ALAYNAIn Lawrence, I grew up not only with my twelve adopted siblings but with three other kids close to my age. Jason, his older brother Christopher, and Arianna Valentine. They were the children of a very kind couple who lived across from our house. However, an ill-fated tragedy befell their family and they lost both their parents. Mom and Dad adopted them, along with our still growing family.
They’re not merely my neighborhood friends but my siblings—at least that’s what we all thought and promised back then. In their hearts, I belong to their small family.
We shared many things. Arianna used to be my playmate even before the adoption. We bathed together as babies. Our mothers were best friends. We all went to high school together, slept in the same room, shared clothes, celebrated holidays and birthdays. We had the same taste in food, had our first crushes together, cried, fought... we’re practically inseparable. And Jason and Chris would fight those who would try to bully us like the dependable brothers they were. Those were the glory days I thought would never end until they suddenly needed to leave, to have their own lives without us... without me.
After Arianna and I graduated from high school, the Valentines left Lawrence. It was a heartbreaking day, and I didn’t know what to do without them. I felt like I’d lost an enormous piece of my identity. I realized I basically followed them everywhere, did the things we enjoyed together, shared the same dreams. Suddenly, it was all gone. Everything we’d promised we’d do and achieve together vanished in a flash. I was a little angry, to be honest, but I still wished for their happiness.
I hadn’t heard from them since, and I missed them so much.
But now they’re here in New York.
Too many questions flood my mind. Why are they here? How did they find me? Why didn’t they come home to visit? Are we all still the siblings I thought we were?
But they’re coming back to see me. They probably looked for me, right? Or possibly Mom? She’s the only person who knows where I am. Maybe.
A part of me itches to call the phone number on the card, but what would I say? I’m out of words. My hands go all sweaty, and my heart drums an accelerated beat.
I’m thrilled, happy, sad, nostalgic, and exasperated at the same time. I take a deep breath and calm the weird emotions going through me all at once.
I should get myself ready first. I need to think this through. I shove the calling card into my back pocket, not wanting to damage the paper with dripping wet hands. I start scanning my wardrobe.
“Alayna? You still aren’t dressed?” Casey comes into my room just after seven. She promised to come by after serving Brandon’s dinner. From what she said, Brandon’s been with Pauline in his study the entire day. Also, he inquired why his sister was delivering his meals instead of me, but Casey and I agreed not to tell him about my dinner with Cassius. I’ve finished my to-do list for today anyway.
“What do you think I should wear? The blue one or the lilac one?”
Casey peers at the choices, thinking. “Both are pretty.” She glances at the mountain of clothes on my bed. “Why, Alayna! You’ve just emptied your wardrobe!”
“I can’t decide. I’m not good with this!”
“You’re doing just fine. Both will compliment your skin tone, but I’d definitely choose the blue one. It’s vibrant and shows more legs.”
“Great. I’ll wear this one then.” I toss the lilac dress and lift the blue one to eye level. It is a vibrant royal blue in a stylish off-shoulder silhouette, curvy finish with a hi-low hem.
“Now, let’s see it on you,” she says.
I take off my bathrobe and slip into the dress while Casey circles behind me to close the zipper. Excitedly, I turn around in front of the full-length mirror, flaunting my curves and my legs. I bought this dress when I attended the employees’ party at the Palazzo Franchetti. I found it on sale when I was still in Venice. The lilac one Mom just tucked into my suitcase during my last visit.
“Oh, now that’s very nice. Semi-formal, yet casual.” Casey lifts my hair at the backside to a high ponytail, then leaves some strands down by my ears. “This looks good too. Come on. Let’s put the finishing touch.” She sits me down in front of my vanity table and starts her fairy godmother magic.
I still have ten minutes before my dinner date with Cassius, but I don’t want to make him wait, and it’s probably better to arrive there early—just like Ms. Lennie always says: Early ison timeCasey begs to take me to the terrace because she wants to see her brother’s reaction, which I allow. She can’t stop saying how gorgeous I am tonight, but of course that’s because of her skill. Casey’s artistic side always fascinates me, and because I’m so thankful I let her accompany me.
Enthusiastically, she sprints first to the glass door that leads to the terrace. She pushes the door and peeks outside.
“Is Cassius already there?” I ask.
“Oh my God.” She covers her mouth.
I blink. “What? What happened?”
She grins sweetly at me. “See for yourself.”
Casey holds the door as I proceed. I may not be sure about my relationship with Cassius, but my heart is still drumming against my ribcage. Perhaps it’s all about whatever Casey saw, or I’m just really nervous. I rarely dress up like this, and deep inside I’m possibly still expecting Cassius’s approval.
As I’m eager to see what she is excited about, I hurry to the terrace only to find a candlelit table and a stylish man in a casual white dress shirt with buttons open at the chest, charcoal-gray trousers, and white Balmain sneakers. Though casual, Cassius still manages to look regal.
And as if the world went into slow motion, Cassius turns around, slips his hands into his pockets, and flashes a sexy smirk. His sapphire eyes are hot as he assesses me from head to toe, then back to my face. My cheeks flare. I temporarily freeze.
Casey squeals at my side. “What are you waiting for?”
Okay. I inhale an enormous amount of air.
He’s attractive. No, no, no. He’s very, very gorgeous tonight. Goosebumps travel down my limbs.
“Alayna! You’re making him wait!”
I clear my throat and gradually move toward him. When I’m finally close, he pulls a chair for me.
“Kalispéra, ómorfi“What?”
“I said, good evening, beautifulMy face heats again. I sit, and he pushes my chair in for me. He moves across me but remains standing.
“Is that Greek?”
I heard them speak their mother tongue when I went to Athens, but this is definitely one of the moments I find sexy.
“Hmm“Wow. So much for a friendly date, no?”
“I can say the same.” He grins again. “You look beautiful tonight, Alayna.”
“So are you,” I whisper. But God! I’m used to being casual toward Cassius, but tonight is different. This feels so real. He’s never been very romantic before.
“Let’s see what you’ve got for us tonight.” Cassius lifts the lid from the dish I cooked earlier. It’s basically a Greek-style marinated steak, topped with olives, feta, and spinach, and of course now one of my favorites—tzatziki. He then sniffs the air, closing his eyes briefly. “Excellent as always. Now I’m envious.”
I chuckle. “Of what? Oliver taught me that recipe.”
His face turns slightly serious. “No, not that.” He serves a portion of the steak on my plate, then his.
“I wish I could have your cooking every day,” he says. His pleasant expression returns, and finally he sits across from me.
“The weather is nice,” I say, looking upon the shimmering lights of the city skyline to keep the conversation going.
“I picked a nice view.” He places a napkin on his lap and reaches for his knife and fork. He cuts the steak.
Picking up my utensils, I begin eating too. Now I’m out of words.
I can’t find anything to talk about either. We spoke about everything over the phone in the past year; we did the same during our three-week vacation in Lawrence. There’s nothing I can’t think of sharing... except for one thing that bothers me a bit. Chris, Jason, and Arianna. Maybe he can give me advice on how I might reconnect with them.
“Um, besides my siblings in Lawrence....” I begin. “I have three more that I’d lost contact with.”
Cassius swallows his food and drinks his wine. “Another three siblings?”
“Actually they’re not my biological siblings, but my parents started to look after them when I was only four years old. We all grew up together, but after I graduated from high school, they just left and disappeared. I heard nothing about them until....”
He pauses, still listening.
“... until they found me again.”
“Okay, how was it then?”
“I didn’t get to meet them.” I gaze up at his face. “But they’ll be back to see me.”
“And you don’t know how to feel, is that it?”
I nod. Momentarily, I feel relieved because I’m able to talk it out with someone. I don’t usually share my childhood memories—especially after my disgusting past—but the times I had with them were one of the best parts of my early life. When life was too simple... before life decided to be a bitch.
“Yes, but apart from that, I miss them. Always. So I’d still love this reunion to happen. To catch up, to reconnect.” I shrug. “But I’m sulking because after all these years, they didn’t think of visiting me. Why now? Why would they come back after leaving me all alone?”
“What happened?” Cassius asks, his eyes brimming with concern.
“We promised to be siblings forever—to grow up together, achieve our dreams together... but one day they just left, and I wasn’t even at home. They didn’t tell me. I waited and waited and waited, but they did not come back. They’re gone. It took me a long time to adjust to their absence.”
“But you still want to see them.”
“Definitely.” I wipe away a tear. “After everything that happened, I still love them.”
But of course, it’s not just about that. Jason and Arianna knew what Chris and I had. He was my savior. And so when they left, I was broken. Empty.
“Then you have nothing to worry about, Laynie,” Cassius assures me. “Even if you don’t want to admit it, you already forgave them when they tried to reach out to you again.”
“Maybe.” I sniff back my tears and laugh. “But I don’t know what I will feel if I see them again.”
“Honestly, you wouldn’t know what’s going to happen until you actually“Probably Mom, so I’m going to call her later.”
He brushes my tears with his thumb. “Oh, Laynie, don’t cry. This night is supposed to be fun.”
I chuckle between tears. “You’re right.”
“But thanks for telling me. If you wish to talk about it, or maybe introduce me to them, I’m more than willing to be there for you.”
I nod. “Of course.” I wipe my remaining tears. “How about you? Don’t you have childhood friends or memories you’d like to share?”
He knits his brows. “Oh. I guess I have one to share. And like yours, he moved out to Istanbul, but also unlike yours, we’re still keeping in touch....”
Our conversation for the night goes on like that. It’s not a surprise for someone like Cassius to have many friends. He has this natural charm that both genders would admire about him. He’s effortlessly thoughtful, so I can’t imagine him deserting a friend, whatever the reason. He stayed and dedicated his life to helping Brandon; that’s one of the pieces of evidence.
As we talk after our lovely little dinner, we drink by the pool and walk by the fence. We share a good laugh talking about his friends; sometimes, he’ll make a joke. This is the night I find out he’s had at least eighteen girlfriends in the past.
“That’s too many,” I comment.
“How about you?”
A beat passes. “Four.”
“You paused.”
I pat his arm and giggle. The wine is probably affecting me. “I paused because I want to make sure of my answer, and I’m sure that it’s four!”
“I guess there are some you didn’t count.”
I shrug. “Maybe.” Now, he’s probably thinking, I might be one of those people. Cassius gulps the last drop of his wine. “I can understand, and that’s what makes you difficult to have.”
We both stare at the skyline, and an awkward silence follows. But then we speak at the same time.
“So...”We laugh again, and the sound he makes warms me.
“You first,” I say, emptying my glass.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“No, but that’s what you were going to say?”
He chuckles. “No, I was going to say you should get to bed and rest.”
“I was about to say that too... because I’m a little sleepy.” I lean my head on his shoulder. “Thank you, Cass. This was a wonderful evening.”
He kisses my forehead lightly. “Anytime, Laynie. Come on, now. Let’s get you inside.”
Cassius ushers me to the door with his hands on my lower back, guiding me like a princess. While still on our way inside, our conversation continues, and then he walks me to my room.
“Casey arranged a room for me upstairs, so I’ll be here until dawn, but I have to leave early for the hospital,” he tells me.
“It’s past two, but you still have time to nap,” I say with a small smile.
“Yeah. Good night, Laynie.”
“Good night.”
He plants another small kiss on my temple. I close the door behind me and momentarily appreciate how my night went. It’s amicable, indeed. No, maybe more than friendly, but Cassius has been a gentleman throughout the night.
I giggle in the dark of my room. I then grope for the switch and turn on the warm light by the side of my bed, only to find Brandon sitting on my sofa. He shifts his legs to the other side, and his eyes flare, burning into me.