The muscles in Lyra's entire body went stiff and she stopped breathing altogether. Even the loud rotor above them suddenly faded in the background as her ears rang and the world around seemed to spin. She could go sick from the nauseous feeling that overcame her at the moment.
Angela shifted in her seat before bending her neck to check if her sister was okay.
"What's with that look? I'm actually very happy to know that you care so much about your brother-in-law!" the older twin beamed.
Lyra let out a deflated laugh as her vision adjusted once more.
"Great! I was scared that the island incident made it weird between you two. When I ask him about it, he just says everything is fine, but you seemed to be giving him the cold shoulder so I thought you didn't like him."
[I gave him the cold shoulder because I liked him too much…]
But that was in the past.
The younger sibling leaned forward and surprised Angela with a long hug.
[Yes. Despite everything, Kurtis always looks out for me one way or another. Perhaps it's because of the island incident or because I'm Angela's sister or even as a friend, I know he cares about me. However, it is my fault for letting his actions lead me astray. It was my fault for falling for him.]
"Is everything okay?" Angela questioned, switching roles to be the comforter.
[He only ever was himself, seeing me as someone who needed a little more guidance like a leaning plant needing some extra support to continue to grow up. I fell for him because he was the first to support me after such a long time of getting by alone. He made me feel special…]
The younger twin nodded confidently.
[And it's never easy to let go of the first person to make you feel a certain way…]
There was no need for Angela to be concerned. Her twin was in no need of comforting.
[But eventually, the plant won't need guidance to know to grow towards the sunlight. It'll be fine on its own.]
Lyra looked at her reflection and smiled.
"I like him. He's a great person and a wonderful brother-in-law."
Those words felt good coming out, but upon hearing Lyra's honest words, Angela broke down into tears.
"I know right!" the older twin exclaimed between sobs. "I'll try to talk to Kurt more!"
The younger sis didn't understand why Angela was getting so emotional or how her words fit in the context of the situation, but in that moment, she also felt tears streaming down her cheeks.
[I've been trying so hard to forget him that I was only pressuring myself to prove that I have moved on. But that's just me and my one-sided feelings again. I'm telling Angela to talk to Kurtis, but I think I also need a few words with him to get things straight.]
The girl rummaged through her bag and took out some tissues for both of them to dry their eyes. It was strange handing her twin a napkin because it had been so long since she saw her cry.
The last time Lyra did see her cry was during the summer of their parents's accident when Dev Andrews moved away. He stayed by Angela, his girlfriend at the time, to the very last minute before his school semester started. The night he left, the strong and independent Angela cried her eyes out, crying harder than at her parents' funeral.
Dev was a support pillar to both sisters and with his absence, life suddenly became tougher. It was as if three family members left at once. However, Angela was hit harder with him moving away.
Lyra offered the last tissue to Angela who took it willingly because it was obvious who needed it more. When she stopped bawling, she asked Lyra why she was giggling.
"Your mascara…" she said, half pointing and half covering her mouth from laughing too loudly.
Angela brought her phone up to see her reflection and was immediately struck with horror. This caused Lyra to burst out laughing and successfully spreading the laughing bug to her sister. Both of them held onto their stomachs laughing and rolling around in their seats that the pilot had to kindly ask them to be mindful of swaying the air vehicle too much.
"Feels nice…" Angela said as she finally regained her breath. "Talking to you feels nice…"
Wiping a tear, her twin produced a big smile as well. "I miss us."
"Me too…" Angie sighed out before throwing her hands in the air as if letting go of all her stress. "I keep forgetting that I actually like having a twin."
Lyra could feel the waterworks starting up again, but she bit down on her lip to keep it under tabs. Back then, they used to talk all the time. Although the world knew them as polar opposites, they were nonetheless compatible. But following their parents' departure, the two slowly drifted apart.
Angela chased after freedom and the idea of living in the moment. Lyra became obsessed with stability and security. Two sides of the same coin.
This was the first time they tried talking about something again.
Both sisters looked at each other, taking in each other's inner and outer beauty and liking what they see.
[Hopefully one day, we can return to those days.]
"So you know Kurtis and everything, but seriously…Antoine's not shabby either," Angela teased as she leaned closer. "Tell me, how is he?" She lifted her eyebrows suggesting something.
Lyra paused to think. She knew her sister was just playing around, but still, mentioning Antoine brought upon a sentimental pause.
"Ew gross Angie!" Lyra finally said, pushing her sister away before displaying a smug smile. "But you know who did grow up quite fine?"
Angela shrugged, ready to be surprised.
"Dev Andrews."
The name definitely did ring a bell. At the name of their favorite neighbor, Angela's expression grew soft. She remembered seeing him at the wedding, but only talking to him briefly because of all the wedding chaos. Thinking back, she felt guilty for not talking to him more, especially when he flew all the way across the world to attend her wedding despite no contact for over four years.
"You got that right!" the recently wed woman agreed.
Both sisters knew the other wanted to elaborate more, but felt that it was best to leave it as is for now. They would have plenty of opportunities to talk again.
But first, baby steps.
When the helicopter finally landed, the pilot helped the two ladies off before escorting them to the open area where there were a few parked cars.
"Kurt? How'd you get here before us?" Angela shouted across when she recognized her husband in the distance.
He waved a thanks to the pilot who signaled and turned around to fly away.
"The pilot didn't want to ruin the sister bonding between you two so told us to take another ride back," Kurtis answered with a tempting smile. "Didn't at least one of you notice your helicopter circling around a few times?"
"We didn't!"
The twins turned to each other and giggled.
"Alright! Let's not forget who's birthday it is!" an energetic voice called from the other sports-car. "There's only like a quarter of the day left and I haven't even eaten my cake yet!"
Rose was waving her arm out of her rolled down window.
"Get your bottom over here!"
Lyra smiled at the Wellington couple before lightly jogging towards her awaiting friend. Getting in the seat, she secured her seatbelt and looked up with a radiant sunshine smile as Rose drove ahead with Kurtis following behind.
"Someone seems happier than the birthday girl," Rose commented as she took a glimpse at the passenger.
"I am happy!" the girl answered.
Rose didn't need to look at her to know she was still smiling.
[Good for you, Ly. Good for you.]
Angela shifted in her seat before bending her neck to check if her sister was okay.
"What's with that look? I'm actually very happy to know that you care so much about your brother-in-law!" the older twin beamed.
Lyra let out a deflated laugh as her vision adjusted once more.
"Great! I was scared that the island incident made it weird between you two. When I ask him about it, he just says everything is fine, but you seemed to be giving him the cold shoulder so I thought you didn't like him."
[I gave him the cold shoulder because I liked him too much…]
But that was in the past.
The younger sibling leaned forward and surprised Angela with a long hug.
[Yes. Despite everything, Kurtis always looks out for me one way or another. Perhaps it's because of the island incident or because I'm Angela's sister or even as a friend, I know he cares about me. However, it is my fault for letting his actions lead me astray. It was my fault for falling for him.]
"Is everything okay?" Angela questioned, switching roles to be the comforter.
[He only ever was himself, seeing me as someone who needed a little more guidance like a leaning plant needing some extra support to continue to grow up. I fell for him because he was the first to support me after such a long time of getting by alone. He made me feel special…]
The younger twin nodded confidently.
[And it's never easy to let go of the first person to make you feel a certain way…]
There was no need for Angela to be concerned. Her twin was in no need of comforting.
[But eventually, the plant won't need guidance to know to grow towards the sunlight. It'll be fine on its own.]
Lyra looked at her reflection and smiled.
"I like him. He's a great person and a wonderful brother-in-law."
Those words felt good coming out, but upon hearing Lyra's honest words, Angela broke down into tears.
"I know right!" the older twin exclaimed between sobs. "I'll try to talk to Kurt more!"
The younger sis didn't understand why Angela was getting so emotional or how her words fit in the context of the situation, but in that moment, she also felt tears streaming down her cheeks.
[I've been trying so hard to forget him that I was only pressuring myself to prove that I have moved on. But that's just me and my one-sided feelings again. I'm telling Angela to talk to Kurtis, but I think I also need a few words with him to get things straight.]
The girl rummaged through her bag and took out some tissues for both of them to dry their eyes. It was strange handing her twin a napkin because it had been so long since she saw her cry.
The last time Lyra did see her cry was during the summer of their parents's accident when Dev Andrews moved away. He stayed by Angela, his girlfriend at the time, to the very last minute before his school semester started. The night he left, the strong and independent Angela cried her eyes out, crying harder than at her parents' funeral.
Dev was a support pillar to both sisters and with his absence, life suddenly became tougher. It was as if three family members left at once. However, Angela was hit harder with him moving away.
Lyra offered the last tissue to Angela who took it willingly because it was obvious who needed it more. When she stopped bawling, she asked Lyra why she was giggling.
"Your mascara…" she said, half pointing and half covering her mouth from laughing too loudly.
Angela brought her phone up to see her reflection and was immediately struck with horror. This caused Lyra to burst out laughing and successfully spreading the laughing bug to her sister. Both of them held onto their stomachs laughing and rolling around in their seats that the pilot had to kindly ask them to be mindful of swaying the air vehicle too much.
"Feels nice…" Angela said as she finally regained her breath. "Talking to you feels nice…"
Wiping a tear, her twin produced a big smile as well. "I miss us."
"Me too…" Angie sighed out before throwing her hands in the air as if letting go of all her stress. "I keep forgetting that I actually like having a twin."
Lyra could feel the waterworks starting up again, but she bit down on her lip to keep it under tabs. Back then, they used to talk all the time. Although the world knew them as polar opposites, they were nonetheless compatible. But following their parents' departure, the two slowly drifted apart.
Angela chased after freedom and the idea of living in the moment. Lyra became obsessed with stability and security. Two sides of the same coin.
This was the first time they tried talking about something again.
Both sisters looked at each other, taking in each other's inner and outer beauty and liking what they see.
[Hopefully one day, we can return to those days.]
"So you know Kurtis and everything, but seriously…Antoine's not shabby either," Angela teased as she leaned closer. "Tell me, how is he?" She lifted her eyebrows suggesting something.
Lyra paused to think. She knew her sister was just playing around, but still, mentioning Antoine brought upon a sentimental pause.
"Ew gross Angie!" Lyra finally said, pushing her sister away before displaying a smug smile. "But you know who did grow up quite fine?"
Angela shrugged, ready to be surprised.
"Dev Andrews."
The name definitely did ring a bell. At the name of their favorite neighbor, Angela's expression grew soft. She remembered seeing him at the wedding, but only talking to him briefly because of all the wedding chaos. Thinking back, she felt guilty for not talking to him more, especially when he flew all the way across the world to attend her wedding despite no contact for over four years.
"You got that right!" the recently wed woman agreed.
Both sisters knew the other wanted to elaborate more, but felt that it was best to leave it as is for now. They would have plenty of opportunities to talk again.
But first, baby steps.
When the helicopter finally landed, the pilot helped the two ladies off before escorting them to the open area where there were a few parked cars.
"Kurt? How'd you get here before us?" Angela shouted across when she recognized her husband in the distance.
He waved a thanks to the pilot who signaled and turned around to fly away.
"The pilot didn't want to ruin the sister bonding between you two so told us to take another ride back," Kurtis answered with a tempting smile. "Didn't at least one of you notice your helicopter circling around a few times?"
"We didn't!"
The twins turned to each other and giggled.
"Alright! Let's not forget who's birthday it is!" an energetic voice called from the other sports-car. "There's only like a quarter of the day left and I haven't even eaten my cake yet!"
Rose was waving her arm out of her rolled down window.
"Get your bottom over here!"
Lyra smiled at the Wellington couple before lightly jogging towards her awaiting friend. Getting in the seat, she secured her seatbelt and looked up with a radiant sunshine smile as Rose drove ahead with Kurtis following behind.
"Someone seems happier than the birthday girl," Rose commented as she took a glimpse at the passenger.
"I am happy!" the girl answered.
Rose didn't need to look at her to know she was still smiling.
[Good for you, Ly. Good for you.]
