The Loneliest Stars || EDITING

Chapter 2

"It wasn't just on you, I was your big brother. I should have been there for you both. I'm sorry. It's nobody's fault."

They held hands across the table. A couple of years ago, hell a couple of months ago this conversation wouldn't have been possible but now it was all out in the open. Her twin brother's untimely and unexpected death had ripped a hole in their family eight years ago that was slowly beginning to scab.

"FaceTime me at least once a week..."

"And if anything happens I will call you, day or night. I know. Thank you."

"I didn't think I'd say goodbye so soon again." Her brother was suspiciously close to tears. She'd never seen him cry. Not even when Nick died.

"It's just for a year. I'll be back soon." Natalia smiled. It was so good to be on good terms with her big brother again. It was still painful to look at him, with how much he resembled Nick but it brought her comfort too and she focused on that.

"Are you going to think about what we talked about?"

Natalia rolled her eyes. "I'll think about it. That's it." Now that they had made up, Ashley had become their mum's biggest advocate. He was trying to talk her into visiting their mum in Jamaica since she'd be closer to her in the States. But there were certain things Natalia couldn't bring herself to forget.

They parted ways at the security gate for departures after Natalia had checked-in her bags. He gave her another crushing hug. When they pulled away her cheeks were wet again. She was grateful she wasn't wearing any makeup or she'd be looking like a very pitiful raccoon.

She decided to FaceTime Lima as she waited in the queue.

"Shlonach," Lima answered in local Dubai slang, smiling widely her pearly whites shone against her brown skin. "Today's the day." She sang.

She was in the grocery shop, Natalia spied, wearing her hair in a turban with wisps of her baby hair flying around the edges of her face. "Keffak habibti," Natalia said, asking her how she was.

"I'm good, you good - hey did you buy the sheet masks and the hair mist I told you to?"

"Yes, Lima you do realise you're asked me a dozen times?"

"Well I'm sorry for taking your skin and hair hydration seriously, somebody has to!" And the thing was, Lima was deadly serious. Natalia's hydration levels really kept her awake at night.

"Honestly, between you and my brother—"

"—and how is your dreamboat of a brother?"

"Lima—eww." Natalia scrunched up her face at her outspoken friend as she took her shoes off in the queue for security gate.

"What? I can look!" Lima laughed. "Let me tell you, Sis. You leaving has really ruined my life. I'm cooking for Mo tonight and I'm stuck." She said referring to the guy she was currently dating.

It was around the fifth date and everything was going smoothly so far. Lima claimed that she didn't like him that much, but Natalia knew she was in denial. She was already exhibiting classic self-sabotage traits such as talking to other potential men as a distraction from him.

"Order in from that cute Ethiopian place in Deira. He won't know the difference." Natalia offered. Her friend couldn't cook if her life depended on it. She had done most of the cooking when they lived together.

"You're right. He won't know. Fu—fudge cooking I'm going to get a facial and a manicure." She almost swore but caught herself. Teaching middle school and living in a conservative Muslim country had reformed Lima's language — public at least.