Easton
Kris and I are currently driving back to our house.
And Kris is unusually silent.
She always talks about something or the other all the time and hardly ever stays silent.
The fact that she is not speaking at all right now only confirms my assumption that she has figured out something.
And I'm pretty sure she has a lot of doubts.
Her silence is enough proof for me to conclude that.
I didn't try to start a conversation either.
At a time like this I prefer to stay silent too.
After some time, Kris herself will come to me with her thoughts.
After a few minutes of driving in silence, we finally reached the house.
Kris got out of the car first and I followed suit.
As I entered the house, I saw her sitting on the sofa in the living room, seriously.
I sighed and sat beside her.
We sat in absolute silence for a while, she was waiting for me to start and I was waiting for her to speak.
After a little more while in silence, she finally huffed and looked at me.
"Who is Angelina, Tony?", she asked calmly.
"A friend.", I replied.
It isn't a lie and neither is it the truth but I don't want to disclose anything without knowing how much Kris has figured out.
"A friend who resembles aunt Lil?", she asked calmly with a hint of sarcasm.
Of course she identified!
No wonder she is at the top of her batch in the university.
"What exactly do you want to know?", I asked, looking at her without a trace of expression on my face and blank eyes.
"Who is Angelina?", she asked, coming directly to the point, as ever.
"Who do you think she is? She is just a random friend.", I said flatly, trying my best to avoid any suspicion but I know that my sister is far more intelligent to buy my vague answers.
"A friend who is nine years younger to you, who resembles our aunt Lil and lastly, you seem to know a bit too much about her family.", she said, looking straight in my eyes.
"Before you deny it, I would like to point out that befriending a person who is far younger to you is fine but knowing people from her family is a bit odd. And moreover, the way her brother reacted to you is not normal either. The fact that you know almost two other people from her family when you call her a random friend is unbelievable. Above all, she resembles aunt Lil a bit too much that it's impossible to call it a coincidence.", she completed calmly, looking straight in my eyes.
I did not expect any less from my sister.
As observant and spontaneously calculative as ever!
"Tony?", she probed again.
"Angelina is aunt Lil's daughter.", I stated calmly, looking at her.
Her eyes widened just for a second and she looked back at me curiously, waiting for me to tell more.
But I remained silent.
"It's a little surprising but I don't understand. If Angelina is aunt's daughter, why did we not know about her till now? Why did you never have an idea that our aunt had a daughter? How did she end up with the other family? Who are they?", she asked, more like questioning all the possibilities with a frown and a deep thoughtful expression.
"I don't have answers to any of your questions, Kris. Except that she is a Marino now, belonging to the Marino family. I don't know how she ended up with them but she has been with them since her birth.", I said calmly.
"Did they adopt her at birth? Where was aunt then?", she asked with a frown.
"No. They didn't adopt her. Moreover, aunt was reported dead the day Angel was born.", I said, making her frown deepen.
"If they didn't adopt her then how did she end up with them?", she asked.
"I have no idea how and I'm still investigating it but I did understand that somehow, Arianna and Angel got swapped.", I said.
"What?", she asked, shocked and surprised.
"Yes, it seems so. Arianna, despite being the biological daughter of the Marino family, was raised by the Jensons and was brought to their home only a few months ago. And Angel, even though not related by blood, was raised by the Marinos. It only suggests that they were somehow swapped.", I said.
"I don't understand. According to what you are saying, the Marinos never knew that Arianna existed until a few months ago. It means they thought Angelina was their biological family member. But did they not feel it was odd that she didn't share any genetic traits with them?", she asked the same question that's been bugging me for a few days now.
"I don't have an answer to that yet, princess. I'm trying to dig up as much information as possible. It's quite a tough job to gather information about the Marinos.", I said with a disappointed expression.
"I'm sure you'll find more about them in no time. But I don't understand, why are you hiding this from us, from mom and dad and why are you hiding the truth from Angelina?", she said with a soft expression and a slight frown.
"At first I didn't want to raise false hopes but after I confirmed who exactly she is, I still somehow couldn't tell it.", I said with a sigh.
"What do you mean?", she asked softly.
"Her family, Kris. I don't know how and when I started admiring their family but I just couldn't bring myself to tell her. She looked happy around her family. Though they are not biologically related, they looked every inch like a normal family. For a moment there, I felt like an intruder though she is my sister by blood and not theirs. The thought of disrupting that small and weirdly beautiful family is something I couldn't bring myself to do.", I said, looking at her with a soft expression.
Her frown cleared, replaced by an expression of understanding.
"But why did you have to hide it from mom and dad?", she asked.
"What do you think the first thing they'll do once they get to know about aunt's child?", I asked.
"They'll feel happy.", she said with a frown.
"They will. But after that, they'll want Angel to come to our home. They'll not be ready to leave her with the Marinos. Dad can be reasoned with but mom? Absolutely not. Especially when it comes to aunt Lil, she doesn't listen to anyone. There's no way I'll be able to convince her that Angel is happy with how she is right now.", I said.
"But are you sure that she's really happy? What if we're missing something?", she asked.
"By observing her and her family closely for so many days, I concluded that she is happy and especially when I saw the way her eldest brother looked at her, it reminded me of dad and you.", I said, looking at her gently.
She smiled softly and placed her head on my shoulder with a sigh.
"I trust your judgment, Tony. But how far is it correct to hide it from mom? You know how much she loves aunt Lil.", she said softly.
"I know, princess. But I'll tell them when the time is right. Mom would never allow Angel with the Marinos and I don't want her to involuntarily be the cause of disruption in a family. I'll tell them when I feel the time is right.", I said.
She hummed but didn't say anything for a while.
"What exactly happened to aunt Lil, Tony?", she asked, breaking the silence.
I took a sharp breath at the pool of memories that came flooding in at her question.
It was a very dark and painful day in my life, in all of our lives.
Mom had it the worst.
She just gave birth to Zay a few months before we got the news of aunt's death and she was also weak during that time due to the complications she faced at the time of giving birth.
I still remember the fear that ran through every vein of my body when I overheard the doctors speaking to my dad about mom's condition during the time of birthing.
But little did I expect I'd receive the worst news just a few months later.
That day when we received a call from the hospital stating Liliana Miller was dead, dad and mom rushed to the hospital.
I didn't see my aunt until the day of the funeral which was hosted by mom and dad.
Dad didn't allow me to see her at first and when I finally saw her..........
"Tony!", Kris's loud voice broke me out of my thoughts.
I jerked a little startled at her sudden loud voice.
"You've zoned out. I was calling you for some time now but you-", she was saying but stopped when I looked at her with a blank expression.
Her expression softened and a small frown of concern formed on her face.
She hugged me gently but I didn't move.
Remembering those days of my past always makes me numb. Probably because being numb is far easier than facing reality.
"Mom walked away without a word when I asked the same question and now you became sad too. I thought you'd be able to say what happened but I didn't know that question would cause you so much pain. I'm sorry. I'll never ask about it again.", she said softly and the depth of guilt in her voice startled me.
I gently broke the hug and held her by her shoulders.
"Hey, princess. What's with this guilt? Neither mom nor I would ever blame you for asking about aunt. It's just that we still haven't got over a few things. It's not your mistake. It never was.", I said gently yet firmly, looking straight into her eyes with a soft expression.
She nodded.
"What's with that grim face? Smile for me now.", I said and she chuckled softly.
"That's more like you. Now, come on! I'll cook something for you before you leave.", I said, standing up, trying to dodge the disturbing topic.
"Ugh. Why's time passing so soon?", she whined.
"I already ordered the jet to be kept ready for you. There's little time left for you to leave, so tell me what do you want me to cook?", I asked, walking towards the open kitchen with Kris following me lazily.
"Choco chip waffles.", she said, excited.
I shook my head with a smile and walked to the kitchen to fulfill her demand.
While I was doing what she asked me to, she kept telling me about everything and anything happening at her university.
After a while, when she stopped talking, I looked at her seriously.
"Kris, do not at any cost tell mom and dad about Angelina.", I said firmly.
"I won't.", she said, looking at me seriously.
"Not even dad, Kris. Promise me.", I said firmly, looking straight in her eyes.
"You're making this difficult, Tony. You know I never hide anything from dad. But fine. I promise I won't tell anyone until you ask me to.", she said seriously, looking at me.
I nodded and resumed what I was doing.
The rest of the evening went good with Kris and I eating together and I dropped her at the airport where our private jet was waiting.
"Take care, study well and absolutely no boyfriends.", I said, looking at her.
"Yes, sir.", she said with a salute making me chuckle.
I gently kissed her forehead and she walked away after giving me a hug.
Phew!
Kris wouldn't tell anything to mom and dad now that she has promised not to.
I should now call my sulking brother to console him for getting grounded by mom for his heights of negligence.
Finally, after two days of constant anxiety, I am rest assured that Kris won't tell anything to my parents about what I found here.
Now I can do things more freely as Kris will take care of any small suspicion my parents might get.
But life hardly ever goes the way we plan!
Arianna
"Do you think the brother Easton mentioned is Theo?", Angel asked with a thoughtful expression.
"How is it possible?", I asked.
"After watching Theo's encounter with Kris, I analyzed their reactions with my knowledge of love and I concluded that they stared at each other longer than necessary.", she stated seriously.
"And?", I asked, not understanding what she's stating.
"And it means they had a spark of attraction between them.", she said, excited.
I gave her a flat look.
"Really.", she insisted with a pout.
"But did they not meet just yesterday? How would Easton even know about their so-called attraction if he was not even present there when they were staring at each other?", I asked.
"You're right too. Then does that mean it's not Theo?", she thought out loud.
"Probably.", I replied.
"It means-", she was saying but I cut her off in the middle.
"There is some other brother who Easton was referring to.", I completed her statement.
Right now, Angel and I are lying on my bed in my room and discussing what happened at the mall today with Kris and Theo.
"Hmm. Who else could it be?", she asked.
"Maybe Ace, like Elio said.", I suggested.
"Maybe. We'll both ask Easton tomorrow. We should not let him go till he answers us.", she said seriously.
"But how can we convince him to tell?", I asked.
"Use our infamous puppy eyes of course.", she said with a smirk.
"And you think it works?", I deadpanned.
"We'll try at least.", she huffed.
We then discussed Thanksgiving and our winter break.
The night went on as usual.
The next day, we went to school and had a common free hour before lunch.
So, we decided to meet Easton then.
"Hey all, leave for lunch if I don't come here before break.", I said, looking at my friends.
"Where are you going?", Leah asked with a frown.
"To meet Angel.", I said, skipping the part about Easton.
"And why so suddenly?", Mae questioned.
"There's something we need to discuss.", I said in a hurry.
"Fine.", Leah said with an understanding smile.
I waved at them and walked towards the staircase on the east corridor and spotted Angel, waiting for me.
"Let's go!", Angel exclaimed excitedly once I reached her.
While we were walking to the office room where the Principal mentioned Easton would be, I looked at Angel's excitement and chuckled.
"Why are you so excited?", I asked.
"I'm curious as to who among our ever serious brothers could possibly be liking a girl.", she said with a smile.
"What if Easton just said that as a prank?", I thought out loud.
"No way!", she exclaimed with a frown.
Just then we reached his cabin door.
I knocked at the door and heard a faint come in.
I opened the door and walked in followed by Angel.
Easton was sitting at his table and smiled when he looked at us.
"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?", he asked with a small smile.
"We just wanted to meet you.", I said with a smile.
"Wow! That's news.", he said with amusement in his eyes.
"Why are you not asking us to sit?", Angel asked.
Easton looked at her with a chuckle and I internally facepalmed myself at her bluntness.
"Please take a seat.", he said, gesturing towards the two seats opposite to him.
Both of us sat down but didn't say anything.
"Well?", he probed.
I nudged Angel a little and she nudged me back.
I smiled at him and slightly kicked her foot under the table and she did the same.
Huff!
How come she's silent! The whole idea was hers.
"I presume you're here to ask something. So ask away.", Easton said gently.
I cleared my throat and looked at him.
"Um Kris uh she is an interesting person and very easy to get along with.", I said a bit too fast.
"Thank you. I'll let her know you liked her. She liked you both too.", he said with a gentle smile, ignoring my evidently suspicious behavior.
"About her, what do you think about her boyfriend?", Angel asked.
Oh god!
What is she saying?
Easton stiffened at her question and his smile was gone.
He had a stoic face and his eyes turned cold, filled with an emotion that was very much visible.
Protectiveness!
"She doesn't have a boyfriend.", he said a bit too firmly, looking straight at Angel.
For a moment there, he looked like a totally different person from what we've known him as.
"What if she likes someone?", Angel asked further.
What the hell!
Is she not seeing the way his demeanor changed at her previous question?
Why is she pushing him further?
"Then I'll have to approve of him first before they can continue dating.", he said with a deceptively calm voice but the hints of coldness didn't go unnoticed.
The way his eyes turned darker and his voice went a few octaves lower sent a chill down my spine.
He looked scary!
I looked at Angel through my peripheral view and understood she was scared a little too.
At that moment, I understood that though Easton is a calm and gentle person, there is one nerve no one should dare to touch, his sister, Kristen.
His reaction is so similar to my brothers when I discussed the possibilities of me liking someone in the future. They reacted the same way. Dylan was more than furious about the possibility of me falling in love.
"What if you like someone?", Angel asked.
His eyes turned gentle again and a small frown formed on his face.
I released a much needed breath I didn't even know I was holding after the tension in the air cleared somewhat.
"What if I do?", he asked with a frown.
"Won't the girl you like need your sister's approval too?", she asked, looking at him.
"Of course she does.", he said.
"And won't you need the approval from the girls' brothers if she has any?", she asked.
"I do. I definitely need the approval of the girl's family too. I'm not a hypocrite. I don't apply different rules for my sister and different rules for me and my supposed future girlfriend.", he said calmly.
At that moment it struck me as to what she's trying to do here.
I smirked internally at her intelligence.
She sure is quick witted when it comes to topics like these!
"Then don't you think we should at least know which of our brothers is attracted to a certain girl?", I asked, looking at him.
"As you said we should also know what type of girl our brother is interested in and if she is good for him or not. And knowing which brother is going through that phase is bare minimum.", I continued seriously.
Angel looked at me with a knowing smile and winked.
I pressed my lips to stop smiling.
He looked at me with an amused smile.
"You girls got me there.", he said with a chuckle, looking away.
Angel and I exchanged quick glances and exchanged a gesture of thumbs-up under the table.
"Fine. I'll tell you which brother of yours I talked about but I won't tell you who the girl is.", Easton said calmly, looking back at us.
"But why?", I asked.
"Knowing about your brother is fine but I think it would be appropriate for your brother to introduce that girl to you.", he said calmly.
I nodded with an understanding smile and Angel pouted.
"I guess it's fair.", I said, looking at Angel.
"Fine, if you say so.", she said with a small huff.
We then looked at him, waiting for the revelation.
Angel looked almost like an evil scientist with wide eyes and a grin.
Easton sighed and looked at us.
"Dylan", he said.
There was utter silence in the room after he said that.
Angel and I looked at each other with a flat expression and looked back at him with tight lips and half closed eyes.
"Can you tell us the truth now?", I asked with a blank expression and a hint of sarcasm.
He looked at me with a raised brow.
"What's that supposed to mean?", he asked.
"It was just for fun right? Now tell us really who that brother of ours is.", Angel said, looking at him with a blank expression as well.
"You don't believe me? It really is Dylan. I don't call it love but he surely seems to have a crush on a certain girl in this school.", he said calmly, looking at both of us.
Angel giggled and started laughing and I couldn't control my own laughter.
Easton looked at us with a small, confused smile.
Dylan has a crush?
That's the joke of the year.
How can a person who is always annoyed possibly have a crush? A secret one at that.
Impossible!
We laughed for a while and looked at him once we stopped.
"You've got to be kidding us! This was a prank from the start right?", Angel asked.
"Believe what you want to but I'm just stating my observations. To trust me or not is your choice.", Easton said nonchalantly.
"Are you really serious?", I asked.
"I haven't fallen that low to joke around about this topic with a person's sisters. Anyway, why is it so hard to believe that Dylan has a crush?", he asked with a faint frown.
Of course it's hard to believe that Dylan has a crush!
It's terribly hard to even imagine it.
"Are you sure?", Angel asked once again.
"I told you already. I told you what I saw and now it's your own decision to make whether to believe me or not.", he said calmly.
Angel and I looked at each other with a frown.
How is this possible?
"It's always the people acting tough and ignorant all the time the ones who can easily hide that they have a crush since no one actually believes or even guesses that they do.", he said calmly, looking at us with an amused expression.
Before we could say something more, his phone started ringing and he excused himself saying he needed to take the call.
Angel and I walked out of his cabin in utter silence, each one of us in our own thoughts, wondering if what we just heard is really true.
We wordlessly walked to the yard behind our school building and sat at our usual bench.
I sighed and looked at Angel.
"I think he is telling the truth.", I said.
"I feel the same but it's really hard to even imagine.", she exclaimed.
"I know right! Even I can't bring myself to believe it.", I said.
"But I also think Easton would not purposefully lie about something like this. I don't know why I trust him but it's just my gut feeling.", I said, looking at her.
"I believe him too, Anna but who could possibly have gained Dylan's attention.", she said with a thoughtful expression.
"The girl must be really interesting.", Angel commented.
"And strong and confident.", I added.
She looked at me with a frown.
"Don't you remember? Dylan once said that he likes girls who are strong and confident.", I said.
"Was he describing his crush when he said that?", she asked.
"Possible.", I replied.
"But finally, we solved the case, Agent Science.", she said seriously.
"Indeed, Agent Arts.", I said seriously too.
We then shook our hands seriously but laughed out not being able to continue the act anymore.
"I'm really curious as to who that girl is.", I said.
"Same here. But Easton wouldn't tell us about her. Ugh. The curiosity is going to kill me.", she whined.
"Right! I really want to know who she is.", I huffed.
That's when a throat clearing interrupted our conversation.
We looked back and froze seeing the person standing a few feet away from our bench.
Oh no!
Dylan!
*********************************************************************
Phew! That was a very long chapter!
How was the chapter?
What is your opinion on Easton and Kris?
What do you think happened to Angel's mom?
What do you think about Dylan and his crush?
How do you think the girl he likes is going to be?
Don't forget to vote, comment and follow.
Yours lovingly,
Author.