Family outing? Kind of? In a way, I guess.

It’s the usual bar you’ve come to several times with Emma already, only this time her brother joins you two at a table by the corner. Well, he’s your brother too. But Emma’s not your sister.

Weird, huh?

Anyway.

“I didn’t know this would turn into an interrogation.” Jonathan says with a scowl.

“Come on, you have to admit it’s at least a little weird!” You argue. “It’s my girlfriend’s mother.”

“How is it different from your girlfriend’s sister? Besides, you should be happy! Julia’s now completely free!”

“Why did you even change your mind?” Emma asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I happened to run into the two on the street. I think they were coming out of a gym.” He says. “I went to say hello and noticed that Susan is extremely hot as well.”

“Of course you did.” You and Emma sigh at the same time.

“ANYWAY, I remembered that my little brother had his eyes on another one of his teachers, and figured: You know what? Screw it. I’ll settle for the mother. A few talks later and we’d already planned our date.”

“So you just canceled your date with Julia to ask her mother out?” Emma asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, I feel kind of bad about that.” He says, shaking his head a bit and taking a sip of his whisky.

“Yes, you look devastated.” You say, unamused.

“Hey, I thought you wanted a shot at Julia?”

“I also didn’t want you playing with her.” You say with a soft sigh and take a sip of your own drink.

You know this isn’t entirely your brother’s fault. There’s no doubt Mrs. Miller’s app had a big part in this, too. That doesn’t take from Jonathan being a skirt chaser, though. It makes him a very easy target.

“Let me be clear, brother. We’re not here trying to shame you for going after Mrs. Miller.” You say.

“That lady has… a reputation.” Emma says. “She dates men, uses all their money then dumps them.”

Jonathan hums. “My wallet did end up unusually light after our date.” He nods.

“Just… be careful with her, Jonathan. I’m sorry, but if it were up to me, I’d rather you didn’t have anything to do with her.” You tell him, smiling wryly. “But I can't push that on the same guy that told me to do what I wanted, right? Just know that… there’s something about her. I don’t think she’s being honest with you in the slightest.”

Jonathan groan and leans back on his chair.

“Alright, that’s fair. I’d be an idiot not to listen to the guy with five girlfriends on this opinion about a woman.” He say before taking a big swig of his drink.

“Seven girlfriends now, actually.” Emma corrects, laughing.

That makes him ****. Jonathan coughs several times and wipes the tears off his eyes before looking at you, completely baffled.

“Seven!? Wait, yeah… you did get together with that nurse lady. Who else?”

“A schoolmate.” You admit, grumbling as your face heats up. “We’d been friends for some time, but… yeah.”

“Man, why didn’t dad send ME to this school way back then? It seems like paradise with all these beautiful girls around.”

“He probably thought you’d end up with a knife in your back for being unable to restrain yourself.” Emma tells him with a grin.

“Alright, that’s fair too.” He shrugs. “I was way worse back when I was 18. Wait, but how come it’s okay for you?” Jonathan asks, raising an eyebrow.

You feel a chill run down your back. That’s… a very direct question. Did he notice something’s not natural?

“How many of the girls you’ve been with did you make plans for the future with?” Emma asks him before you can speak.

“What? Uh… as in a trip or something?”

“As in marriage, Jonathan.” She clarifies, unamused.

“Oh. Then none.” He shakes his head, unashamed.

“There you have it. That’s the difference.” Emma giggles. “David treats us all fairly and we’re making plans for the future. We also happen to complement each other really well. We’re just a lucky group of polyamorous people.”

How much of that is half-truths and how much is the way she truly sees it? Still, it’s a relief for you to have her explain it to Jonathan.

“I still find it hard to believe you can be lucky enough to find so many people willing to enter a relationship like this.” He says, this time with a more relaxed tone as he swirls his glass in his hand.

“Everyone has their good points. You, Jonathan, are handsome, charismatic and charming. David is also handsome but honest, earnest and a very good listener as well.” Emma says, kissing you on the cheek. “When he’s this much of a keeper, a girl is willing to share.”

Your face is practically burning now. It’s one thing when they say things like this to you, but hearing Emma express her feelings in front of another person feels completely different.

“Thank you for saying I’m handsome and charming, sister. It was a real blow to my self-esteem when you rejected me.” He laughs.

“Good to see you’re at the point where you can joke about it.” You tell him.

“Water under the bridge, Dave.” He then groans as he realizes something. “God, I can already tell family meetings are going to be a pain in the future.” Jonathan says, then grin. “Make sure to get a huge house, little brother. That way we’ll spend Christmas at your place.”

“Why do we have to be the hosts? Mom’s going to complain about our interior design, no matter what we pick.” You groan and hold your head.

“That’s exactly why.”

“Is she that demanding?” Emma asks, curious.

“Yes.” You and Jonathan say in unison. “Mostly when it comes to cleaning and interior aesthetics.” You clarify.

“She had us help her clean our rooms until we were 10. From then on she left it up to us and if it didn’t meet her standards, she’d have us do it again.” Jonathan adds.

“Ooooh. Is that why your room is always so clean?” Emma asks you.

“Pretty much, yes. Habits hammered into us since we could walk.” You nod.

“Mom can be sweet, but I weep for the time you meet her if you happen to have wrinkles on your dress.” Jonathan sighs dramatically.

You notice how Emma’s smile starts to weaken and twitch. “He’s… joking, right love?”

“Brother, please don’t scare her like that. Mom’s not a maniac.” You groan, then give Emma serious look. “You do have an iron at home, right?”

“Wait, you’re both serious.”

You and your brother can’t do much more than to leave her comment lingering in the air as you take a long, silent sip from your drinks.