodbye to it… And it was a strong pain…”
“But why?” Daniel wonders.
“Well…” Natalia sighs quietly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “When I was a kid, I had a dream of having a pet. A cat. I’m a crazy fan of cats and always get tender feelings when seeing a fluffy baby. And… I was persuading my parents to get me a kitten for a long time.”
“It’s true, guys,” Raquelle smiles slightly. “Natalia has always been a crazy fan of cats. And if you haven’t seen it, there are multiple posters with cats and kittens in her room.”
“Yeah, and Rochester collected clippings from magazines and newspapers with cats on them,” Helene confesses. “And all of her calendars were with them. I think she still has them.”
“I have, but I can’t remember where,” Natalia says thoughtfully. “I should check out my room. Maybe, I’d find something interesting…”
“So, what about the kitty?” Peter asks.
“First, my mom… Not exactly minded… She just thought I wouldn’t take it… I’d quickly get sick of it… And a kitty isn’t a toy that you could put aside. She said it required care and always reminded me that I couldn’t reject a cat if I lost interest in it. But I was so headstrong that my parents eventually agreed to buy me a kitty. But on condition that I’d take care of the one.”
Natalia says nothing for two seconds and joins her hands together, imagining a fluffy and big-eyed kitty that would fit in them.
“It was so small…” Natalia adds with sadness in her eyes. “Black with a white chest… That kitten fit in my hands… I literally fell in love with it when my parents and I went to a kennel. They let me choose anyone. They were so cute that I would’ve been happy to take all of them. But I had to choose only one… The best one… That literally chose me… That I liked. So… We went home with the fluffy that was only two months.”
“That was a boy?” Edward asks.
“No, a girl. I named her Missy…”
“And what happened later?” Daniel asks.
“I kept my promise and took care of Missy: feeding, playing, washing one time… My parents only took her to the vet two times to get an injection. We got on well very quickly, and I got strongly attracted to her. Poor Missy was yearning when I went to school or walked with my friends. I still remember her meowing with pity… And when I went home, she never left me alone.”
“She was a hooligan?” Peter smiles slightly.
“Curious, I think. Just like any kitty. She jumped, ran, and examined everything… But she was smart. When she got banned from jumping on tables and scratching curtains, Missy stopped doing that.”
“And nothing bad was supposed to happen…” Terrence says thoughtfully.
“Right. And later, I got some redness on my arms and neck… I started scratching strongly… At first, I didn’t pay attention to that. And I even hid it from my parents for some time. But when I started scratching so hard that I scratched my hand to blood, Mom took my hand and went to a doctor. So… Then we found out that the reason was an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction to cats’ hair. That’s why I started scratching myself, and my body was covered with sores and red spots.”
“It means the kitty couldn’t stay at your home,” Edward concludes.
“Alas,” Natalia shrugs and sighs heavily with sadness in her eyes. “I was terribly broken and didn’t wanna believe it was true. When I was a kid, I was much more sensitive… And I was crying bitterly when my parents and I had to give Missy to another family… Dad quickly found someone familiar, who agreed to take my kitty.”
Natalia wipes off tears under her eyes and sniffs.
“God… You can’t imagine how hurt I felt to say goodbye to that fluffy baby. I loved her so much… I got so attracted to Missy… If only you knew how long I was crying because of the breakup with my baby… My parents saw everything but could do nothing ‘cause treating an allergic reaction is impossible. You can only help yourself take it easier. And if it’s so, I wasn’t able to have cats anymore.”
“Natalia…” Edward pronounces with sadness in his eyes. “My girl… Come to me.”
Natalia sniffs quietly and presses herself against Edward standing next to her, while he hugs the girl tightly, caresses her head, and kisses her on the temple.
“I understand your feelings, Natalia,” Daniel says quietly with sadness in his eyes. “Sometimes we get so attracted to pets that they become like relatives for us. Losing them may be like death and deprive someone of a part of the soul.”
“I felt something like that,” Natalia confesses. “I kinda experienced the death of my close person…”
Even Sammy shows his sympathy, looking at the crying Natalia, and barely touches her leg with a quiet whine, as if he wants to say, “Don’t cry, it’s okay! I’m here and always ready to support you.”
“I remember that kitty,” Raquelle says with a slight smile. “Such a cute little black fluffy ball… That girl was very kind and curious. I would’ve taken Missy with me because I love pets. And Mr. and Mrs. Rochester asked me about that… But I was living with my grandpa in a house where there was too little space. And we need a lot of money to take care of a pet. But I couldn’t spend too much money… I couldn’t even buy clothes… I wore what our neighbors gave.”
“And I didn’t see that kitty, even if I knew about it,” Helene confesses.
“Sometimes I ask myself what Missy became after our separation,” Natalia sniffs quietly, still pressing herself to Edward, who caresses her head and cheek. “Or… She died at an old age… It’s been many years since that time.”
“I’m very sorry it happened,” Peter says quietly with sadness in his eyes. “Really.”
“Me too,” Terrence says. “Though, my experience with cats is less nice. I mean, the one. My schoolmate had a cat. A British Shorthair. He was very evil, didn’t love tenderness, and scratched everyone. My hands still remember his sharp claws and teeth… But when he wanted to eat, he was ready to walk on eggshells and lick anyone from head to legs.”
“My gosh,” Edward laughs quietly. “It seems like the boy quickly understood that it shouldn't have messed up with you, and he let you know you weren’t unique.”
“Make sure any cat doesn’t scratch your pretty face.”
“Pets have always loved me,” Daniel confesses confidently. “When I met a homeless cat or a dog outside, it always came to me and began to rub against my legs or follow me. Somehow, a homeless dog was following me to my home. I couldn’t get off it. It wanted to eat so badly that it was too headstrong.”
“Maybe, you just stole the dog’s heart, and it wanted to live with you?” Raquelle assumes.
“I already had the dog at home! Having two dogs would’ve been too much. And my parents wouldn’t have let me do that and would’ve said the same. To take care of one dog, you need a lot of time, energy, and time, but if you had two ones…”
“Huh, take an example from Marta, my neighbor upstairs!” Peter laughs, hugging Helene by the waist. “She has four cats! And it’s okay – she lives with it somehow. Even if they scream out at the whole apartment house and eat everything they see.”
“Four?” Edward rounds his eyes.
“Come on?” Daniel wonders. “She had two!”
“That woman recently found two more outside,” Peter shrugs.
“Yeah… Sorry, dude.”
“You should be. That’s a crazy house. Honestly.”
“Something tells me it’s gonna get worse,” Terrence assumes thoughtfully. “Now there are four cats, but there are gonna be two times more.”
“Bite your tongue!” Peter exclaims loudly. “I’m gonna shoot myself. Because it’s gonna be a real hell!”
“Is she a crazy fan of cats?” Edward wonders.
“I wouldn’t say so. Just a lonely woman, who doesn’t have a husband and children. She finds cats on the streets and takes them home. And she isn’t even pleased to bring them to a vet to see if they’re sick with something.”
“What if they have fleas!” Raquelle exclaims. “Or something worse?”
“She doesn’t care. And if only you know how smelly and dirty her apartment is. Being there is impossible! No gas mask would help!”
“Ugh, gosh…” Raquelle winces. “Does she feel nice?”
“It sounds rude, but she is a lonely old woman, who went out of her mind. I can’t find another word.”
“And is doing something impossible?” Natalia wonders.
“What can we do?” Peter throws his hands up. “Some neighbors also complain about her because sometimes the cats don’t let anybody sleep with a loud meow.”
“You can’t do anything, either?”
“We’ve all tried to talk to her and make her just take care of them if she wants to leave them. But it’s worthless. I’m so sick of all of this that I suggested she pay for all the necessary drugs, doctors, and everything like that.”
“Doesn’t she take care of those cats?” Raquelle asks.
“If she took care of and disciplined them, they wouldn’t eat rotten food, scratch everything they see and hinder the people from sleeping by their meow. Those cats are just living with her, and she doesn’t wanna take care of them. She just holds them with her not to feel lonely. She feels good when someone makes a sound in the apartment. And she doesn’t care about bothering her neighbors.”
“Listen, buddy, I think you need to get outta your apartment and find something better,” Terrence says confidently. “There are so many houses and apartments to sell. You can easily choose what you like.”
“Yes, blond, how long are ya gonna live in that hole?” Edward wonders. “You could buy a small apartment or a house! Or just rent something! And when our band starts earning money on albums and performances, you will find something bigger. Just like I did it after writing songs for other artists. I’m gonna have a small, modest house for a while, but then I’ll find something different.”
“Honestly, I haven’t thought about it yet…” Peter replies thoughtfully, running his hand through his hair. “But I think I’d have to… Because every day, the situation is getting worse. And if that crazy lady brings five more cats, I can hang myself.”
“Listen, maybe, you ask Sammy to put some order?” Daniel suggests, clearing his throat. “What? I think this fluffy would make the cats shut up quickly! They’d be afraid to make a sound!”
“The cats of my neighbor are afraid of him when Helene leaves Sammy with me,” Peter chuckles kindly, putting his hands on his hips. “I’m serious! They hide on different sides and behave very well. But until the fluffy one is at my home. And then everything starts over again.”
“Well…” Edward pronounces thoughtfully, squats down, and scratches Sammy’s neck, while the dog is wagging his tail happily and bringing his face closer to him. “Maybe, they’re afraid of him, but I do love this doggy.”
“I think you all liked Sammy,” Helene notices amicably.
“Sure,” Natalia smiles shyly, caressing Sammy’s head. “Sammy is a sweetheart.”
“So, I was worried that you wouldn’t like him for nothing.”
“Wouldn’t like?” Edward pronounces amazingly. “C’mon, Helene! How can’t we like this sweet, fluffy guy?”
At some moment, Sammy licks Edward’s nose, as if he thanks him for scratching him. The man smiles shyly but feels a little weird when his nose gets wet after the dog’s tongue.
“Wow, this is the first time a dog has licked me,” Edward says with a slight smile, wiping his nose. “They only used to sniff my shoes and stand in my way.”
“He just likes your pretty face,” Daniel shrugs with a slight smile.
Edward says nothing and just laughs shyly. Everybody surrounds Sammy to pet him and scratch his neck, while the dog wagging its tail accepts their caresses with pleasure and literally bathes in the attention that he does adore.
“Hey, where’s Anna?” Peter frowns. “I haven’t seen her and greeted her yet!”
“Hey, yeah…” Natalia says thoughtfully, stopping to pet Sammy’s head. “Where’s Anna? Why isn’t she with us?”
“She was here!” Edward exclaims, getting up and looking at everybody.
“Nothing happened to her before Peter and I came here?” Helene asks anxiously. “What if she has problems?”
“No, she was absolutely okay,” Daniel throws up his hands. “I had been teaching her to play the guitar and talking to the guys before you two came here.”
“But why did she go there?” Raquelle asks, looking to the side and frowning slightly.
“Where?” Terrence frowns slightly.
“There!”
Everybody moves their eyes to the side that Raquelle is looking at and sees Anna being scared or excited by something sitting where she was before Helene and Peter’s arrival. The friends were so busy with an acquaintance with Sammy and memories of the pets in their lives that they did not notice how the girl got nervous and just went aside.
“It’s weird…” Edward frowns slightly.
“Anna!” Daniel calls loudly, raising his hand and making a calling gesture. “Anna, come to us! Why are you sitting there?”
However, Anna just glances at everybody and keeps sitting where she is sitting, as she looks kind of scared, fingers over and looks at her hands.
“I don’t get it,” Daniel shakes his head.
“I don’t like this…” Terrence says thoughtfully. “She’s definitely not fine.”
Daniel says nothing and, clearing his throat, comes to Anna confidently, not waiting for the others, who stay in the same place and look at each other. After coming to the girl, the man gets down on his knees beside her and hugs her around the shoulders.
“Anna, what’s wrong?” Daniel asks quietly. “Why are you sitting here alone?”
“I’m scared…” Anna pronounces in a slightly shaking voice, looking into the distance.
“Scared? But what are you afraid of?”
Before answering, Anna says nothing for two seconds and moves her eyes to Daniel.
“I’m afraid of dogs, Daniel…” Anna confesses hesitantly. “There is the dog there… But I fear them.”
“Dogs?” Daniel wonders.
“If I’d known Peter and Helene would’ve been here with a dog, I wouldn’t have gone here. Why didn’t you say they’d bring it here?”
“Nobody knew it. The guys made a surprise for us and just showed that doggy.”
“They would’ve better warned earlier. I would’ve found an excuse not to go.”
“But, sweetie…” Daniel falls into a stupor. “Why are you afraid of dogs? They’re very good! I personally love them and started to think about getting a doggy.”
“No, no, don’t get a dog,” Anna pronounces in a shaking voice, shaking her head. “I fear them! Don’t do it! I don’t want a dog! I don’t! I fear them! They’re dangerous! They’re evil!”
“Quiet, quiet, princess, it’s okay.” Daniel caresses Anna’s cheek tenderly, while she starts shaking slightly. “You’ve got no reason to fear.”
“I’ve got… Helene and Peter brought a dog.”
“Trust me, Sammy is a very good dog. He’ll do nothing to you. Look how everybody got happy when they saw him. When you just look into his eyes, you will fall in love with such a good sweetie.”
“No! It won’t happen! Never!”
“Don’t be afraid, my sweetheart,” Daniel softly hugs Anna around the shoulders and presses her to himself, tenderly kissing her on the temple and fixing her hair. “He’s amazing. We are all delighted by that doggy. And Sammy lets us pet him with pleasure. Even if he doesn’t know us.”
“It’s not the truth… That doggy is evil. It will attack me.”
“Gosh, sweetie, you’re my silly girl. Could such a sweet doggy attack someone? He wouldn’t hurt a fly! And Helene would hardly have a bad dog.”
“I don’t wanna stay here,” Anna sniffs quietly. “I don’t want…”
“No, Anna, c’mon!” Daniel takes Anna’s hand softly. “It’s okay. Come to the guys. You’ll meet Sammy. You’re gonna like him.”
“No, Daniel, I can’t, I can’t…” Anna replies in a shaking, fearful voice, shaking her head sharply. “Please, drive me home. And then you can go back to the guys…”
“No, sweetie, don’t say it,” Daniel says softly. “And don’t be afraid.”
“Please, honey, don’t make me nervous. I wanna go home.”
“Do you wanna run away just because of Sammy?”
“Yes… I can’t stay… Sorry…”
“You’re with me, princess,” Daniel says softly, caressing Anna’s cheek. “And you remember that you’ll always be under my protection.”
“Please, Daniel…”
“Trust me. If I say it’s gonna be okay, it will happen.”
“No… I won’t stay…”
“Anna, sweetie…”
“Or ask Peter to lead that dog away.”
“Just come to Sammy, and you will understand you’re afraid for nothing.”
“No…” Anna pronounces with a heavy breath. “I don’t want him to be here… I’m scared…”
“Sammy won’t do anything bad to you. Look! Everybody literally fell in love with that doggy! He has bitten nobody.”
“I don’t want… I don’t want…”
“Listen, sweetie,” Daniel grabs Anna’s face and looks into her eyes confidently. “If you’re afraid Sammy will attack you, I’ll ask Peter to keep him on the leash. Though, he won’t need to because the dog wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“If Peter doesn’t take that dog away, I will go home.”
“You just try. You know, as people say, face your fear. So, do the same. If you fear dogs, come to Sammy and pet him. Or just let him sniff your hand, so he’s used to you. So, you calm down.”
“No, Daniel, no. Don’t make me. I won’t do this.”
“Anna…”
Daniel takes Anna in his tight hug, gives her a kiss on the cheek and the back of her head, and presses her much closer to himself, caressing her head tenderly, while she shakes slightly, makes quiet sobs, and runs her hands over his back nervously.
“Okay, baby, calm down, please,” Daniel whispers and carefully wipes tears off under Anna’s eyes that he kisses tenderly at some moment. “It’s okay…”
“I’m scared…” Anna makes a quiet sob.
“Don’t be. You have to fear nothing with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“You can’t save me from that dog.”
“Don’t fear that dog, he’s very good. My word.”
“No, it’s not the truth.”
“You’ll make sure about it. Let’s come back to the guys. They worry about you.”
“No, Daniel, don’t do it.”
“Trust me. If the doggy was furious, I wouldn’t let you come to it.”
“Please…”
“Okay, princess, stop crying,” Daniel steps back from Anna, caresses her cheeks with both hands, and gives her a cute kiss on her lips, while she keeps shaking strongly. “Go to the guys. C’mon, c’mon.”
Daniel gets up quickly and helps Anna crying quietly do the same. And then he embraces her tightly and takes her to his friends, who have been watching what’s happening to the lovers and looking at each other sometimes. And when the girl is very close to Sammy quietly sitting between Helene and Peter, she presses herself much closer to her sweetheart.
“Hey, friend, are you okay?” Helene expresses anxiety.
“Yup, fine…” Anna replies hesitantly in a shaking voice.
“Why did you go there when we were here?” Raquelle wonders.
“My gosh, are you crying?” Natalia looks at Anna closer. “Anna, c’mon…”
“Nothing…” Anna replies hesitantly. “Just…”
“You have problems?” Terrence asks. “Are you upset?”
“I…” Anna throws a scared look at Sammy quietly sitting next to Helene with his tongue hanging out. “The dog…”
“It’s my doggy,” Helene smiles slightly. “His name is Sammy.”
“Yes, friend, pet him,” Edward suggests. “He’s such a sweetie!”
“No…” Anna shakes her head. “I can’t… I…”
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Peter asks surprisingly, petting Sammy’s head. “Do you fear dogs if you’re looking at Sammy so scarily?”
“Actually, I do…” Anna replies hesitantly. “I terribly fear dogs… And… I don’t want… It to be here…”
“Gosh, Anna, you’re crazy!” Natalia smiles slightly. “How can you fear such a sweetheart?”
“I can’t be sure about it… He… Will attack me…”
“Don’t worry, Anna, this dog is very friendly,” Terrence says confidently, pulling Sammy’s ears tenderly with a shy smile. “Even too.”
“You just look into these eyes,” Edward adds with a slight smile. “Can such a sweet doggy hurt anyone?”
“I told her the same, but she insists on it,” Daniel confesses, hugging Anna tightly and caressing her head. “She even thought of going home not to see Sammy.”
“My gosh, friend, c’mon!” Helene wonders. “Sammy wouldn’t hurt a fly! He’s absolutely harmless.”
“Friend, c’mon!” Raquelle smiles slightly. “You have nothing to fear.”
Sammy barks quietly two times, obediently sitting next to his owner Helene and making Anna shake slightly from fear and hug Daniel tighter.
“You just look how good he is!” Natalia exclaims, comes to Sammy, and scratches his neck, chuckling shyly when he nuzzles his nose in the palm of her hand and sniffs it at some moment.
“No!” Anna shouts with widely open eyes and starts breathing much heavier. “Don’t touch! Get back! He’s gonna bite you! This dog is evil!”
“Stop, sweetheart,” Natalia says with a slight smile and yanks Sammy by the ears softly. “Look, I’m petting him, and he’s letting me do it.”
“Please, guys, get back. I don’t want it to hurt one of you.”
“Stop, Anna,” Edward pronounces confidently.
“Sammy stole the heart of such a crazy cat fan like me,” Natalia adds. “You know about my crazy love for cats.”
“He will attack me…” Anna sniffs.
“What are you talking about, Seymour?” Helene wonders with widely open eyes. “Sammy won’t hurt a fly! He may attack you only from happiness. For example, when I don’t see him for a long time, my boy always meets me excitedly, standing on his hind legs, drawing himself up to his full height and trying to lick my face.”
“I confirm it!” Peter exclaims. “I don’t personally know a kinder dog than Sammy.”
“It can’t be the truth…” Anna shakes her head sharply.
“Gosh, Anna, why do you fear Sammy?” Raquelle wonders.
“Not only him… I fear dogs.”
“But why?” Peter wonders.
Anna says nothing for a few seconds, looks around scarily, and crosses her arms over her chest, while Daniel is still pressing her against himself.
“I got attacked by a dog when I was a kid,” Anna confesses hesitantly. “Big, black one…”
“Attacked by a dog?” Edward rounds his eyes.
“Yeah… It sank its teeth into my hand so tightly that I was screaming like crazy…” Anna shows everybody a small scar on the front of the wrist of her right hand. “Here’s the scar…”
“God…” Natalia shakes her head with horror in her eyes.
“But why?” Daniel wonders. “Why did that dog attack you?”
“I don’t know,” Anna shrugs. “I did nothing to provoke. I just wanted to pet it…”
“Were you alone?” Terrence asks.
“No, I went somewhere with Dad… At some moment, he got busy with something, but I saw that dog and went to it. And then…” Anna sniffs quietly. “At first, it groaned loudly and showed its teeth… But when I reached out my hand, that dog sank its teeth into it. And… That dog started to drag me from one side to another…”
“My gosh…” Peter wonders.
“You’ve never said that,” Raquelle notices.
“Father and another man barely took that dog away,” Anna says quietly with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know who that was… Dad just asked him to help… And my hand was bleeding after that… I didn’t feel pain because I was deeply shocked. I could only cry bitterly and press myself to Dad. While he was on the way to a hospital to make sure nothing happened to my hand. And thank God, everything was fine. Not saying about the deep scar from the sharp teeth.”
“You wanna say you’ve feared dogs since that?” Helene concludes.
“Yeah…” Anna sighs heavily. “I’m still afraid to be next to even a small dog… I always think about that case… And I even remember how Mom was swearing at Dad for not watching me enough. And my grandparents kicked him… Because he almost killed the child… And must’ve thanked God because I got off that easily.”
“Anna, darling…” Natalia pronounces with pity in her eyes.
With these words, Natalia comes to Anna and takes her in a strong hug, then Raquelle and Helene do it, and later Edward, Peter, and Terrence join them.
“Now, do you understand why I’m so scared?” Anna asks hesitantly. “Why I can’t be here…”
“Of course, we do,” Raquelle replies softly. “But you shouldn’t be afraid of Sammy.”
“He’s bad…”
“No, Anna, Sammy isn’t as evil as that dog,” Terrence says quietly and pets Sammy being near him on the head, while the dog gets attracted to him with pleasure. “Look, he gets attracted to me when I caress him.”
“That’s right!” Helene smiles slightly. “Sammy does love when he’s petted. He madly loves having fun, eating, and getting petted.”
“Try to pet him and make sure about it.”
“No, I will not do this,” Anna sniffs quietly.
“Relax, honey,” Daniel says softly, hugging Anna tightly, pressing her to himself, and caressing her head. “At least, just come to him. Sometimes we have to face our fear and fight it.”
“Don’t worry, Anna, you’re gonna be fine,” Edward says confidently. “We completely understand your fears, but Sammy is different. Not like that dog was.”
“I can’t, I can’t…” Anna shakes her head sharply and presses herself much closer to Daniel, putting her hands clenched into fists against his chest. “I don’t want…”
“Okay, princess, let’s come together,” Daniel suggests. “C’mon…”
With these words, Daniel carefully tries to bring Anna to Sammy, but she resists it too hard.
“No, Daniel, no…” Anna pronounces in a shaking voice and hides herself behind Daniel’s back. “Don’t make me do it. No…”
Daniel exhales sharply, shaking his head and looking at his friends.
“I’m sorry…” Helene apologizes hesitantly. “I think I should’ve warned you that I wanted to take the dog with me. I’m really sorry, guys…”
“No, Helene, don’t apologize,” Edward says softly, putting his hand on Helene’s shoulder. “You didn’t know Anna feared dogs. Nobody knew. Even the girls.”
“Listen, Peter, can you hold Sammy by the leash?” Daniel asks. “Maybe, it’s easier for Anna, and she can come to him?”
Peter nods and grabs Sammy by the collar tightly, hoping it would be easier for Anna to overcome her fear if she knew he would pull the dog out in time.
“I’m holding Sammy, Anna,” Peter says quietly and smiles shyly. “Come to him. If something happens, I will take him back.”
“C’mon, sweetie, let’s come to Sammy together,” Daniel says softly and confidently, hugging Anna around the shoulders. “Come on.”
Seeing that Peter is holding Sammy by the collar, Anna feels a little better and finds the courage to overcome her fear. Daniel slowly brings her to the retriever, who is wagging his tail with his tongue hanging out, not even thinking of attacking the white girl shaking from fear. Step by step, the girl comes to Sammy slowly and hesitantly, being afraid just to look at him and thinking about her childhood memory.
“Okay,” Daniel pronounces with a slight smile. “Now just reach out your hand, so Sammy sniffs it. Slowly.”
After overcoming her fear a long time later, Anna reaches out her hand to Sammy very slowly. The dog sniffs it and starts snuggling his little wet nose in it and tries to be careful, as if he understands that the girl fears him. It makes the girl smile slightly and realize that the dog is really not aggressive toward her. That’s why she finds the courage to caress the dog on the head a few moments later. And he starts wagging his tail much more energetically.
“Yeah, you were right,” Anna says with a slight smile quietly. “He’s really very sweet…”
“We did say he is very good,” Daniel replies confidently, caressing Anna’s shoulders softly. “As you see, we didn’t lie to you.”
“Yeah, you can try to treat him,” Helene suggests, finds a little packet in her purse hanging on her shoulder, takes something, and gives it to Anna. “Take it, it’s his favorite treat.”
Anna takes the dog treat from Helene and hesitantly gives it to Sammy, who swallows the treat very quickly and starts licking himself, as if he shows he madly loved it. The girl caresses the dog on the head a little hesitantly again and runs her hand over his hair, while he does not stop wagging his tail and brings his face closer to get petted. While the others slightly smile, and Peter lets Sammy go and hugs Helene, who calms down a little.
“You see how easy everything was!” Natalia smiles shyly.
“But it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t fear other dogs,” Anna warns.
“It’s okay, friend, I’m sure Sammy will teach you not to fear dogs,” Peter says confidently.
“Maybe…” Anna looks at everybody with a slight smile. “Anyway, thank you all so much.”
“Good girl,” Daniel smiles slightly, caressing Anna’s head.
Anna cutely kisses Daniel on the cheek with a shy smile and takes him in a tight, touching hug, putting her arms around his neck, while he answers it with pleasure, running his hands over her back. And when they step away, the girl looks at her friends, as if she thanks them.
“By the way, guys, I forgot to ask you not to indulge him with food too much,” Helene says thoughtfully and pets Sammy’s head. “Sammy has a gargantuan appetite, and his doctor advises me not to fat him up.”
“A gargantuan appetite like Terrence’s one,” Daniel laughs, having hands on his hips.
“Even more,” Peter says confidently.
“Look, bro, you’ve met another glutton like you,” Edward chuckles shyly, clapping Terrence on his bicep. “Met a friend.”
“Oh, oh, as if you three keep a constant diet and eat only leaves of salad and kale,” Terrence shakes his head with a quiet chuckle.
“For you, it’s zero point zero percent from what you usually eat,” Daniel says confidently.
“Yeah, don’t tell me you eat as little as a kitty. I imagine how much Anna has to cook to feed her glutton. Who, by the way, can’t cook at all.”
“Oh, poor Raquelle and all your servants that cook twenty times per day for you.”
“Not twenty!”
“Ah, yeah, sorry, I didn’t count forty more snacks between breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I forgot you adore teasing everybody by eating a great burger with a fresh pork or chicken cutlet and drinking a glass of cold Coke.”
“I would share it if you asked me very well,” Terrence says with a sly smile. “I ain’t greedy at all.”
“No, that’s not interesting!” Daniel jabs, shaking his head. “I love watching your eyes open widely after someone steals something super delicious from your nose.”
“Oh, yeah, MacClife’s face at these moments is priceless,” Peter laughs quietly.
“Thank you so much for making me wish to eat,” Terrence says confidently.
“I think we should have a handout without food next time,” Edward replies thoughtfully. “Or my beloved bro will eat absolutely everything. Forgetting that he might not fit in his wedding suit.”
“I don’t wanna spend time on some little rut rats. I’d rather go to find something tasty to eat!”
Terrence pinches Edward by the cheek with a sly smile on his face and his head proudly raised and goes where the friends and he decided to have a picnic. Daniel watches him mysteriously and smiles very slyly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You know, guys, I think it’s too hot today,” Daniel says thoughtfully and rubs his forehead. “I will go to see what I have in my car to cool down. Or something to ride that glutton. So, he loses his weight.”
Daniel quickly goes to his car, while Edward and Peter look at each other and chuckle quietly.
“And we’ll go to make sure our imitable Terry doesn’t leave us without food,” Peter says confidently and claps Edward on the shoulder. “C’mon, MacClife.”
“Yes, beauties, don’t go anywhere,” Edward smiles slyly, looking at all the girls. “We’re gonna be not far.”
“Sammy, go with us. You can help us watch that glutton.”
Edward and Peter go after Terrence, and Sammy follows them, while Raquelle, Helene, Anna, and Natalia laugh quietly, shaking their heads.
“Oh, these guys…” Anna sighs with a slight smile.
“I believe something grandiose is gonna start now,” Natalia assumes, putting her hands on her hips.
“That’s right!” Raquelle exclaims. “As our company came together, we could expect anything from them.”
“Do what you want, girls, but I’ll go aside at the ‘safe’ distance,” Helene chuckles. “Who knows what they’d come up with when looking at each other.”
Anna, Natalia, Helene, and Raquelle go aside with a shy laugh, fixing their hair gathered in topknots or tails and unconsciously making the men admire their bodies and open summer clothes.
“Hey, Anna, why did you never tell us you feared dogs?” Natalia asks.
“Well, I had no time,” Anna replies a little hesitantly. “And it wasn’t a pleasure to remember what happened. I mean, I’m scared… I get goosebumps on my back when I think of that terrible dog, its crazy eyes, and its chirping teeth… I even got a small scar on my hand.”
Anna shows her friends a small, barely noticeable scar on the wrist of her right hand.
“It’s been many years, but it hasn’t been gone,” Anna confesses. “And it reminds me of that horrible attack.”
“We completely get it, honey,” Raquelle says softly. “And we’re really very sorry.”
“But remember that not all dogs are so evil,” Helene adds confidently. “It will become what its owner will make it.”
“Yeah…” Anna pronounces quietly, embracing herself with both arms. “Maybe…”
“I guess the owner of that dog was terrible and made it the same,” Natalia assumes. “So, it got you attacked. A child, not an adult.”
“Thank God, nothing terrible happened to me, and Dad reacted just in time. Otherwise, I would’ve lost my hand.”
“It’s okay, friend, it’s in the past,” Helene says softly, caressing Anna’s shoulder. “If you communicate with Sammy a little, you’ll understand there are very good doggies that get attracted to everyone.”
“I know… And yeah, I liked your dog… Sammy, I guess…”
“Actually, Samuel. But he reacts badly when he hears this name. But if I have to have an educational talk with him, I call him Samuel.”
“Okay. So, let’s call him Sammy.”
The girls look to the side and see their men: two of them are talking to each other, the third is checking out the packs of food, and the fourth is searching for something in the boot of the car.
“Hey, Natalia, the kitten…” Helene pronounces thoughtfully. “That lived with you… What kind of breed it was?”
“Maine Coon,” Natalia replies with a slight smile. “I’ve always loved cats of this breed. And my Missy was such a sweetie… She had big blue eyes.”
“Aw, Missy…” Anna pronounces with tender emotions. “Your kitten… I still remember her… She was such a sweetheart… I’m sorry you had to give her to someone, and Raquelle and I couldn’t take her with us…”
“I thought of her when we saw Sammy. I realized I missed her so much. And I’m so sorry I’m not able to have a kitten due to my allergic reaction. My childhood dream was ruined…”
“Yeah, we know you’ve always been a crazy fan of cats.”
“It’s my love. I love them as much as I love walking in stores. And as much as I love my pretty guy, Edward.”
While the girls are talking about the kitten that lived with Natalia and Helene’s dog that is now running from one side to another, Edward, Peter, and Terrence find something from food and start to eat it with pleasure, sitting comfortably on the blanket that is lying on the grass.
“I think today’s gonna be much better,” Terrence says cheerfully.
“Oh, any day when we don’t see that little bonehead Connor is the best for me,” Peter replies, bending one leg at his knee.
“That’s right!” Edward exclaims. “And that’s good we won’t be seeing him for a few days. I do wanna split at his insolent pretty face more and more.”
“Say, ‘thank you’ that he actually does some job,” Terrence notices and drinks a little bit from a plastic glass.
“He’s good at least in that,” Peter replies. “Or there would be no point in paying money to him.”
“But I think we pay him too much,” Edward confesses and drinks something from his glass. “Instead, we could better increase the salary of those, who work with us in an honest way.”
“I hope we wouldn’t have to deal with that rat for too long,” Terrence expresses hope.
“Damn, how happy I am that we’re gonna have a big break,” Peter exhales sharply. “And we won’t see that deadbeat. Of course, I’m gonna miss the performances, but I think we better take a break.”
“Agree, all of it makes me a little tired,” Edward agrees. “But if we don’t have to see Connor, I will perform one hundred times.”
“It’s okay, when we kick that pizza-face idiot and find a good replacement, everything will get better.”
“Listen, let’s not pay attention to these little things,” Terrence suggests confidently. “You better remember that we’ve reached so much.”
“That’s right! I could say the release of the album is already a success.”
“And I’m sure it’s gonna be very successful.”
“And a worldwide tour is getting closer…” Peter says thoughtfully with a slight smile. “We’ll play in the USA and other countries… Learn how to speak some phrases in different languages…”
“Taste their cuisine… I’ll be happy to taste what I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Oh, yeah, food is a holy thing for you,” Edward laughs quietly and wipes his mouth with a napkin.
“Look, MacClife, if you eat much, you’re gonna have a big ass,” Peter warns funnily. “And get fat hips. And your cheeks will be two times bigger.”
“It won’t happen because I have incredible genes,” Terrence says with pride and swallows a piece of what he takes from a little packet. “I eat anything as much as I want and always keep a good sharp.”
“You say it just because our father keeps himself in a good sharp at the age of fifty-four?” Edward asks. “Or because Mom looks as slim as a stick at the age of almost forty-nine?”
“I do say my parents gave me the best. And nature was generous to me.”
“Something went wrong when it made you a selfish donkey that irritates everyone and everything.”
“Don’t make me educate you. Or I will slap you on your ass so hard that you will regret it.”
“Playing a harsh daddy? Yeah, Terrence?”
“C’mon, bro, let him train,” Peter laughs quietly, clapping Edward on the shoulder. “He’s gonna become a daddy.”
“I’ve thanked God that this rooster is just my older brother, not a daddy.”
“Sometimes you irritate me more than Cameron…” Terrence moans quietly. “I do really want…”
At this moment, Terrence feels that a shoot of water gets into the back of his head. After turning back sharply, he sees Daniel with a water pistol in his hands.
“Hit the bullseye!” Daniel exclaims loudly with a wide smile. “It would’ve been better if you were sitting with my back turned to me. I could’ve hit your forehead!”
“Perkins, what the fucking hell?” Terrence resents. “How did you get that thing?”
“I took it from my home. I knew I’d love to have some fun. With the men and the girls.”
“Hey, is there another?” Edward smiles slyly. “I wanna have fun, too!”
“Of course!” Daniel clears his throat quickly. “I have three more.”
“Oh, cool!” Peter rubs his hands happily. “So, bros, what’s our plan?”
“What?” Daniel wonders. “Kick MacClife’s ass! I can’t miss this chance!”
“I won’t run after you, Daniel!” Terrence says confidently, shaking his finger, and glances at Edward and Peter. “And you two, boneheads!”
“C’mon!”
Daniel shoots Terrence with the water pistol again and gets right into MacClife, Jr.’s face, making him make a quiet squeak.
“Perkins!” Terrence resents loudly.
“So, buddy, is the water cold?” Daniel smiles slyly. “It’s okay! It’s hot now! We can get some fresh!”
“Hey, tough guy, bring all the pistols here!” Edward says cheerfully. “Let’s have some fun.”
“I’m always for. Moreover, not only do I have your brother on a hook but also you and the blond.”
Daniel shoots again at Peter and Edward with the water pistol, while they, however, dodge the water perfectly.
“Hey, it is not honest!” Peter says confidently. “We wanted to play against MacClife, Sr.!”
“Right,” Daniel nods. “But why don’t I play the fool and kick the ass of two more buddies of mine?”
Peter does not dodge the shot that gets right into his face after Daniel shoots from the water pistol.
“Perkins!” Peter exclaims loudly.
“What’s up, Rose?” Daniel smiles slyly and shoots Peter down with the water pistol. “Any problems?”
“Hey, come here, idiot!” Peter stands up on his feet quickly and runs after Daniel like a bullet, while the guy keeps protecting himself with the water pistol. “Hey, chocolate head! Who I the fuck say! Come here!”
“Catch me if you can!”
After a few seconds of the run with a quiet laugh and attempts to water his friend, Daniel starts shooting at Edward and Terrence, who, however, dodge this attack.
“So, why are you sitting like old ladies?” Daniel asks funnily. “C’mon, get up! Shake the fatness on your ass and stomach!”
“Hey, where did you see fatness on my stomach?” Edward resents with his mouth open and claps on his stomach with both hands. “I’m as slim as a cypress! No gram of fatness! And tough abs! Like a stone!”
“Then consolidate the result.” Daniel starts shooting down Edward, who tries to avoid the attack, while Terrence sits aside and watches what’s happening with a laugh. “C’mon, MacClife, stop taking an example from your brother and growing a fat ass.”
“Dude, are you feeling bored?” Edward asks through a laugh.
“Aha, I’m bored. Terribly bored. Wanna do a little bad thing.”
“Alright, stop! Perkins!” Edward shouts quietly when a water shoot gets right into his face. “Calm down, I said!”
“Don’t worry, Edward, I will get you three involved in this game as well as our beauties,” Daniel says confidently. “Because I have a plan to have grandiose fun.”
“I’ve said I wouldn’t do this stupid thing,” Terrence says confidently.
“You’d have no choice! Get up along with your brother and run super fast.”
“What if I don’t?” Edward smiles slyly.
“You will have to regret it.”
Becoming a wild child, Daniel shoots Edward down with the water from the pistol again, and the guy tries to dodge with quiet squeaks.
“Alright, if you want problems, hold on then,” Edward says confidently. “I’m gonna take you with my own hands!”
Edward gets up sharply and runs after Daniel, who starts running in circles and protecting himself with the water pistol.
“Hey, come here now, idiot!” Edward demands loudly. “Where you’re the fuck running!”
“How did ya call me?” Daniel sharply turns around and waters Edward with water from the pistol.
“Hey, Perkins, you’re actually playing this game not in an honest way,” Peter notices confidently.
“Yes!” Edward agrees, stops sharply, and puts his hands on his hips. “Why are Pete and I the fuck wet, while you’re dry?”
“Calm down, bros, I’ll give you a chance to play with a pistol,” Daniel promises confidently with a sly smile and throws the water pistol that he catches immediately. “But you won’t catch me.”
“Ha, where would you run?” Peter chuckles kindly. “You aren’t a friend of sports and go to a gym very rarely!”
“Aha, and you know that I run very well,” Edward says with pride.
“Yeah,” Daniel laughs kindly. “But you became a wet, shabby cat anyway. Your hair is ruffled now.”
“Yours is gonna be next when I catch you,” Edward promises, fixing the fringe that fell on his forehead under the weight of water.
“Try then.” Daniel shoots Edward down with water with a sly smile and then does it to Peter. “C’mon, guys. Try.”
“Let’s see what you’re gonna do without that thing,” Peter says confidently. “What you will say after we take the gun and water you.”
From this moment on, Peter and Edward start running after Daniel to take the pistol away. And watching his friends and brother running after each other and thrilling with loud laughter, Terrence cannot hold down his chuckle. He keeps sitting at his place and slowly eating what there is in the packets of food that every one of them brought.
“Run, bros, run,” Terrence says with a sly smile. “Shake the fatness on your stomachs. Well… Perkins and Rose could also ride my bro. The kid has lately been too arrogant. Though, I’m gonna kick Edward’s ass a little later. Because I really love doing it. Ah… Every day, I’m making more sure that having a brother is really cool.”
While Terrence gives some attention to Sammy, who runs to him and snuffs what he is holding with interest, Edward, Daniel, and Peter thrill with laughter, running on the big territory after each other.
“Hey, you just look at that insolent face!” Edward resents. “He’s hoping he'll stay wet ‘till the end of the game!”
“Won’t catch, won’t catch,” Daniel replies funnily and shows his tongue. “Losers! Losers!”
“We’re gonna see who’s the loser here,” Peter smiles slyly on a run. “See…”
Peter manages to catch Daniel very quickly, then uses a neck grip from behind and starts holding him very tightly, while Perkins tries to get out.
“Hey, it is really not honest!” Daniel resents.
“The birdie has been caught!” Peter smiles slyly.
“Hey, Rose! Let me go now! It’s against the rules! We didn’t agree about it!”
“It’s gonna be honest now!” Edward smiles widely and slyly and takes the pistol from Daniel sharply. “Hold on, Dan, you’re gonna pay!”
“C’mon, MacClife, kick him!” Peter encourages cheerfully, still holding Daniel tightly and not letting him run. “I’m gonna be holding this dude!”
Then Edward has much fun and waters Daniel from head to foot with great pleasure, while Perkins thrills with laughter and tries to avoid this attack and get out of the tight enough grip of Peter, who gets a couple of water shoots into his face at some moment.
“Fuck, not me, idiot!” Peter exclaims loudly. “Him!”
“No, him, him!” Daniel encourages funnily. “Water his feathers!”
“I choose both!” Edward replies with a wide, sly smile.
Edward shoots Daniel and Peter down with water, while they, thrilling with loud laughter, try to run aside.
“You’re a rat!” Peter resents.
“Alright, MacClife, enough!” Daniel exclaims and closes his stomach with a hand after the shoot of water gets into it. “Calm down, I say! Calm down!”
“Listen, life is getting better,” Edward notices cheerfully. “And everything isn’t so bad.”
“So, it’s gonna be much better now.”
“Hey, Dan, you said you had two more pistols,” Peter claps Daniel on the shoulder.
“Right! They’re in my car! I’ll bring them now! But you make sure this little rugrat doesn’t get out.”
Daniel runs to his car quickly to take two more pistols from the root.
“Yes, yes, c’mon, fight with me!” Edward suggests cheerfully and waters Peter again. “I challenge you to have an honest fight with me!”
“Keep laughing, pretty boy, you have a little time,” Peter replies confidently. “We’re gonna kick your ass now.”
“You can’t do this!”
“Hey, Pete, catch the gun!” Daniel exclaims loudly.
With these words, Daniel throws one of the two pistols to Peter, who perfectly catches it in a jump. After this, they start to feel much more confident and are ready to keep having fun with Edward behaving too confident.
“Oh, how serious we are,” Edward chuckles kindly.
“So, what are you gonna say now?” Daniel smiles slyly, pointing the water pistol at Edward.
“I’m gonna catch you, idiots!”
Edward starts watering Peter and Daniel, who answer him back. The men getting wet enough thrill with laughter and later start to fight against each other and play a catch a little later, deciding to forget bad things and let themselves relax. They notice that Sammy joins their game, even if he has a greater interest in playing with water shoots. And they do not realize that Terrence has been sitting aside with a smug smile and watching his wild friends and younger brother, who sometimes make quiet squeaks.
“Hey, stop, bros,” Peter pronounces in a hoarse voice with a little heavy breath. “Stop… Why is the fuck Terrence sitting aside and eating our food quietly?”
“Right…” Edward smiles slyly and moves his eyes to Terrence. “We forgot about my big brother.”
“So, guys, let’s go!” Daniel says confidently, pushing Peter and Edward in the back. “Come on, come on! We’ll talk with this glutton.”
And when the men being wet from head to foot come to Terrence, he is getting through a small picnic basket to find something tasty.
“Hey, bro, we didn’t get it!” Edward wonders and ruffles Terrence’s hair. “Why are you sitting here and growing your ass under the sun?”
“Laughing at your tricks,” Terrence smiles slyly. “Tricks of the little babies.”
“C’mon, get up, Rose, and I need your help!” Daniel claps Terrence on the shoulder. “We can’t deal with your brother.”
“Yeah, help us, bro,” Peter says funnily. “You’re the only one to be able to kick with this rug rat.”
“Aha, I’m the only one to be able to deal with this glutton,” Edward says confidently. “If you didn’t have me, none of you would be able to tame our imitable peacock.”
“Get off me!” Terrence waves a hand. “I ain’t gonna run after you! I feel good to be here.”
“Listen, you, fucking vacuum cleaner, stop eating!” Peter demands loudly. “Do we have to stay hungry because you eat everything!”
“Hey, I’ve literally eaten nothing yet! I couldn’t stop laughing when watching the three boneheads.”
“Listen, MacClife, stop chewing constantly like a bunny and get your precious ass up,” Daniel demands confidently.
“You know, guys, you three look like five-year-old boys with these pistols…” Terrence laughs quietly. “I have three babies in my band. You only need pacifiers and diapers.”
“Oh, oh, boys, look how adult our Terry is!” Edward chuckles quietly.
“We need to give you a reason for you to run after us very fast,” Peter adds confidently, ruffling Terrence’s hair much more with the barrel of the water pistol.
“I’ve said I wouldn’t run after you, dorks!” Terrence says, strokes his hair down, looks at the men, and chuckles quietly. “Ha, listen, cats, you look cool! Maybe, you start another run, so I laugh at you? Take a couple of photos and record videos and post them on the Internet. So, everybody knows what the drummer, the bassist, and the lead guitarist of ‘Against The System’ are doing in their free time.”
“Only if you kindly join us, lord of roosters,” Edward says confidently.
“Don’t irritate me, Edward.”
“Are you refusing to get your ass up?”
“Go to hell, headbones! And first of all, you, brother.”
Terrence gets three water flows from the water pistols of Edward, Daniel, and Peter. He closes his face with both hands, as he chuckles quietly, and starts dodging. However, the men water his t-shirt and short pants and ruffle his hair.
“Hey, calm down!” Terrence demands loudly. “Who I the fuck say! You must obey me!”
“C’mon, guys, don’t stop,” Daniel encourages cheerfully with a sly smile. “Kick him!”
Terrence tolerates the men’s trick for a few seconds and then decides to ride the three men.
“Okay, guys, you asked for some trouble!” Terrence warns. “You’re gonna squeak like pigs.”
Terrence gets up and wants to catch one of the men, being really determined.
“Run, guys!” Edward exclaims loudly.
Edward, Daniel, and Peter run on different sides with funny whoops, and Terrence does not know who to run after first. At some moment, he notices another water pistol lying on the grass near Perkins’ car, takes it, and starts an attack, as well. A funny fight starts between the friends. Everybody thrills with loud laughter, runs like crazy, and does not miss a chance to mock each other. Also. They get Sammy involved in their game. That’s why he plays with the shoots of the water with pleasure and chases every one of them with a loud bark. While the girls are sitting on the old, slightly shabby bench and talking about something.
“My gosh, have you ridden on a horse?” Helene wonders.
“Yes,” Anna replies with a slight smile. “I was a little afraid, though.”
“Oh, I only stroked a horse and didn’t find the courage to ride on it,” Raquelle confesses. “And when I was standing near it, I thought I was very small. Even if I’m tall enough – 5’10.”
“I was Thumbelina when standing next to that horse, having the height of 5’3.”
“Just like me,” Helene laughs shyly. “But I love watching movies about horses or watching equestrian sports competitions.”
“Alas, I’ve never seen a horse in real life,” Natalia confesses. “It happened…”
“I haven’t done it, too. But I love them as much as dogs… And… Honestly, it’s hard for me to say what I love more.”
“But I exactly know that I’m a one hundred percent cat fan,” Natalia replies confidently. “Even despite a strong allergic reaction.”
“I doubt a cat fan would hang so many posters of cats in her room,” Raquelle says amicably.
“Or buy so many clothes with cat faces,” Anna adds.
The friends laugh shyly and say nothing for two seconds, while their men have been running on the whole territory and having a “cruel” fight. At some moment, one of the men shoots a flow of water from the pistol that gets into Natalia. The girl shouts out not very loudly, turns around sharply, and sees that the four adult men being wet from head to foot are having fun like little children and laughing loudly.
“Hey, what are you doing, dorks?” Natalia asks loudly.
“Do you have nothing to do again?” Anna laughs shyly.
“All questions to your boyfriend!” Terrence says confidently, coming to the girls with a little heavy breath. “He started watering us.”
“Alright, girls, our men went wild again,” Raquelle exhales sharply.
“Hey, beauties, why are you sitting here and looking sad?” Peter asks funnily, coming to the girls, as well. “C’mon, get up!”
“No, I’m out!” Natalia raises her hands up. “Whatever you plan, I ain’t gonna be a part of your jokes.”
“C’mon, girls, don’t be shy,” Daniel says cheerfully and ruffles Terrence and Peter’s wet hair. “We’re inviting all of you to join our fun.”
“We played some fool, and life got much better,” Edward notices confidently, runs to Terrence, and starts hanging on him, putting his arm around his neck. “The problems with Connor and the band no longer seem so terrible.”
“So, have fun on your own,” Anna smiles innocently. “And we’ll stay here. Laugh. Watch our men acting like idiots.”
“Please, sweet girls, help us have much fun,” Peter says with pity in his eyes.
“You’re doing this kinda well,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Why do you need us?”
“We’re bored!” Edward, Terrence, Daniel, and Peter moan at the same time.
“What do we have to do with it?” Helene throws her hands up. “Have fun on your own! You better know what would amuse you! And make others laugh at the way you look.”
“But we want you to join us,” Terrence says confidently.
“And will I have my hair and clothes wet?” Raquelle wonders and snuffs quietly. “No, don’t count on me!”
“Us too!” Natalia, Anna, and Helene pronounce.
“C’mon, girls, we don’t wanna force you,” Edward says confidently with a sly smile, slowly running the back of his hand over Natalia’s naked shoulder.
“And what would you do?” Natalia smiles innocently. “Would you kiss and feel us up right here without being shy?”
“I wouldn’t mind it,” Terrence pronounces in a much lower voice, tenderly running his fingertips over the nape of Raquelle’s neck. “Moreover, you all look so beautiful today.”
“Aha,” Peter smiles widely, taking Helene by the shoulders softly and kissing her on the top of her head cutely. “Tops, shorts… Explicit enough… But give the reason to imagine.”
“Relax, boys,” Anna smiles innocently. “It won’t work on us!”
“Yes, so, go away from here,” Raquelle says confidently.
“Okay,” Daniel nods, running his fingertips over the curve of Anna’s neck. “If you don’t wanna help us shake up at your wish, we’re gonna be more determined.”
“Quiet, boys, quiet…” Helene jabs, looking at all the men, while they look at each other with sly smiles. “Calm down, I said… Don’t do stupid things. Don’t…”
All the girls shout quietly because their men determinedly point a shoot of cold water from a pistol at them. And because Daniel, Edward, Terrence, and Peter do not stop doing it two seconds later, Raquelle, Helene, Natalia, and Anna get up sharply and run far from them.
“Hey, my clothes!” Raquelle resents, while her black and gray crop top and dark blue denim shorts are covered with water spots.
“Listen, idiots, calm down, at least!” Natalia demands loudly, looking at her tender blue suit of a crop top and shorts.
“Stop watering us!” Helene exclaims, getting the crème crop top, which got wet as well as her white shorts, off her body.
“Stop it, my top is wet because of you!” Anna resets, feeling that her purple crop top with a fringe on the chest sticks to her body.
“You can take it off,” Daniel replies with a smug, wide smile. “I don’t mind it.”
“Don’t dream! Should I fully undress?”
“C’mon! I agree! Take off this top and these shorts.”
“Undress yourself!”
“Maybe, you all take your clothes off?” Edward suggests.
“Yeah?” Helene puts her hands on her hips. “What else should we do for you?”
“I did tell you that we should’ve gone to the beach!” Peter says. “The girls would be walking in a gorgeous bikini in front of us!”
“Oh, how much you want!” Natalia crosses her arms over her chest.
“C’mon, girls, amuse us!” Terrence exclaims funnily. “Don’t ya see we feel bored?”
“Go to hell!” Natalia, Raquelle, Helene, and Anna throw confidently at the same time.
The men start showering the girls with water much harder. The ladies eventually run far away from them, making quiet squeaks after every one of them gets a playful slap on her buttocks.
“So, boys, if wanna shake up, we will help you,” Helene smiles mysteriously when she comes to Raquelle, Anna, and Natalia. “Hey, girls, I have one idea.”
“Wanna play the fool at them?” Raquelle specifies.
“Exactly.”
“Yes, yes, let’s kick those idiots,” Natalia suggests cheerfully.
“Whatever it is, I’m ready for anything,” Anna says confidently. “We must show them they’d regret messing with us.”
While the girls think of the plan of revenge, the man’s mood gets much better, and they start laughing much harder.
“Listen, guys, I really like it!” Terrence exclaims cheerfully, throws his water pistol, and catches it. “Their whoops get me much more excited. And the reason why I love summer is the fact that girls wear mini shorts and open tops.”
“Oh, that’s how you speak,” Edward smiles slyly. “You said you wouldn’t be running and acted like an old woman.”
“Aha, and now he looks like a wet, shabby cat,” Peter laughs, disarranging Terrence’s wet hair.
“Or the wet Sammy,” Daniel chuckles, clearing his throat.
At this moment, the wet Sammy comes to the four men after having the pleasure of playing their game, playing the fool with everybody, and being attacked many times.
“Oh, Sammy!” Edward smiles widely and yanks Sammy’s ears softly. “What did you do to you? Who you look like!”
“Your brother,” Daniel says.
“Ha, as if you look handsome,” Terrence chuckles kindly.
“You aren’t better than us,” Edward snatches with a sly smile. “Or, maybe, even worse.”
“Asking for trouble?” Terrence sharply points the water pistol at Edward.
“I’ve done nothing yet!”
“Don’t pretend to be an innocent boy. You’ve never been the one. You were born as the pain in the ass and will always be.”
“Calm down, bro, take this thing off me.” Edward moves the barrel of Terrence’s water pistol off himself with his head proudly raised.
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll get it into what you know about.”
“If you touch me, I will complain to Mom and Dad.”
“No, I will complain if you hurt such an important man like Terrence MacClife.”
“This name just lets me know that you’re my older brother.”
“Yeah… I’m the brother of one little rat that must get some lessons.”
“You won’t do this!”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re kinda special?”
“Would you do it to me? Dude! I’m your brother! Hey, it’s me, Edward! Your beloved little bro that you adore.”
Terrence starts shooting up Edward with flows of water with the water pistol with a wide smile. That’s why the guy cries and answers back immediately, while Peter and Daniel watch what’s happening and chuckle, deciding not to meddle and laugh at the brothers’ fight.
“Hey, you squeak like a girl,” Terrence laughs loudly.
“We’ll see which soprano you will crow if someone steps on your feet or hits you in your balls strongly,” Edward snaps.
Terrence points the water pistol at Edward with a sly smile.
“Calm down, Terrence, calm down…” Edward pronounces with open widely eyes. “We can agree on everything. Calm down, I said… Calm down! Hey!”
But Terrence keeps watering Edward with the pistol, while that one makes quiet shouts and tries to avoid attacks.
“I am your younger brother!” Edward recalls through a laugh.
“That’s why you get your ass kicked by me,” Terrence smiles widely.
“I’m gonna tell Mother!”
“And I’m gonna tell Father! He’ll kick your ass with a belt.”
“I’ll say you always hurt me. And don’t love me.”
“C’mon, buddy! It goes without saying, I love my bro and can’t imagine my life without him.” Terrence smiles slyly. “But I must keep him on a short leash and kick his ass regularly. Or he’s gonna sit on my back and believe everything is allowed to him. Allowed to go against the all-favorite Terrence MacClife.”
“Take off your crown, bro, it doesn’t fit you,” Edward says funnily. “I like you much more when you behave like a good guy. But… When did it happen? Ah, right! I forgot! It’s never happened!”
“You know, when we met, you were much better. When you were as quiet as water and acted like a good, obedient boy.”
“Yeah, next to you, I’m just an angel. A sweet and fluffy angel that’s never given anyone problems.”
Edward makes a loud shout again when Terrence puts him under another water attack and starts running after the guy. Who, however, protests himself with the water pistol, with which he waters his brother.
“Pete, Dan, save me, help!” Edward exclaims funnily, hiding behind the backs of Daniel and Peter watching what’s happening with quiet chuckles. “Save me from this idiot! He annoyed me!”
“Hey, why are you hiding?” Terrence chuckles loudly. “C’mon, Eddy, show your pretty face!”
“Don’t dream!” Edward standing behind the back of Peter, shoots up to Terrence’s face with the water pistol, making him make a quiet cry.
“Hey, you got into my eye, idiot!”
“Hey, MacClife, stop shooting me!” Daniel demands after the water shoot gets into him from Terrence’s pistol.
“Sorry, buddy, I was pointing at that little rug rat. That wants to make me angry.”
“Loser, loser!” Edward teases funnily, showing his tongue to Terrence at some moment and making a funny face. “You can’t even catch me! And can’t run!”
Edward sharply hides behind Peter, at whom the water shoot gets after Terrence shoots from the pistol to get into his brother.
“Listen, MacClife, I ain’t gonna get kicks from your brother for your tricks,” Peter says confidently, throwing a short look at Edward. “Go to kick his ass far from me.”
“Exactly, kid, stop hiding!” Terrence says cheerfully. “C’mon, show yourself!”
“You won’t catch, won’t catch!” Edward mocks funnily.
“Come here! Hear me, mangy dummy! Edward! Who I said! You must obey me!”
“Said by the mangy peacock!”
“Alright, rat, you’re gonna regret it!”
“Oh, mamma…”
Edward sharply gives a start with a quiet chuckle, and Terrence starts running after him. He catches his brother quickly enough, uses a chokehold, and ruffles his disheveled, wet hair three times harder. But MacClife, Jr., gets control quickly and does the same to his brother, while Daniel and Peter stand aside and laugh quietly, as they watch another fight between the brothers thrilling with loud laughter.
“I love watching them kicking each other’s ass,” Peter says with a sly, wide smile, putting his hands on his hips.
“Me too,” Daniel agrees with his arms crossed over his chest. “You should only give them a reason to start to fight immediately.”
“I literally live for these moments.”
“You just look what an idyll they have. I don’t even wanna meddle and ruin it. It’s much more interesting than a UFC battle.”
“No, I ain’t gonna meddle. At least for a while.”
“Yes, let’s watch for a while and then add some fuel to the fire. Play against the two and kick their asses.”
“M-m-m, dude, you know everything about good fun.”
“I do, my friend!” Daniel proudly raises his head with a wide smile.
Peter laughs shyly and shakes his head, while Terrence and Edward keep running after each other with loud laughter and attacking with water pistols or funny fights.
“Listen, you, two boneheads, why are you standing and laughing like horses?” Terrence resents, trying to take the water pistol away from Edward, who tightly squeezes it with both hands. “You could help me a little!”
“Why?” Peter smiles innocently. “You’re doing well without us. You and your little bro have such a perfect idyll that we don’t wanna mess it up.”
“Yeah, guys, you’re such a sweet couple,” Daniel smiles widely, crossing his arm over his chest. “So perfect! Tedward keeps it up!”
“Keep fighting, guys, keep doing. Dan and I will take a couple of photos and record videos.”
“Post them on the band’s account. Our fans do love watching you fight.”
“Yeah. Although brothers and sisters’ fights are a classic of the genre, many people find them very funny.”
“Ar-r-r, stop the fuck kidding!” Edward resents, breathing a little heavily, and cries quietly when Terrence slightly pulls him by the hair and uses a chokehold again. “You don’t see what this peacock is doing to me!”
“Don’t listen to this rug rat!” Terrence exclaims. “Help me! I suffer much more because of him!”
“I would bet.”
Edward sharply points a water shot from the pistol right in Terrence’s face and, using the moment, runs far from him. But the man starts running immediately, grabs him by the edge of his wet t-shirt, and pulls him on himself. It happens so fast that MacClife, Jr., cannot keep his balance and falls to the ground with a funny whoop along with the loud laughter of his older brother.
“So, who’s the loser here?” Terrence asks through a laugh. “You can’t run, and you can’t keep a balance.”
Edward uses the moment when Terrence wants to go aside, grabs him by the leg with a sly smile, and sharply pulls him down. As a result, the man falls with a quiet whoop and hears the young guy’s chuckle.
“As if you can hold your body!” Edward laughs. “That weighs one ton!”
Edward gets up on his feet in a jump and shakes some dirt off his short denim pants and a gray t-shirt. Then he runs away fast when Terrence stands up and chases him, starting to water him with the pistol much harder. And it quickly leads to the moment when his gun stops shooting because the water is gone.
“Hey, what the fuck!” Terrence wonders, pressing on the trigger and seeing that nothing happens. “Are you serious? Fuck, no… Not now…”
“Ha, ha, ha!” Edward laughs loudly. “You’re a fool! You were watering me so hard that the water was gone!”
“It’s okay, bro, I will catch you. Even with my naked hands.”
When Terrence starts running, Edward smiling widely protects himself with his water pistol, in which the water is also gone some time later. Then the brothers just start running after each other and fighting hand in hand, thrilling with laughter and, as many people say, really getting pleasure from this type of funny fight. However, it does not last for a long time because Sammy decides to stop it or have fun. When the brothers end up not far from Daniel and Peter, the dog shakes the water off him, so his hair gets dry again. Because of the water getting on different sides, the four turn around and squint their eyes, and Edward and Terrence stop fighting.
“Oh, Sammy, why did you the hell stop this fun?” Peter moans tiredly.
“Yeah, fluffy, why?” Daniel wonders. “You disrupted such a cool show!”
“Oh, thank you so much, Sammy,” Edward exhales sharply and pets Sammy’s head. “If not for you, this idiot would’ve been running after me all day.”
“It would be very good for you,” Terrence replies confidently with a little heavy breath and ruffles Edward’s hair much harder. “If you eat too much sweet food, your jacket won’t close on your belly on the wedding day.”
“Make sure that you don’t start kissing your belly.”
“I am really sorry that your dream will never come true.”
Sammy barks loudly in a jump, puts its tongue out again, and looks at the young men innocently, being ready to continue this fun and be more active in this game.
“Listen, bros, where are the girls?” Daniel asks.
“Indeed, where are our beauties?” Terrence wonders and looks around quickly. “I don’t see them!”
“They probably went to think of the plan of revenge,” Edward assumes.
“Whatever they plan, we shouldn’t give up on them,” Peter replies confidently. “So, they don’t think they could easily get off us.”
“There is little water in the pistols, and we wouldn’t freshen them,” Daniel says thoughtfully. “So, there’s only one way – to catch them with our own hands.”
“They’re gonna resist and bite.”
“And what? We’re all imitable at calming them down! Some efforts before nobody says a word.”
“Well, we could also slap them on the butts for not being good girls,” Edward smiles slyly.
“M-m-m, we could do so much to them,” Terrence smiles mysteriously. “For example…”
Terrence does not speak his mind because Sammy barks loudly and runs aside, and then Natalia, Anna, Raquelle, and Helene suddenly run to Edward, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter from behind and splash water out of the bottles over their wet heads. Because the water is very cold, the guys shake sharply and make quiet squeaks, feeling that their clothes got stuck to their bodies. While the girls start thrilling with a laugh, closing their mouths with their hands and shaking their heads.
“You look cool, boys!” Natalia exclaims funnily with a wide smile.
“Now it’s really perfect,” Raquelle says confidently.
“Hey, what the hell?” Peter resents, running his hands over his wet hair and face.
“You wanted to shake up – we gave you a chance,” Anna raises her head proudly raised.
“But we didn’t mean that you should’ve splashed water over us!” Edward notices. “Cold water!”
“Really?” Helene rounds her eyes and rolls them. “Oops… We probably got you wrong.”
“Or right,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously, putting her finger on her lip. “They’re all handsome boys! I personally, really like it!”
“Oh, yeah, our wet shabby cats are imitable,” Natalia laughs quietly, ruffles Terrence’s hair, and tickles Edward’s stomach.
“Is this the ladies’ riot?” Daniel wonders, trying to get his t-shirt off his body.
“Yes, we’re rebels!” Helene says confidently. “You said you were gonna call your fans like this.”
“Do you know we do actually rule this show?” Terrence asks confidently, wiping his wet face. “Who gave you a right to behave like this?”
“And who said it?” Raquelle laughs quietly. “No word has been said about it!”
“You got arrogant, our celebrities!” Anna exclaims. “You haven’t released your album, but you believe everyone owes you.”
“Girls can’t go against men ‘cause they’ve always been leaders,” Peter says confidently.
“Relax, boys, we ain’t gonna dance attendance upon you,” Helene smiles slyly. “At least now.”
“Yes, we wanna have some fun and ride you,” Natalia smiles playfully. “The girls and I got bored when you were having fun with each other.”
“Exactly!” Anna exclaims. “We ain’t gonna miss this wonderful chance.”
“Since you’ve involved us in this game, we’re gonna go to the end and get a victory,” Helene adds with a slight smile.
“Well, who knows who’ll be a winner…” Daniel smiles mysteriously.
“Are you seriously gonna fight with us?” Edward rounds his eyes.
“Yes, MacClife, we are,” Raquelle nods confidently.
“Listen, guys, the ladies’ riot really started in our harem,” Terrence says thoughtfully, looking at all the men.
“And the roosters in our henhouse got too arrogant,” Natalia replies confidently.
“No, you hear it?” Peter chuckles kindly. “Is this fine?”
“Alright, men, stop taking it!” Daniel raises his head with pride. “It’s time to teach our rebel beauties and show who rules everything.”
“Oh, oh, our boys puffed their feathers,” Anna laughs shyly.
“Hey, guys, do you wanna get freshen again?” Raquelle offers with a sly smile.
“Aha, you’re gonna be much sexier than before,” Helene adds confidently. “Run half-naked in front of us…”
“C’mon, girls, they’re irresistible anyway!” Natalia exclaims. “Such delicious pies! There’s a wish to undress them! And run away with their clothes. So, they show themselves if they love undressing so much.”
All the girls start laughing quietly, not noticing they get a little blush, while the men being not very happy with everything look at each other, and Sammy sitting next to them barks quietly.
“No, they are kidding us!” Daniel resents.
“So, men, let’s show them they shouldn’t mess up with us?” Terrence asks with his head proudly raised.
“You won’t catch, won’t catch!” Anna, Raquelle, Helene, and Natalia start to say funnily.
But when Edward, Peter, Terrence, and Daniel give a start sharply, all the girls instantly run on different sides with the shouts, “Run!” Sammy also joins this fight and starts barking, running after everybody, and playing with water shoots that the men get into their beauties, who shower their sweethearts with the rest of the water from bottles.
However, the guys catch their girls quickly and start torturing them with slight tickling or clap them playfully on their buttocks. Sometimes Raquelle, Anna, Helene, and Natalia play the fool at each other and beat their men funnily with empty bottles and ruffle their wet hair and do not miss a chance to joke at them with words or a thing. Sammy amuses everybody with some tricks and meddles when someone gets too excited to calm them down. None of the friends is ready to accept a loss, and they keep fighting with each other, manage to take a couple of funny photos, and record videos on their mobile phones, getting lots of positive emotions and great pleasure from the pastime in an incredible gang.
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