第1章厨房春潮-我的妺妺h

Don\'s eyes wandered across the room, taking in the details. The walls were adorned with posters of various pop idols and fashion models, their perfect smiles beaming down at him from every angle. Some of the posters were slightly worn at the edges, evidence of them having been up for quite some time.

In one corner, a small vanity table was cluttered with an array of makeup, hair accessories, and a few bottles of perfume. The mirror was surrounded by a string of twinkling fairy lights, giving the room a soft glow.

The atmosphere of the room was undeniably feminine, yet there was an endearing childish charm to it as well. Scattered across the bed and floor were several plush toys, the most prominent of which were the snow-white rabbit plushies that sat perched on the bed, their large, comical eyes staring blankly ahead.

These particular plushies were a new addition, and they were so ridiculously over-the-top that Don had to resist the urge to burst out laughing the moment he saw them.

He barely managed to keep his expression neutral, but Summer, who had already noticed his faltering composure, furiously pouted. "What\'s so funny?" she demanded, her voice tinged with irritation as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Summer had taken the liberty of changing into her sleeping attire before Don had entered. She wore a matching set of pajamas in varying shades of purple, complete with a pair of fluffy slippers that had small bunny ears on them.

Her hair, usually styled into a ponytail, was now down in loose waves, and there was a slight flush to her cheeks, likely from the irritation at Don\'s barely contained laughter.

"Nothing," Don shrugged, struggling to keep his face straight. But Summer wasn\'t buying it.

"You\'re laughing at my room, aren\'t you?" she accused, her frown deepening as she stomped one foot on the ground. "I knew it. You think it\'s childish, don\'t you?"

Don quickly raised his hands in defense, trying to diffuse the situation before it escalated further. "Hey, I didn\'t say anything," he countered, though his voice showed a hint of amusement. "But come on, Summer, you have to admit, those bunny plushies are… something else."

Summer\'s frown turned into a full-blown scowl. "They\'re cute!" she insisted, her voice rising defensively. "And if you don\'t like them, you can just leave!"

Don blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in her tone. He hadn\'t expected her to be so sensitive about her plushies, and now he found himself on a delicate line between teasing her and actually hurting her feelings.

Realizing the situation could spiral out of control if he wasn\'t careful, Don decided to play along. He put on his most sincere expression and nodded. "You\'re right, they are cute. I just didn\'t expect you to have something so… fluffy in here. I guess it surprised me."

But Summer wasn\'t ready to let it go just yet. She narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not convinced by his sudden change in tone. "I don\'t believe you. You\'re just saying that because you don\'t want me to kick you out."

Don couldn\'t help but chuckle at her stubbornness, though he quickly stifled it when she shot him another glare. "Alright, alright. I admit it—your room is… not what I expected. But that doesn\'t mean it\'s bad. It\'s just… different from what I remember."

Summer seemed to relax slightly at his admission, though her arms remained crossed as she eyed him warily. "Different how?"

Don took a moment to consider his words carefully. He didn\'t want to set her off again, but he also didn\'t want to lie. "Well, for one, it\'s a lot more… grown-up than I remember. But at the same time, you\'ve got these little touches that remind me of the old you. It\'s like a mix of who you were and who you\'re becoming."

Summer\'s expression softened as she considered his words. She looked around her room, taking in the various elements that made up her personal space. The posters, the makeup, the plushies—they were all pieces of her personality, and Don\'s observation seemed to strike a chord with her.

"Yeah, I guess maybe you\'re right," she admitted, her voice quieter now. "I didn\'t really think about it that way."

Don smiled, sensing the tension easing between them. "See? No need to get all worked up. I\'m just getting to know the new you."

Summer let out a small huff, though it lacked the earlier venom. "Fine, but you still didn\'t have to laugh at my plushies. They\'re important to me."

Don nodded, his expression turning serious. "I get it, Summer. I didn\'t mean to make fun of them. I just… didn\'t expect them, that\'s all."

For a moment, it seemed like the situation had been defused, but then Summer\'s eyes narrowed again as if she had just remembered something. "Wait a minute," she said slowly, "are you really sorry, or are you just trying to butter me up so you can stay in here?"

\'Bruh? Let it go.\' Don felt like sighing but seeing as she wasn\'t letting it go, he used the opportunity for a little playful banter. "What do you think?" he asked, his tone teasing.

Summer rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms again. "I think you\'re full of it," she muttered, though there was no real bite to her words this time.

Don couldn\'t help but laugh at her remark, which only seemed to annoy her further. "Oh, come on, Summer, don\'t be like that," he said, still chuckling. "You know I\'m just messing with you. At this point it\'s like you want to be upset with me."

But Summer wasn\'t ready to let him off the hook so easily. She pointed toward the door, her expression serious. "If you\'re just here to make fun of me, then maybe you should just leave."

The playful atmosphere that had been building between them suddenly shifted, and Don realized that he might have pushed her too far. But he genuinely found it hard to tell what she took offense to exactly.

He hesitated for a moment, considering his options. He could try to smooth things over with another joke, or he could leave before things got worse and just learn more about later.

In the end, he opted for the latter as he didn\'t want to risk getting on bad terms with her so early. He turned toward the door, ready to make his exit. "Alright, if that\'s how you feel, I\'ll go—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Summer moved in front of him, blocking his path to the door. "Wait," she said, her voice firm but tinged with a hint of shyness. "I didn\'t mean it like that."

Don paused, caught off guard by her sudden change of heart. He looked down at her, noticing for the first time how vulnerable she seemed in that moment. The earlier bravado had faded, replaced by a look of uncertainty that left him puzzled.

Summer lowered her gaze, fidgeting with the hem of her pajama top as she struggled to find the right words. "I just… I don\'t want to be made fun of, okay? I\'m tired of people always treating me like a kid. I know I can be immature sometimes, but… it doesn\'t mean I\'m not trying."

Don felt a bit of guilt at her words. He hadn\'t meant to make her feel that way, but at the very least she opened up to him about it, and that could be seen as a big step forward. He could only go with flow and act sorry. "Hey, I didn\'t mean to hurt your feelings," he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I was just messing around. I thought we were having fun."

Summer looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of dishonesty. "We were, but… I don\'t know. Sometimes I feel like... nevermind, it\'s stupid anyway."

Don feigned a concerned expression and leaned in closer to Summer. "Summer, you don\'t have to say anything if you don\'t want to but if something\'s bothering you then you can talk to me about it if you want," he said gently. "I promise I won\'t make fun of you."

Summer blinked, as if surprised by his words. "You mean that?"

Don nodded, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Of course. What kind of best big brother would I be if I didn\'t?"

Summer\'s expression softened, and for a moment, Don saw a glimpse of the little Summer he never knew, the one who always looked up to her older brother with eyes full of admiration. "Thanks, Donnie," she said quietly.

Don smiled and took the opportunity to pull her into a hug. "Anytime, Summer. You\'re stuck with me, remember? You might as well make the most of it."

Summer chuckled softly against his chest, the sound muffled by his shirt. "Yeah, I guess I am."