Pride and Promises ✔

Chapter 46

"Oh, thank you, Ruby!" Eva blushed prettily at his words, making me roll my eyes at them.

Catching my eye roll, the devil incarnate smirked. "I speak only the truth, my dearest Bubbles. Although, judging by your sister's look, she doesn't seem to agree. Now, I'm not one to speak badly of anyone, but I think," he leaned across the table, motioning Eva to do the same. Then he whispered to her in a voice which was a few octaves higher to be just a whisper, "that she's just jealous." The both of them giggled again, making me level them with a dry look.

"How about you, Evie? Do you like them?" She asked me tentatively. It was as if she wanted to say something to me. It made me wonder what was going on in her head. I had a small inkling but decided to give her some time to gather her courage- for whatever reason she might need it.

I smiled at her. "Of course. You know very well how much I love your baking. And to top it all, you've made me my favorites. I love these!"

Eva returned my smile with a small one of her own but the uneasiness still remained in her eyes. She served herself a couple of cookies and started munching on them. But soon enough, she gave up eating, saying she had already tasted a whole batch earlier.

"Eva, is there something you'd like to tell me?" I asked her carefully, watching her play with the crumbs on her plate.

"Uhm... no! Why?" She chuckled uneasily.

"Alright then." I shrugged and pretended to let go of that matter for now. I knew my sister enough to let her initiate the topic by herself without pressing her further. Sure enough, she spoke after a couple of minutes.

"Actually, Evie... there was this thing...," Eva started. I stopped eating and look at her in concern.

"What is it, Eva? Is everything okay? Do you need something?" She glanced uneasily between me and Adrian. I'd almost forgotten he was there beside me, so absorbed I was in her.

Sensing the tension, Adrian cleared his throat. "Oh, it's getting pretty late. I think I should take my leave." He stood up from his seat and made a move to retrieve his car keys from the table but Eva shook head.

"It's okay, Adrian. You don't need to leave on my behalf. I actually want the both of you to be present, since you are going to be a permanent part of our lives. Besides, I'd love to have a brotherly figure in my life. Having a sister isn't cool all the time."

Adrian suddenly froze and I watched in amazement how his eyes misted a little hearing those words from my sister. He walked around and hugged her, his eyes filled with so much affection that warmed my heart beyond measure. I normally wouldn't let anyone invade the privacy of my family, but seeing him here felt nice. I was slowly learning to bring down my walls around him. It only felt right that Eva had entrusted him with whatever it was she wanted to say. It was beginning to feel like our family was finally complete with Adrian filling the gap like a perfect missing piece of a puzzle.

I smiled at the both of them despite my sister's blatant disregard of my coolness as he came back to sit beside me. Adrian must've sensed my thoughts, for he softly kissed my cheek and gently patted my arm. Our gazes locked and silently, we shared our emotions through them, understanding what the other was feeling.

"So...I got this mail from FIT earlier today." Eva spoke up, pulling us away from our little bubble. I sighed. So this was the reason behind all these preparations. My hunch was correct.

"You got accepted, didn't you?"

She seemed surprised at my response. "Wha- How did you know?"

I gave her a dry look in response. "Seriously, Eva? Look, I know you're my little sister. But do you think I'd have employed you as a designer in my company if you didn't deserve the position?" I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. "You, my sister, are one of the best designers of Eva's. I feel proud showcasing your designs to the world. And when I hear the reviews and positive feedbacks about the designs, you have no idea how proud you make me. There wasn't a trace of doubt in my mind that you'd get accepted." I said sincerely.