Flowers bloomed into beautiful colors in their garden. Their grass laid as green fairy dust over a thin glass platter. I closed my eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath.
There had been four more cars parked in front of the house. One more luxurious than the other. I could imagine four exact copies of Anthony standing beside each other, all with the same smirk and handsome green eyes. All of them looking right at me.
My thoughts swam around each other, blocking my ability to think straight. My stomach shifted uneasily for each step I would take towards the door. Anthony was in front, walking briskly, his mood glowing around him as a golden fog.
He took my wrist before opening the door and guiding me through the corridors and into a huge living area.
It was a handsome room. The same aroma as the rest of the house owned swirled over this room too. Black and white were dominating, however, red and brown also mingled between the other two nuances. Mostly, it was like a magazine cover, too beautiful to be ruined by sitting in anything. Every white shade was the kind of white there hadn't been touched by any hand and devoid by dust.
The television, bookshelf, and sofa took up the most of the room, together with the bespoken fireplace there leaped in gas flames. Every photograph was black and white, casual and displaying a happy family, not like our arranged ones. The floor was polished and a deep wood color there brought the finishing touch to the room.
Two young men sat on the couch, while two others stood behind, their hands resting peacefully on the couch. The two on the sofa were exact copies of each other and Mr. Martinez, both with the same black fuzzy hair and exciting green eyes there were framed with a pair of thick eyebrows. Their smiles lit their faces up, identifying themselves as Anthony's twin brothers Francisco and Luis.
Behind the couch, the oldest looking brother had a pair of thick black glasses framing his emerald green eyes. His delicate lips copied Gabriella's and Anthony's and were curved into a slight smile. His raven hair softly waved down to his shoulders. He was thinner than Anthony, however, his biceps there showed from under his shirt didn't seem to miss muscles. He was the tallest, over 6 feet.
The guy beside him, the one who didn't stand out like the three others, had taken a step back in the background. Balmy chocolate strings of hair hung before his dull and caramel eyes, illuminating them big and round. His nose broad and round trailed with cute, small freckles. His skin was lighter than the others, resembling a tanned American.
His thin lips were tucked back in a friendly smile and his sharp jawline put a devilishly handsome glow over his face. No ripped muscles sprung from underneath his shirts, he was tall and slender, probably not working out as much as the other brothers.
He resembled someone I couldn't set a finger on, however, as his eyes meet mine one name popped up into my mind; L-
"Harmano." One of the twins was the first to say something, he jumped from the couch, embracing his brother in a tight hug. "What a lovely lady you have brought with you." He eyed me as he pulled away from Anthony. Though his eyes trailed down my body it didn't feel like I was being insulted, it felt friendly.
Anthony glanced back at me, a new and real smile playing on his lips. "This is Nina Watson, my new friend," he said, his arms finding my shoulders and pushing me forward.
Sweat was weird enough the only thing there concerned me in the moment I got pushed towards the Martinez brothers, all of them eyeing me carefully and especially the brown-headed guy seemed to like me in some sort of way.
"So happy to meet you!" The twin said, his hand twirling around mine and shaking violently. "I'm Francisco, however, you can call me Cisco. And I am the only one in this family who knows how to have a good time." It was if his smile sang to me. A joyful melody you always sat on replay.
"You are scaring the living death out of her! Give her some space so her oxygen will not be infected with your stinky breath." The other twin stepped forward, straightening his deep red long sleeved shirt.
I gulped, that had to be Luis.
Luis took my hand as soon as Francisco let go. "Lovely to meet you, Nina, as you may know, I am Luis, that idiots twin brother." He pointed back at Francisco who had traveled to the couch, teasing his two other brothers.
Luis rolled his eyes, turning to look at Francisco, who send a wave of deep laughter through the room.
A string twirled in front of my eye, covering a part of my sight as the tallest brother stepped forward. "A pleasure to meet you, Nina. I'm Manuel, the oldest."
I nodded, watching as he slapped Francisco who had punched him in the back.
While they fought like five-year-olds, the last brother stepped forward from the shadows. He moved like a snake and caramel eyes roamed over me.
"I'm Antonio." As we shook hands, his light shaking stroke up through me. He smiled and quickly recovered his hand in his pocket. He then moved over to hug his little brother. "Long time no seen, Anthony."
"How are you and Sofia doing?"
Antonio smiled, shaking his head. "She is stressed about the wedding and she is also starting to talk about kids-" Anthony interrupted with his laughter and friendly patted Antonio on his shoulder, his legs slightly bent.
"Kids?"
I followed Anthony's laughter there developed into Antonio rolling his eyes. "Yeah, you know the small people who look just like you." Anthony suddenly turned serious, his gaze roaming over Antonio.
"Meaning when I get kids the world will be saved?" he asked, rubbing his chin. This time it was my time to laugh. I held my stomach as I bent over, the first laughter I had heard from my mouth crafted a good mood in my heart.
And all because of one person; Anthony.
Happiness wasn't a thing I experience often, but when I did, I didn't take it for granted. Anthony narrowed his eyebrows at me, before his brother went into a laughter, him following close after.
"What on Earth are you laughing about now?" Luis tangled himself out of the fight, joining us in our best moments filled with joy in its pure form. You could almost fly on it.
Anthony turned his young head and smiled, his laugh filling my ears again.
Normally, a laugh to me would just be a noise coming out of someone's mouth, nothing less and nothing more. A single thing people did daily to display they enjoyed others company, however, as I listened to Anthony, it was so much more.
The laugh sparkled in his eyes and his face changed into someone there always had been hidden beneath the surface. To be honest, it wasn't just his face, it was the depth of the laughter, its weary root of spark there lit a fire in me. A beautiful fire.
Maybe we could be friends?
I glanced around, watching his brothers. They were as a drop of sacred daylight, a different version of the same core.
Gabriella and her flashing smile came wandering into the living room. "Boys." She said it with a shake of her head and as if it was a bad thing. She looked at me, her features melting into the sweetest candy. "Nina? What a lovely surprise."
She embraced me in a tight hug, her hands warm on my back. "Nice to see you again too, Gabriella, I'm sorry about last time."
She shook her head. "Don't be, Darlin'. It's me who need to say sorry." She hugged me tighter, her warmth floating through me. Gabriella squeezed a fraction tighter before letting go, keeping her hands securely on my shoulders. "You have met my sons?"
"Yes, they are exactly how you described them," I answered, smiling.
She turned to look at her sons. "Francisco, don't hit your brother." She walked away from me and towards Francisco, who had lifted his palm, ready to hit his twin brother over the head. I hadn't listened to their conversation, so the reason for this childish behavior was unknown.
Francisco looked at his mom, "are you serious right now?" He looked away again, hitting his brother despised his mother's extremely understandable warning.
"Look at me, Francisco!"
Luis ran for his life, out through the door and away to some mysterious place buried within the massive house. "What a coward," Francisco mumbled, rolling his eyes and jumping down on the couch.
"I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you!" Gabriella shouted, placing herself right in front of Francisco, her hands firmly on her hips and bent a little forward.
"And I'm trying to subtly avoid it!" Francisco answered, crossing his arms over his chest and playing with the gum in his mouth. I bit my lip, looking away from the scene.
They were a happy family, a normal and good family. They loved each other, but still slapped each other every time a given change was given. I wished something like that would happen to me, that I one day would have such a family again. A loving family who teased me, but still loved me more than everything else, who would do anything for me and I would do it in return. I wished I had that.
Sadly, that was just not how it was. My father was an alcoholic drug addict and my mother a workaholic. My brother disappeared and the rest of family is probably some nice place in Europe, far away from our problems and loud voices.
A tear silently ran down my cheek and out of habit I moved my hand up to remove it, however, another was already present. Anthony looked down at me, his eyes concerned. "Are you okay?" he asked, whipping away my tear.
"I'm fine." Another tear followed the first, mingling a little river of a single tear army. My eyes shifted to the side, concentrating on the fine walls feets away. As I blinked, another tear streamed down, joining forces with the one from before.
"You don't look fine."
"Then stop looking." My voice was cold and harsh like the one my father used whenever he would talk to my mother. I wasn't proud, but I couldn't help it.
I bit my lip tightly in an attempt to keep it in, to not let my guard down again. I hadn't the slightest idea if I was sad or just depressed. Something about their loving family made me sad or maybe even jealous, which was a bad thing.
I wanted what they had, but I knew I couldn't get it.
"I need to go home," I said, keeping my head away from Anthony, who sighed deeply.
"Alright." I closed my eyes for a brief moment. "I'll drive Nina home. I'll be back in a minute," Anthony told his family, earning all their attentions. Their eyes stared at me.
"Okay, drive safe," Antonio said.
"I'll look forward to meeting you again, Nina," Manuel added, probably with a sweet smile.
"Come safely home." Gabriella took my hand and I turned to glance at her sweet smile. "And remember you are always welcome here."
"Thanks," I said, pulling my hand into my body and turning from her.
Turning away from the perfect family I was jealous about.
...
It'll make me so happy if you hit that star and vote.