Richard was heading upstairs when his mom stopped him.
"You didn't mention that you've already met Maine," Rio started. "Mary Anne just called. Maine is at home right now. She said that you brought her home."
"I just didn't make a big deal out of it, mom," Richard replied softly.
"She's currently home alone, Jase," she remarked.
"I offered that she stay with us but she refused," he said. "She said and I quote, 'I'm not twelve, RJ. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself.'"
He tried to imitate Maine's voice as he said those words that his mother giggled. She suddenly stopped and stared at her son with wide eyes.
"She called you 'RJ'," Rio gasped, her hand covering her mouth in surprise. "You never let anyone call you 'RJ'."
"Mom," Richard started, a blush forming on his cheeks. "Don't read too much into this."
"Who's reading too much?" She remarked with a smirk. "I'm just stating facts. The only other person who you allow to call you 'RJ' was your brother."
She saw Richard changed demeanor immediately when she mentioned Alden. It was still a sore spot in the family. They rarely mentioned him, especially in front of Richard. The pain was still there but for the couple, they have slowly moved on. It was different for their son though.
Richard still continued to grieve for his brother. One of the reasons why he stayed in the US to continue studying was because he couldn't cope with the loss. He focused on school and when he graduated, he just worked. He had friends and he hung out with them from time to time but most of the time, he stayed in his room with his music or read. A piece of him was missing and he wasn't out searching for that missing piece.
"Sweetheart," Rio said softly as she reached out to her son. "I don't think Alden would want you to keep grieving for him. He would want you to move on. It's been eight years. I'm sure, he wouldn't like what you're doing with your life."
A tear fell down Richard's eye as he gave his mother a tight embrace.
"I don't know how, mom," he whispered.
"Open your heart, Sweetheart," she answered. "Let people in. Let us in."
Rio felt him take a deep breath and let it out slowly. She held him for a few moments more before slowly pulling away.
"You must be tired," she said. "Get some sleep."
"Thanks, mom," he replied. "Good night."
"Good night."
Richard continued to head upstairs. As he passed by Alden's room, he suddenly stopped as he heard someone talking. Brows furrowed, he slowly opened the door to his brother's room and was surprise to hear Maine's voice.
Alden's room was kept intact as he didn't want his parents to keep any of his things. He didn't want the room bare or changed into something else. It was his brother's room. He was still a part of the family. He shouldn't be stored in a storage somewhere so people can forget. He entered and searched the room to find where the voice was coming from. He spotted the two-way radio on the charger/stand and found it on, and he heard Maine's voice coming from it.
"...never got to go around Paris," he heard her say. "A senior FA requested a switch. Well honestly, request isn't the right word for it. It was more of forced to switch with her. Don't tell anyone okay. But Tanya said that if I don't switch with her, she'll make a request to put me back to local flights. And she said that she can make it happened. It's not that I don't like the local flights but let's face it. I want to see the world and getting assigned to the international flights would give me that chance. I got really scared."
"Damn that girl," Richard muttered in disbelief. He'd heard talk about Tanya but he didn't realize it was that bad. He hurt for Maine and what that woman did to her. "I'm gonna have to let Martin know about this tomorrow."
He lay down on Alden's bed and continued to listen to Maine. He didn't realize that she still kept her half of the two-way radio and talked to his brother. 'Was this how she coped with the loss?' He thought as Maine spoke again.
"I guess I should thank her too," Maine said. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been transferred to this new team with Martin Croft. He's a legend! Anybody who wanted a good recommendation to any airlines would want one from Martin. I wish I could stay with his team on this rotation. The guys are alright. And your brother is there too."
Richard perked up when Maine mentioned him. 'What will she say to Rich about me?' He thought.
"Speaking of which," she said. Her voice was a bit serious and high pitched. "I'm a bit upset with you. Why didn't you mention him before? Why did I just find out that you have a twin? You're no fair, Alden! I was really embarrassed when I finally met RJ! I fainted in front of him! I thought he was you!"
Richard barked off a laugh with what he heard. He remembered Maine being so passionate with everything that she did. Hearing her tell stories to her brother put a smile on Richard's face. It was just like the old times.
"He let me call him 'RJ'," he heard her continue. Her voice soft and calming. "He mentioned that he used to call you 'Rich'. I would have loved to have seen your interactions together. That would have been amazing to see. Are you guys opposite in personalities? What's he like? Does he like to read too? Does he play the guitar too? Is he as good as you?"
Richard frowned at those remarks. 'She doesn't know Rich can't sing or play an instrument,' he thought sadly. 'How would I make her believe that I was the one who always sang to her?'
"I'm bushed," Maine said over the radio. "I'll talk to you again soon. I miss you, Alden. Good night!"
When the radio went silent, Richard stayed in his brother's room for a few more moments. Then he got off the bed and turned off the radio.
"Good night, Maine." He said softly as he left the room.