Summary: Cassie and Max celebrate their birthday under the Northern Lights andhave a heart to heart about what's happening in their lives.
Cassie Valentine lay on her back watching the green, red and sometimes yellow-gold lights swirling in the night sky above. Her eyes were round with wonder as she watched the phenomenon known as aurora borealis brighten up the atmosphere above the glass-domed ceiling in a way that she could have never imagined just from photographs.
"It's gorgeous, isn't it?"
She turned at the sound of her twin brother, Max, who lay on the bed beside her, one arm folded beneath his head, his eyes stayed locked on the undulating waves outside.
"Best birthday ever," she exclaimed, smiling when he turned his head to grin back at her.
"Despite the cold?" he teased remembering how much she had complained at the below freezing temperatures in the Arctic circle this time of year.
"Well..." she prevaricated before bursting into giggles. "I couldn't live like this all the time, but for three days and this sight? Absolutely!"
The smile spread to his eyes as he blinked in agreement before turning back to watch nature's light show. Max pulled out his cell phone, adjusting the settings on the camera app to capture the green wall of dancing lights in mid motion and then on video.
"Selfie time," said Cassie, tugging him up to sit beside her as they both turned to face the camera lens, heads together, with the Northern Lights framed behind them.
After a few tries, she was satisfied with how the pictures turned out and pulled up the Pictagram app to post the best one. She changed the caption wording three times before she was happy and pressed the publish button.
"Want one?" he offered her the chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies Sienna had sent with Cassie as a birthday present.
"Don't mind if I do," replied Cassie with gusto as she took one before he changed his mind.
These cookies were his favorite, and she knew how touched he'd been that Sienna cared enough to bake them just for him. She bit into the gooey center, enjoying the nutty crunch and explosion of flavor in her mouth.
"I swear, she could make a killing with these," said Max as he finished the last piece in two quick bites.
"She'd rather bake them for her friends," said Cassie, smiling as she imagined Sienna happiest when concocting recipes in their kitchen.
Max checked his wristwatch and then reached for the bottle of champagne chilling in the bucket behind them. Cassie grabbed the two flutes, handing him one as he popped the cork.
"Happy Birthday, sis!" he said, his lips bussing her cheeks, his glass clinking against hers.
"Happy Birthday, big brother!" she grinned, falling back on the old joke between them. "You're the best brother a girl could ever have."
He raised his flute in a toast. "Right back atcha!"
"Right on time," he said as both their phones signalled an incoming text.
"They never fail," said Cassie reading the message from their parents in the group chat.
"They're the best," said Max, tapping out a reply while she did the same, promising to call them later during the day.
For the next few minutes, they both enjoyed the bubbly drink in silence, lost in the view. The glass igloo was warm despite the cold outside and the quiet soothing even though it should have been eerie.
Setting aside the empty flute, Cassie lay back down and pulled up the covers, wanting to cocoon herself in the warm blankets as her mind started to wander.
She glanced over at Max and noticed that his eyes had a faraway look. Knowing him as well as she did herself — the advantage of being twins and best friends — she knew that he was no longer focused on the lights either.
"Want to talk about it?" she asked, turning to her side and propping herself on one elbow.
He quirked one eyebrow, pretending to not understand and then he sighed when her earnest expression told him it wasn't working.
"Sophie and I ended our arrangement," he said, sitting up to face her.
"Was it her idea or yours?" asked Cassie, her hand reaching for his in sympathy.
"Mine," he said, squeezing her hand. "Friends with benefits whenever either of us was in the mood? Sounded nice in theory and it was fun the last couple of years. But, I dunno, it was starting to feel empty, especially these past few months."
Cassie stayed silent, her eyes never leaving his as he steepled his fingers together before tapping them against his lips.
"I feel...stuck, and maybe a bit lost," he said, pausing as he sought to find the right words. "I'm still not sure I believe in the whole Valentine Gift of finding your soulmate, that one person you're meant to be with. But then I watch our parents, you and Ethan, and I think, why not me?"
"You deserve love, Max," said Cassie, her tone serious. "But you have to be open to it. You haven't been, not really, since Eva. You're kind and you're generous, and there's someone out there for you that will see those qualities for what they are. You need to let yourself believe though, because it's the only way."
Max didn't respond, but he did nod to show that he'd heard her.
Cassie pursed her lips as she thought about everything happening back home. Ethan's mother returning, the night after the Mass Kenmore game, and this pit-in-her-stomach feeling she'd felt before getting on the plane yesterday.
She uncurled from her position to sit cross-legged across from her brother.
"Twin Code," she said, waiting until he nodded in agreement. "Ethan's been pulling away from me, ever since we went to spy on his mother. I thought after the softball game we would talk about it, but then his dad showed up and I don't know what they discussed. He won't tell me."
She took a deep breath. "I didn't tell you everything before. His mom left him and his father 25 years ago, but Alan, his dad, still loves her. Ethan can't reconcile why when she abandoned their family. And from what I saw when we followed her, I'm not sure she's back for altruistic reasons."
"Have you told him your suspicions?" asked Max when she didn't continue.
"I wanted to, but I saw his face when I told him she was proud of her son. And I knew that a part of him is still that eleven-year-old boy who wants to believe his mom loves him. I can't take that away from him," she said with a small shrug, not meeting his eyes. "I worry though that he's having second thoughts about us. That he might want to protect his heart because he also can't forget that she did leave him. I can't make him want to stay."
"Hey," said Max, taking both her hands in his and forcing her to look up. "I know you remember the stories grandmother told us about Valentines that met their one true love. But what you sometimes forget is that they all had to work at it, to fight for that love. Even Alma."
"I wonder what some of those Valentines would have done with Dr. Ramsey," she joked.
"You always tell me that you guys are inevitable," urged Max ignoring her attempt to deflect. "If you believe that, truly believe it, then you're going to get hurt, Cassie, because that's inevitable too. When you do, you have to stand right back up and fight for him. If you can't do that, then maybe you do need to let him go."
"I can't," she said quietly. "There is something missing, when he's not here with me."
"Then you know what you have to do," he affirmed. "When you get back to Boston. For now, let's just enjoy turning another year older."
"But not necessarily wiser," said Cassie with a laugh as she poured more champagne.
Several hours later as the night sky eventually gave way to dawn, Cassie was snuggled under the warm blankets, her breathing even. Max woke just as the sun was rising in the sky, bathing the trees with its warm light so that they sparkled in the distance.
He was used to getting up early and going about his day, but today he just lay in bed reflecting on the conversation with Cassie last night. If there was one person in this world who knew him better than he knew himself, it was his sister. So, he needed to consider she was right.
A short while later, he climbed out of bed and got ready for the day ahead. Cassie would sleep a while longer; he knew better than to force her out of bed on her day off. Luckily, the rest of their birthday plans weren't happening until after lunch and there was no rush. Still, he wished they could prolong their time together because she always made him feel lighter.
He tidied up from their impromptu party last night and realized that he had never thanked Sienna for her thoughtful present. As he pulled up her number on his phone, he remembered that it was exactly a year ago today that he'd met her for the first time.
Theirs was an unlikely friendship, he thought, mentally calculating the time difference to make sure he was catching her at a good time. But despite their differences and the fact that they hardly spent much time together in person, it worked for them.
Opposites or not, his two dolphins knew exactly what to say and do to cheer him up.