My brother sat in front of me at the dinner table, chowing on the food I prepared for us both. Our mother, as usual, left a message for us saying that she would be home late. We held nothing against her, but we did feel bummed out by the fact that she would not be able to join us for dinner. But with her absent from the table, the perfect chance for me to strike up a question I have had on my mind for a while now appeared.

“So, what’s her name,” I asked my little brother, fully intending to push him to the limits of embarrassment.

“Huh?” Illate poked his head out from his bowl of food with an innocent face, ”What do you mean, Elliot?”

“You know, the one who’s got you all giddy when you’re coming home,” I elaborated, “you’re not hiding this girl from us, are you?”

“H-Wh- '' all of Illate’s attention turned to me now, his hands retreated from his bowl, focused more on awkward hand gestures that meant nothing, “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Giddy? Me? H-oh, no, not me…”

Teasing my brother always brought out a hidden side to his naturally neutral demeanor, and seeing it break under the pressure of embarrassment never failed to bring me pleasure. To test his limits, I probed him further on the identity of the person who’s got his moods flying high.

“You can’t hide the fact from me,” I declared, “I’ve noticed you, humming as you walk down the halls, checking the time, thinking to yourself in bed, staring at the calendar-- you’ve got a crush, don’t you? In fact, you’re going on a date with them soon, am I correct?”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Making sure to put extra emphasis on the examples of his daily activities, I rattled on about the stereotypical actions he took. Of course, I didn’t know for sure whether he had a date, he could have been counting down the days to the release of his favorite book series’ newest volume for all I knew. Still, his reactions here definitely threw him on the suspicious sides of things.

“I-I haven’t been doing that too much…” Illate turned his eyes to the floor, and his cheeks flushed red, I must have been on the mark.

“I’m right, aren’t I? Look at you,” I pointed out, “that face isn’t helping you one bit.”

“I-it’s not…” Illate forced his words out of his mouth, “It’s not…a date...exactly…”

“Oh?” I murmured in response, taking a bite of the beef stew I just made, “Go on.”

“We’re just going to the park,” Illate explained, “It’s not anything that intimate…”

“Aww, isn’t that adorable?” I hummed as I began to finish off my dish, “So you’re at that stage of your relationship then?”

“N-no, it’s not like that,” Illate defended, “We’re just, er, friends.”

“Hm? What was that?” I commented on his vulnerability, “Did I hear hesitation?”

“She’s also...like a tutor,” Illate added, “please don’t misunderstand.”

“Heh,” I chuckled, as I picked up my plate and made my way to the kitchen, making sure to pat my cute brother on the head, “don’t forget to put your bowl in the dishwasher, kay? Turn it on too.”

“Okay…” he responded, and I left to continue my work.

It’s too bad I never got to figure the name of his new friend.