05
We danced in shades of red, a love that felt so right,
But as the colors faded, we lost our guiding light,
The passion turned to whispers, the hope began to fade,
I'm left here in the darkness, where love and dreams decayed.
- Alexia Rey in "crimson"
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Following dinner, Alexia helped Livvy sneak Tyler out of the house by acting as a distraction. Her sister was grateful for the assistance that she provided and thanked her profusely. Alexia had just shrugged her sister off and shook her head, a slight smile playing at her lips when her sister had spoken about the boy. She could tell her sister liked him, but she made no effort to push her sister into admitting that. The time would come when her sister would confide as such in her, just as she always did.
If there was one thing Livvy was poor at, it was keeping secrets. Her flaw worked in Alexia's favor, however, as she was the only one her sister ever confided secrets in. As such, Alexia had always been quite comfortable telling her sister anything, which may be part of the reason that she was her sister's weakness when it came to secret keeping.
The two sisters sat side by side on the lounge chair off to one side of Alexia's room. The chair fit the two of them snugly but was narrow enough that their hips pressed together at all times. Alexia had her phone in her hand, and Livvy was lounging next to her with her head resting against Alexia's shoulder.
Since she'd posted the photo before dinner, her follower count had gone up by almost 50,000, and the photo had reached 100,000 likes. Those numbers scared her, but mentally, they also cemented her decision. She'd introduced herself to the world, and there would be no going back.
"Is that really the type of photo you should have posted as your first with a public account?" Livvy asked skeptically.
Alexia rolled her eyes, "Not that it matters now, but I've posted photos like that one before, and I didn't delete or archive them, meaning anyone who scrolled through my account would have seen them. Besides, what's wrong with it?"
"Oh, nothing's wrong with it," Livvy answered.
"Then why question it?"
"I don't know," Livvy frowned. "God, I wish I had your confidence in your body."
Alexia sighed, "I've had over a decade of more time to accept who I am and what I look like than you have. It'll come. Give it time. You're gorgeous, Livvy, don't ever forget that."
Livvy playfully shifted herself so her shoulder poked into her sister's stomach, causing Alexia to let out a small grunt and bring her arms up to wrap them around her sister's neck. She didn't really put any pressure into the gesture, but her sister immediately began to choke and claw at her throat dramatically.
Alexia loosened her grip even further and then let her sister go entirely, only for her sister to shift her body weight on top of her and grab her wrists with one hand. With the other, Livvy began to relentlessly assault her sister with targeted tickles aimed specifically at places where Livvy knew Alexia was ticklish.
Alexia began to squirm and laugh beneath her sister's weight but decided against fighting her for a moment. Instead, she remained under her sister's attack for a few long moments, spasming with forced laughter at the well-placed tickles from her sister's practiced fingers.
Finally, she had enough and, using her superior strength and weight, reversed their positions and allowed her weight to fall fully onto her sister's chest. Then, smiling brightly down at her younger sister, Alexia playfully stretched her arms above her head and let out a dramatic yawn. Livvy tried to squirm out from under her but was completely unsuccessful because of the dramatic difference in weight between the two.
"I yield. Get off me, oaf," Livvy muttered.
Alexia laughed but rolled off of her. The two sisters settled into a comfortable silence, both taking heavy breaths to recoup the air they lost in the tussle. Alexia picked up her phone from where it had fallen to one side of the chair during the scuffle and tapped the screen to turn it on. The home screen, a selfie of Alexia and Livvy on the beach with their arms wrapped around each other and goofy grins on their lips, illuminated the dim room.
"Ah, the good old days..." Livvy sighed.
Alexia stifled a laugh, shaking her head at her little sister, "That was two years ago, Livvy. Was that really so long ago?"
The younger girl looked up at her defiantly, "Yes."
Alexia made no effort to stifle her second laugh. Livvy punched her lightly in the stomach, and Alexia chose to embellish the contact, shifting forward and clutching her stomach as though she had been punched full strength in the gut.
"What, are you LeBron James now?"
"What does that even mean?"
Livvy snorted, "I honestly have no idea. It's something Tyler said to me once after I faked an injury."
The two fell silent for a moment before Alexia spoke, "Livvy..."
"You want to know about my relationship with Tyler," Livvy sighed, cutting her off.
"That wasn't what I was going to ask, but now that you mention it, yes. I didn't even know you liked him when you went to school together. Isn't he the type of boy that Mamá taught us to avoid?"
"He was," Livvy admitted quietly. "Honestly, he probably still is."
"Then, why?"
"He treats me nicely. He brought me flowers the other day."
"The ones on your desk? He brought them?"
"Yeah," Livvy whispered. "It feels so nice to have someone treat me like this. Is it so wrong to like how he treats me?"
"No," Alexia responded, shifting on her side so she could look her sister in the eye. "That's not wrong at all. It's natural to like that. Has he asked for anything from you in return?"
"No," Livvy immediately denied. "Not once. He keeps trying to take me out for dinner, but I know Mamá doesn't want us going into public restaurants right now, so I tell him no."
"Why are you concerned, then?" Alexia asked. "Don't pretend you aren't; you know I can always tell."
Livvy sighed, "I like him. I do. I really do, but I'm not sure I like him the way he likes me."
Alexia remained quiet, and her sister continued, "I like the way he treats me. I like the way he gives me gifts. I love how he always wants to be around me, and I like being around him. But still, he doesn't feel right for me. Why?"
Alexia placed a soft hand on her sister's shoulder, "That isn't a question I can answer for you, Liv. That's something you will need to figure out for yourself."
Livvy shook her head, "I don't want to lead him on. I don't want to hurt him."
"You know, Livvy, the point of having the type of relationship you have with Tyler at your age is to have fun, yes, but it's most importantly a great way for you to become more in tune with what and who you like. You aren't leading him on if you haven't given him the impression that you want to be more than friends."
Livvy silently listened to her sister's advice until she stopped speaking and then let out another long sigh. "Why are you so wise?"
Alexia laughed, "I was born wise."
"Oh, fuck off," Livvy groused, grabbing a pillow from the ground next to the chair and playfully hitting Alexia in the chest with it.
Alexia let the pillow hit her and then grabbed it, ripping it from her sister's grip. She raised it above her head threateningly. Her sister held up her hands in surrender. Alexia allowed the pillow to drop through her fingers and fall onto the ground next to them. The two sisters fell into a comfortable silence once more.
"What are you going to do next?"
Alexia frowned, "What? Do next? What are you talking about?"
"You're famous now, dork! You need to take advantage of that!"
"Oh, I do? What would you suggest?"
"Make a TikTok account dedicated to your music and post one of your many songs! Make another cover of a Taylor Swift song! I don't know, but do something!"
Alexia smiled, "I will, I will. I don't want to rush anything, Livvy. I was given a platform because of someone else's work. I want to earn a platform for myself."
"For God's sake, shut up," Livvy shook her head. "Your morality is really annoying. If I were in your shoes, I'd leap at this opportunity."
Alexia shook her head, "I know you would, Livvy, and I appreciate your advice. I really do. But I need to take this at my pace. I don't want to rush anything."
Livvy nodded, letting out another sigh, "I had to try," she muttered.
"Just for you, I'll post an update to Instagram. Is that fair?"
"What kind of an update?"
"You'll see."
liked by LivvyRated123, taylorswift, and 73,490 others
alexiarey the tale to be told, begins thus...#crimson
LivvyRated123: That's my sis! Love ya!
NoahtheGay_: Superstar in the making. Don't forget me.
user1: Oh shit. It's time!
user2: Can't wait to hear it!
user3: Mother liked the post! If she supports you, I support you!
user4: You have the Music Industry's approval! Can't wait to hear it!