A Picture's Worth
Copyright© 2026 by Ewan Oliver Niven
Chapter 4: Guys vs. Girls
Chase propped his feet up on the coffee table and watched his brother Ethan, fighting back laughter. I haven’t seen him in this much of a frenzy since he went to prom with Andrea, he thought, shaking his head. I think life is about to become infinitely more entertaining. He didn’t really think he liked this town too much. It was boring, as far as he was concerned. The only upside, as far as Chase was concerned, was that he’d found a rock-climbing gym that had actually been willing to hire him.
“I can’t believe you’re going on a date with Bea,” Chase said, grinning. “Man, is she ever hot!”
“It isn’t a date,” Ethan insisted, for the thousandth time.
No? Chase thought. Then why are you preening like a vain peacock? Ethan was the only man he’d ever met who brushed his hair until it was as fine and silky as a woman’s. Himself, he usually just ran his fingers through his hair and left it at that. His brother came back into the living room and dropped down onto the couch to lace up his boots. Chase didn’t quail beneath Ethan’s glare, but he did take his feet down off the coffee table.
“She is hot, though,” Chase went on, grinning. “I love redheads. And damn, those breasts ... ow!”
Scowling, he rubbed the back of his head where Ethan had smacked him. Oh, no, you’re not attracted to her, not at all, Chase thought, glaring at his brother. This is the worst case of denial I’ve ever seen. Ethan was good at that. He could block off his feelings so effectively that he didn’t realize he had them. Personally, Chase liked to make his feelings known. He was outgoing and he preferred outgoing people, like Bea.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Ethan grumbled, rising from the couch. “I hate bowling.”
“It’s got some perks, though,” Chase said, putting his feet up on the table. “Your date is hot and from all I’ve heard, rather willing.”
“Chase, you’re a pig,” Ethan said, turning to face him. “You know what? I curse you.”
Chase’s eyebrows rose. “Curse me?”
“Yes,” Ethan said, turning to grab his coat. “I curse you. You’re going to find the sweetest, shyest girl you’ve ever met and fall madly in love with her.” He paused a minute as he pulled his coat on, then added, “And she won’t sleep with you for months. No, no, even better, years.”
“Oh, I’m so scared!” Chase rolled his eyes. “My big brother has cursed me, whooo, frightening. Will you be making a Chase voodoo doll, too?”
He tossed his head back, laughing. Curse, Chase thought, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Why would he ever fall for a girl who was sweet and shy when he couldn’t stand that type of girl? And for that matter, where the heck would he find one? When Chase did hang out with girls, they were the partying type, like him. There weren’t a lot of delicate Catholic girls showing up at clubs. Still...
“Take that back, Ethan,” Chase called. “At least the years part, man. That’s harsh. Ethan? Ethan!”
Ethan had agreed to meet the others at the bowling alley. It was pleasantly warm inside. He shrugged his coat off as he moved down the length of the alley, looking for everyone else. Alastair and Quinn, who tended to tower above everyone else, really stood out in the crowd. They were all at the rental desk, getting bowling shoes. I hate bowling shoes, Ethan thought, scowling. I hate bowling! He really should have thought this through a little better.
“There you are!” Alanna called when she spotted him. She waved, beckoning him over. “Come on, slow poke!”
I feel sorry for the owner of this bowling alley, Ethan thought, as he approached. Eight of them total, most of them born Wolfes or married into the family. That was even worse than him and all his siblings. It kind of reminds me of all my siblings, he thought, smiling slightly. Quinn is like Gavin and Alastair is kind of like Chase, although less of a pig. And Alanna reminds me of Bailey a little... And where was Bea? He looked around and finally found her.
Whoa, he thought, his breath catching in his throat. She smiled at him when she saw him, then turned back to Alanna with a toss of her head. Damn Chase, Ethan thought, putting ideas into his head. She looks so ... Bea wore a thigh-length dress of a jade near the same color of her eyes, with a short jean jacket over it. Usually he thought boots of the heeled, knee-high type were kind of ... well, slutty, but they looked good on her. There was something about Bea that made her look sophisticated no matter what she was wearing.
“I hate bowling shoes,” Bea said when he stopped beside her. “It sucks when you’ve got size six feet.”
“It’s worse when you need a size thirteen,” Ethan assured her.
Bea’s eyebrows rose. “Well, well, big feet,” she teased, smiling. “You know what they say about men with big feet...”
He blushed like a thirteen-year-old that was hitting the first rough spots of puberty. The smile she gave him was wickedly teasing, but he felt on some level that he deserved it. Carrying his shoes, Ethan followed Bea and the others to a set of lanes down at the very end of the alley. He found himself watching her as she removed her boots, as she leaned over to tie her bowling shoes. There is nothing wrong with thinking that she’s pretty, he told himself, as long as I don’t start acting like Chase.
“So, how are we going to do this, anyway?” Alastair asked. “Two teams, four, what?”
“I think we should play men versus women,” Alanna said, smiling mischievously.
Quinn snorted softly. “That wouldn’t be fair. We’d crush you.”
“Stay away from the snack bar, Quinn,” Bea said as she took a seat to set up a scorekeeper. “You’ll be needing plenty of room later for when you eat your words.”
That was how Ethan found himself as one of the guys, sitting on the bench to await his turn. Alastair had set it up in alphabetical order, so that he went first, then Drake, then Ethan, and Quinn last. Alanna followed suit, so at least he didn’t have to worry about being opposite Bea in the lineup. I can’t remember the last time he went bowling, he thought, as he watched Alastair. Ouch ... something tells me Alastair doesn’t remember, either. He did hit the pins in the end, though, so it wasn’t all bad.
Of the guys, Quinn was the best. He had a surprising amount of patience and perfect aim. Ethan found himself staring when he got a strike on his first ball. He’d always thought of Quinn as patient and focused when he wanted to be, but he hadn’t expected that. For himself, he did well enough. Of the girls, Bea did better than the others, but she wasn’t as good as Quinn.
“What was that supposed to be?” Quinn asked Xandri, after she got two gutter balls in a row.
She just stuck her tongue out at him. Drake did much the same when he got a gutter ball, except he directed it at his own teammates, who were hooting loudly. Ethan made certain to be careful, because the girls laughed even louder than the guys. He tried to copy Quinn’s patient method, but he wasn’t quite nearly successful. For his fifth frame, he ended up with an eight, which wasn’t too bad, considering that Alanna had only gotten three for her sixth frame.
“Come on, Bea!” Alanna called, as the redhead stood up for her sixth frame. “Get us a strike!”
“You’re gonna need it!” Alastair teased. “Right, guys?”
Ethan smiled. “No way, man. I’m not saying anything to risk making her angry while she’s holding a bowling ball.”
Bea, who’d been getting ready to send her ball down the lane, paused to laugh. She almost dropped the ball. Those soft jade eyes focused on him, and she smiled. Ethan watched her as she turned back to the lane and leaned over slightly to roll the ball down the aisle. Girls shouldn’t bowl in skirts like that, he thought, uncomfortably aware that he was staring. Although maybe she has the right idea ... Even Drake was watching, although he at least tried to be covert about it.
The girls rose, cheering, when Bea got a strike. Laughing, she turned to head back to her seat, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.
“See, Alastair?” Bea teased, grinning. “Don’t get too confident yet.”
“Quinn Wolfe, you get that smug look off your face!”