Emily feels like someone is sitting beside her on her bed, so she slowly opens her eyes and rubs them, only to find Elizabeth lying near her comfortably whilst playing with her phone.
She slowly sits upright and stretches out her arms, letting out a relieved yawn.
"Good afternoon, Emily. Did you have a really good sleep?" Elizabeth asks without taking her eyes off the screen.
Emily distinctly nods her head, but then furrows her eyebrows. "Good -- What?" she reaches out for her phone on the bedside table and looks at the time. It is almost 1 p.m.
'What?!' she knits her brows even more that they almost touch each other. Then, she turns at Elizabeth, silently asking for confirmation.
"The clock in your phone does not lie to you. It is really afternoon. Look," Elizabeth shows the time on her phone, which displays the same sequence of numbers on Emily's.
"Wow.. I slept for a long time," Emily scratches her head.
"Just like Thomas," says Elizabeth, causing Emily to swivel her head at her.
"Really? Thomas too?"
Elizabeth rolls over, lies on her stomach and props her chin on her elbows. "What did you do last night? Did you have fun?"
Emily stares at the ceiling to reminisce about what she did yesterday. Oh.. Winter Wonderland. She played games, ate a lot of food, skated on ice, watched the fireworks and........
Absent-mindedly, she smiles to herself, making Elizabeth raise an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Why are you smiling? Something or someone crosses your mind?" Elizabeth nudges her sister, who quickly snaps to reality. "Is it.... Umm... What is his name? Uhh... Anthony? Yeah! Is it Anthony?" she returns with the mocking voice.
"What are you talking about? Anthony is my best friend. Stop thinking that he's my boyfriend. Ugh.." Emily rolls her eyes.
"What if I ask Thomas? What his answer will be?"
"The same as mine! He knows that Anthony is my best friend and nothing more. He's very close with me that he is like a family, okay?" Emily pokes Elizabeth's waist, causing her to squeal, and then tickles her.
"Okay, okay! I understand! Please, stop!" Elizabeth screams and laughs, pushing Emily away so she will stop tickling her.
"Good," Emily smirks and goes to the bathroom to have a shower. When she has finished, Elizabeth has already gone from her bed. Hence, she decides to go to Thomas' bedroom.
When she opens the door, she immediately spots Thomas sitting lazily on his messy bed.
"Oh! Already awake?" she says whilst stepping into the room.
Thomas turns his gaze from his phone to his twin sister, who jumps on his bed, causing him to bounce.
"Let's eat. I'm hungry.." Emily whines childishly to which Thomas ignores. She pouts rebelliously and sits beside him. "What are you doing?"
Thomas pays no attention to her again, so she tickles his waist, causing him to lose grip on his phone. She reaches to grab it, which is upside down, but he beats her to it. She growls angrily like an upset bear.
Truthfully, she is afraid that Thomas might be messaging Luciana's friend, whose name she still does not know. She does not want him to be with her. He deserves better.
Emily has nothing to do with Thomas, so she gets up and leaves his room. Before she closes the door, she can see his eyes gazing at her. She ignores the look and turns away.
In the kitchen, she has a brunch by herself. Ah, no, actually. Shannon was there, preparing food for her. She invited her to eat with her, but she politely declined, saying that she has to do her work somewhere. Hence, she eats alone near the window whilst looking at the trees and the sky.
Suddenly, her phone beeps and there is a message from Katherine, who then sends a few pictures. She unlocks her phone and inspects them. Blood rushes to her face as she realises that those are pictures of her and James sitting on the grass whilst staring at the sky, which were taken from behind. Another two pictures are of the two of them again, but this time, they face each other at a table. James was smiling at her whilst she looked like she was trying to hide her face behind her candy floss.
Emily : You're such a paparazzi!
Kate : But you like those pictures, right? They're masterpieces. Should have put them in a museum
Emily : Thank you, anyway
Kate : So... What happened yesterday? 😏
Emily : I will tell you later
Kate : Promise me!
Emily : Yeah, I promise 😉
Emily giggles and continues eating. When she almost finishes her food, Thomas comes and sits in front of her.
"Hey, you're eating without me!"
Emily looks up with a glare. "I already told you that I was hungry, but you ignored me," she stabs a sausage with her fork forcefully, making a clanging sound, and then shoves it into her mouth, chewing it in a grumpy way.
Thomas laughs watching Emily's anger. "I was just kidding. I've already eaten and then I went back to sleep."
Emily looks at Thomas again, her mouth still chewing on the sausage. He raises an eyebrow questioningly and she shakes her head, returning to her half-eaten brunch.
"So... How was last night? Good? Were you having fun?" Thomas asks.
Emily finishes her drink and then gives him a short reply, "Yes."
"And.... I saw you with someone -- What's his name? Umm...." Thomas taps his chin and thinks.
Emily can feel her body stiffen. Thomas saw her with someone? Who? Mason? James? Did he see what she did with either of them?
"I saw you skating with Mason and Katherine... And then, I saw you with.....James," Thomas ends his sentence with a naughty smirk on his face.
Emily stays silent and waits for Thomas to say more.
"I know that you like James. So... What did you do with him?" Thomas puts both arms on the table and stares into Emily's eyes intensely, acting like an inquisitor.
"W-why did you need to know?" Emily cannot help but stammer.
"Because I'm your brother. I deserve to know."
Emily fidgets with her fingers under the table. Why does she need to tell him? Just because he is her brother? But.... Does she have to tell him that she kissed James on the cheek and confessed that she has feelings for him? Ugh... It is so hard to explain.
Out of the blue, Thomas bursts out laughing and slaps the table. Meanwhile, Emily tilts her head and stares at him quizzically. What is wrong with him?
After Thomas has calmed down, he sighs. "Don't be scared, Milly. I was kidding - again. You don't need to tell me if you're uncomfortable. What I really wanted to know is that if you're happy or not. That is what matters the most. And by the look on your face last night, it seemed like you're enjoying your time, so mission accomplished!"
Emily lets her mouth hang open as she processes the words that just came out of Thomas' mouth. He can be mean and sweet at the same time. But wait... She also wants to know what he did with Luciana's friend last night. She hopes they just talked.
"Umm.. Tom?"
"Yeah? What? You're ready to tell me what you did with James yesterday?" Thomas shoots a smile that is a little creepy, according to Emily.
"No! I just want to ask you something.."
"And what is that?" Thomas immediately turns serious.
"I also saw you with someone last night," Emily gives the same solemn look as she speaks.
"I was always with someone," Thomas jokes and chuckles.
"That's not what I meant. I saw you with a girl from our school. A beautiful girl with long straight hair."
Thomas furrows his eyebrows as he thinks and then says, "Oh! Veronica? Yeah, I saw her."
"So, that's what her name is. Veronica..." Emily nods as she talks to herself.
"Why? Is she one of your friends?"
"Huh.. The opposite, actually," she scoffs.
"The opposite, huh? So... Enemy?" Thomas raises an eyebrow, wondering what Veronica had done that makes his twin sister say that she is her enemy.
"What did you do with her? You were just talking?"
"Yeah, we bumped into each other. And I know her because I have met her before."
"Do you like her?" Emily leans forwards.
Thomas stares at Emily and tries to understand her behaviour and what is going on inside her head.
"Umm... What if I say 'yes'?" he just wants to joke, but she takes it seriously and begins to snap.
"No!!" Emily slams the table with her fists and stands up, towering over Thomas as he leans back, visibly confused. She closes her eyes, inwardly soothing her nerves. "Please tell me that you were just joking. You don't want to say 'yes'."
"I......was just joking," Thomas says, which makes Emily sit down back. He watches on as she props her chin on her palm and stares into space. "What's wrong? You seem upset. I can tell that you don't like Veronica. May I ask why?"
Emily heaves a deep breath. "Do you know who her friend is?"
"Umm... I'm not sure. She has a lot of friends."
"Her best friend?" Emily asks, earning a shrug from Thomas. "Luciana.."
"Her best friend, Luciana? Isn't that......" Thomas trails away as he tries to remember something and when he does, he looks back at Emily with a shocked expression.
"So, you must understand why I don't like her. She is the best friend of someone who made my nose bleed and tried to hit me."
Thomas goes quiet, but then he catches on the words Emily has said. "Wait.. Luciana tried to hit you?"
"Huh?" Emily blinks her eyes as if she has just woken up from a deep sleep.
"You said that Luciana made your nose bleed and I knew about that. But....the part that she tried to hit you? I have no recollection," Thomas shakes his head, staring at Emily worriedly, yet sternly.
"Uhh..." Emily scratches her head. "That's when she spread the picture of me and Raymond. I said something that provoked her, so she raised her hand to hit me, but then her friend....umm....Veronica stopped her because she didn't want Luciana to get into trouble."
Thomas sighs and looks down. "Emily.. Do you know what she did to you?"
"Uh... Bullying?" Emily tilts her head naïvely.
"Exactly! And you just kept it to yourself and didn't tell anyone. Tell me, did anybody ever bully you before?"
"Nothing bad ever happened, as far as I remember. And I am sure that I can take care of myself pretty well," Emily smiles confidently, earning a scoff from Thomas.
"And then, you'd come crying to me," Thomas says teasingly, causing Emily to blush and stand up from her seat. Shannon also has arrived in the kitchen, greeting the twins and taking Emily's plate from the table.
Without wasting much time, Emily walks out of the kitchen after thanking Shannon. She knows that Thomas is following her from behind, and yet she ignores him. It is when the twins hear someone parking their car in front of the entrance that they both stop walking and turn their heads at the door. It seems like William has come home. Thomas turns at Emily, only to find that she has already gone upstairs. He follows her until he sees her sitting on her bed. He enters her room and closes the door.
"I don't know what to do..." Emily mutters whilst staring at her hands on her laps.
Thomas sits beside Emily. "Well... You can't always ignore him. We're in the same house, so it's hard to do that."
Emily does not say anything. Silence surrounds them for a while before Thomas decides to talk.
"Why are you scared to meet him?"
"I... Actually, I am more guilty than scared. But, I'm scared too....that he will get angry with me," Emily says the last part in a soft whisper, but Thomas can clearly hear her.
"Get angry? For what?"
"Because I am the reason that he got into the hospital!" Emily cannot contain herself from snapping furiously.
"I don't think that he will get angry," Thomas sighs.
"How do you know that?"
"I don't know. I just have the feeling. I know how he's like. So, I don't think he will blame you for what had happened," Thomas says and pats Emily's shoulder, giving her the strength.
"But.... I don't know how to talk with him. It must be so awkward."
"Someday, the day will come. Don't think about it so much. You two will bond with each other naturally," Thomas gives his final, sanguine words confidently and stands up to leave, but not before being grabbed at the arm by Emily.
Without hesitating, Emily buries her face into Thomas' sweatshirt whilst wrapping her arms round his waist. She feels him putting his hand at the back of her head and his other hand patting her back.
The twins enjoy each other's company and embrace in warm silence before the youngest one decides to let go.
"Thank you. I really needed that," Emily smiles.
"No problem, kid," Thomas pats Emily's head and then pushes it.
"Hey!" Emily wants to poke his head back, but he manages to avoid it by quickly standing up.
"Bye!" Thomas waves his hand, laughs and leaves the room as fast as lightning.
Emily huffs whilst watching her twin brother closing her bedroom door. Then, she lays her body on the bed and stares at the ceiling intently. Just like what she has said earlier : Thomas can be mean and sweet at the same time.
*******
That night, Andrew comes home later than usual. Sarah makes a cup of hot tea for him while he rests in the living room. Emily descends the stairs to go to the kitchen and her face brightens up as she spots her father sitting on the sofa, which is overlooking the staircase. She had not seen him since last night and she is already missing him.
"Daddy!" she squeals as she skips towards Andrew and plops down beside him. She immediately gifts him a hug, which he returns with the same enthusiasm, but with a bit of weariness due to his countless work.
"Hi, honey," Andrew strokes Emily's head, which always soothes her. She looks up at him and notices his tired face.
"You seem tired," Emily creases her forehead.
"I am, but I'll be fine," Andrew smiles reassuringly whilst rubbing Emily's shoulder tenderly.
"Do you need help with your belongings?" Emily points at Andrew's briefcase and files that are on the coffee table. "I can take them to your office."
"Thank you, but --"
"It's all right, Daddy. I want to help," Emily stands up and goes to pick up the briefcase and files. Andrew also gets up from the sofa.
"You always put these on the table in your office, right?" Emily asks, but there is no response from her father. Hence, she turns around and the sight of her father closing his eyes whilst holding his head like he is in an agonising pain petrifies her.
"Daddy? Are you okay?" she walks forwards to reach for Andrew, but before she can touch him, he collapses onto the floor all of a sudden.
"Daddy!" she kneels down beside him. His eyes are closed and his face is so pale that he looks like a ghost. She does not know what to do. Should she call the others?
"Emily? What's wrong?" Stephen appears from the doorway and peeks his head in. He only sees Emily's head as the sofa blocks his view, so he cannot perceive what she is doing on the floor.
"Stephen! Help!"
Upon hearing Emily's shaky voice and seeing her panicking, Stephen rushes over her.
"How did it happen?" Stephen also kneels down after spotting his stepfather lying unconscious on the floor.
"I-I..... I was just talking to him and when I turned around, I saw him holding his head like he was in pain. A-and then, he fell. I couldn't catch him in time," Emily rambles on and holds Andrew's hand.
Thomas and William arrive and help Stephen picking Andrew up so that he will lie on the sofa. Meanwhile, Sarah wraps her arms round Emily and rubs her shoulders to comfort her.
"What's going on?" Grace approaches her mother, Sarah and tugs on her blouse. Then, she cranes her neck, looking at the men in the living room. "Why is Papa sleeping on the sofa?" she laughs, thinking it is amusing to see her father sleeping on the sofa instead of doing so in bed.
"Papa's tired. That's why he's sleeping on the sofa. Now, what are you doing here? It's your bedtime, right? Let's go," Sarah takes Grace's hand and leads her to the staircase. Before she goes, she gives Emily a gentle, comforting squeeze on her shoulder and smiles.
"Sam won't let me sleep. He keeps jumping on the bed," Grace grumbles as she climbs the stairs one by one.
"Let me talk to him," Sarah giggles.
Emily watches the mother and daughter ascending the staircase before turning her attention back to her father, who is lying on the sofa. She walks towards them and stands near Thomas.
"He's been working too hard. He needs rest," Stephen states after checking Andrew's condition.
"Is it the blood pressure again?" William asks.
Emily swivels her head at him. Again?
Stephen looks at Emily who is confused and then explains, "Seems like it. He used to be like this before. I also noticed that he's working too hard lately."
"Is Dad going to be okay?" Emily speaks, earning the attention of her brothers.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. He just needs to learn how to take a rest between works," Stephen says with his serious doctor face, but with a hint of assuringly gentleness.
Emily nods her head as she feels that she can believe in Stephen. She turns around and meets William's eyes. However, she swiftly averts her gaze and stares at Thomas instead. She also notices the meaningful look Stephen and William give at each other, like they are discussing something in silence that only the two of them can understand.
*******
Andrew wakes up after sleeping for nearly an hour. He sees Emily, who is closing the door after checking on him, but stops midway when she notices her conscious father.
"Daddy?" she walks closer to the bed and kneels beside it.
"Hey," Andrew says and looks around whilst holding his head. He is in his bedroom. He looks a bit confused, so Emily decides to clear it up.
"You fainted in the living room. Stephen said that you've been working too hard that you rarely had any rest."
Andrew stares at his daughter and then sighs when he realises that she is right. Lately, he could not stop working. He felt like there was something unfinished that had to be completed perfectly.
"Don't do that again, please, Daddy. You had me worried," Emily says softly, yet pleadingly.
"I'm sorry, honey. I was so focused on work that I ignored my own health," Andrew shakes his head in disappointment.
"Promise me that you won't do that again," Emily says.
Andrew sits up and leans his body against the headboard. He sighs and then thinks to himself.
"I was so scared when you collapsed in front of me, Daddy. I thought that I might lose you. I don't want that to ever happen," Emily's voice breaks when she speaks, causing Andrew to look back at her.
When she watched her father collapse before her eyes, she felt nothing but terrified and worried. It felt like the time when her mother was shot down by Freddy and she watched her dropping on the floor with blood on her stomach. It traumatises her so much that when her father fell, she could not help but reliving the dreadful moment.
After witnessing his daughter's reaction, Andrew grabs Emily's arms and guides her to sit on the bed and then pulls her into his chest, hugging her to comfort her. He runs his hand across her back as she sobs and tightly hugs him back.
"Emily.. Why are you crying? I'm fine," Andrew says softly.
"I-I don't know. I was so scared that I might lose you. I..... I don't want to lose another parent," Emily croaks.
Andrew pulls Emily away and gazes at her. "I'm sorry for making you feel like that. I'm so sorry.."
"Don't do that again, okay? You have to take care of your health."
"Okay, honey," Andrew nods his head and Emily launches herself back into his arms.
_________________________________________
Chapter 27 ~!
I don't know what to write in this chapter.
Anyway, here it is.
(๑¯ω¯๑)
♡♥♡♥♡♥
Bye-bye !! Love you ~! ❤💙💜