Take My Breath Away

"Then what should I get Niles?" Blair asked.

"Nothing," answered Wesley.

"Wesley, that's a little rude, don't you think? Giving him rent money would seem a little off. I honestly think I should at least give him a gift." Blair planned on buying Niles a gift while they were picking out gifts for Wesley's parents and his grandfather, but he was very much against it.

He was still very insistent Blair should buy nothing for his brother. "I was the one who let you live in his apartment. If there's anyone you need to pay, it's me. You've already gotten me a razor, so we're even now. Stop worrying about Niles, will you? He doesn't need anything. You taking over his apartment is none of his business," Wesley said sternly.

'That doesn't even make any sense!' Blair thought. She knew well enough there was no winning this argument, so she just dropped it.

She and Wesley then went to the cinema and saw a New Year's movie. Blair was still thinking about the movie as they were leaving the theater. She was so into it, and was pretty upset about how the movie ended. "I just wish the male lead didn't die. The female lead would have left the city for the countryside, and they could still have lived happily ever after."

"I beg to disagree. Living together is different from dating. Soon enough, they'll grow tired of each other. If they're not the perfect cut for each other, they soon will have to end things between them," Wesley replied.

That took her by surprise. 'Who would have thought that remark came from someone who had never been in a relationship and loathed women?' she mused.

Wesley's family had gone to their respective bedrooms by the time he and Blair got home. The lights in the living room were left on for them.

Wesley took Blair upstairs. "This one, this one, and that one are all available. You can choose whichever room you want," he said as he pointed at the rooms.

"Which one is yours?" she asked.

He jutted his chin to indicate where his bedroom was. "I'll stay in the room next to yours," Blair decided.

"The room next to mine is the storage room," he said. He wasn't home most of the time, so he chose to stay in a quiet room, somewhere far from the stairs.

"Oh, okay. Then I choose this one." She picked another room.

She chose the one next to Niles'. Wesley pushed the door open and turned the lights on for her. "Go brush your teeth and wash your face. I'll prepare the bed for you," he said. That room was the one Cecelia hoped Blair would stay in. Fresh bed sheets were already placed inside the closet. The only thing she needed to do was to make the bed.

"Huh? No, no, thank you. It's okay. I can make my own bed. You must be very tired. It's getting late. You can go and sleep now," Blair responded, quite eager to decline Wesley's offer.

But the soldier paid her no mind. He took out the bed sheets from the closet and started making the bed.

He was done in no time. He made sure everything was in its place. It was only then that he bade Blair good night and headed to his room.

A few moments after Wesley left her room, there was somebody knocking at her door.

Blair, who was brushing her teeth at the moment, rinsed her mouth quickly and went to open the door. It was Niles.

He slipped in and closed the door behind him. Then he settled on the couch and asked her mischievously, "So, Blair, tell me, what were you and my brother up to tonight? Should I start calling you 'sister-in-law'?"

Blair returned to the bathroom to wash her face. "We went to the mall. Don't bother calling me 'sister-in-law, ' or anyone for that matter. I don't think Wesley is planning on giving you one.

"If he wasn't interested in giving me a sister-in-law, then why did he go out with you tonight?" Niles teasingly asked. To hear Blair more clearly, he moved from the couch to the bed.

Since he was in the comfort of his own home, he found it absolutely okay sitting or lying down on any furniture within their property. He rested his back against the headboard as he watched her wash her face.

"He also went shopping with Garnet. I bet you didn't know that," Blair told Niles while applying cleansing cream on her face. Her eyes were shut as she scrubbed her face clean.

"Garnet? That woman is strong as a man. Stay away from her. She is ruthless and fights like a bull." Niles had once gotten into a fight against Garnet. He lost miserably.

Blair chuckled at Niles' tone. "Well, she is a soldier. Soldiers are supposed to be strong and good at close combat. She and your brother would be cute together."

"But she wouldn't stand a chance against my brother. Wesley can fight off more than ten men at once! He would finish Garnet like a piece of cake." Niles then proceeded to play with his phone as he bounced his crossed legs. To make himself more comfortable, he simply lay on Blair's bed.

Blair walked out the bathroom and saw Niles sprawling all over her bed. She didn't mind, though. "Have you ever seen your brother hit someone?" she wondered.

"Yes, me. He hits me a lot. I hope you two get married soon. Once you're his wife, you can ask him to stop bullying me."

Blair couldn't help but smile at the thought of the two of them marrying each other. A marriage with Wesley was everything she'd ever wished for. "He doesn't seem like he's interested in getting a girlfriend. But since you want him to get married so badly, maybe you should talk to him. Convince him to get a girlfriend and propose. Maybe then I'll actually have a chance to be with him." The only mirror in her room was in the bathroom, so she headed back there to apply her lotion.

Niles rolled over on the bed and told Blair, "Stop worrying. If you just try hard enough, you might just win my brother's heart."

"Okay! I will try my best," she replied. That was what her mouth was saying, but her heart and mind believed otherwise.

Niles didn't come over her room just to play a game on his phone. He came over to talk to her. By the time Blair was ready to sleep, he was still flopped on the bed with no intention of leaving anytime soon.

"I'm going to bed now. Go back to your room," she ordered Niles. It was cold tonight. She had showered last night, so she decided to just take a shower the next morning.

"Okay, okay. I'll leave, but only after I get through this level," Niles replied, still not getting off the bed. Blair waited for his departure by the foot of the bed.

More than a few minutes passed and Niles was still busy pressing buttons on his phone. Blair grew tired of waiting for him to leave and climbed onto the bed. She grabbed him by the arm and shooed him. "Okay, get up! Go play on the couch. I'm freezing here."

"Wait! Stop bothering me! I'm about to win!" Niles protested.

Blair couldn't wrap her head around the idea of Niles being so invested in what he was doing. It was just a game after all. She continued trying to get him off the bed, but Niles still refused to budge. When she tried again, she tugged on his arm a little too hard and lost her balance. She dropped prone on the bed and hit Niles' elbow.

He was so worried he would lose his winning streak and was about to shove Blair away when they heard the door open.

Wesley stood in the doorway with a grim look on his face. He was looking sternly at the two on the bed: Niles on his back and Blair on her stomach.

Niles' arm was still under her.

When Niles heard the door open, he had to lean closer towards Blair to see who it was. Needless to say, they were caught in a compromising position. That was not at all helping them, especially Niles.

"What are you two doing?" Wesley asked coldly.

Blair firmly shook her head. She wanted to explain it was all a big misunderstanding, but she was so scared her words failed her.

Niles, on the other hand, was on a different page. He tossed his phone aside and reached for Blair's arm. He then proceeded to ask her tenderly, "B Love, are you alright? Were you hurt?"

Blair's eyes widened in confusion. 'Why on earth is he calling me "B Love"?'

Wesley hastily made his way to the bed and grabbed Niles by the collar and off the bed. He was fuming. "What the hell are you doing here? It's the middle of the night!" he growled.

"Wesley, listen to me. It's all just a misunderstanding! It's not what it looks like," Niles tried to explain.

Diagonally opposite Blair's room was Wesley's parents' room. Wesley left the door behind him wide open. All the commotion caused by the trio caused the older couple to wake up. When Cecelia turned the lights on to check what was happening, the sight of her older son holding his younger brother by the collar welcomed her. "Somebody explain to me what is going on," she said wide-eyed.