3 Years

23 - Storytime

*Friday*
It's been three days since Nini told them about the ring at dinner. She lays in her bed, awake much earlier than normal, staring at and fiddling with the promise ring. There's no way I can talk about this one by myself.

Not only are the introductions stressing her out, but she can't get that kiss out of her head. God, it felt like we were sixteen again. She shakes away the feeling of her heart fluttering thinking about them in that situation. He still had that stomach twisting effect on her, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it.

Nini knows the heartbreak she experienced for years after his 'death' wasn't his fault, but she doesn't want to get too attached in case he decides on leaving, especially now knowing he has kids. He could bolt at any moment.

Nini starts planning out the conversation of telling them about Ricky. She already knows that they'll be furious; that's an inevitable outcome. Any other emotions are beyond her guess. Not knowing what else to do, she gets up and starts making breakfast, mostly for a distraction until the twins are awake.

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Lauren and Jayden come down at the same time, which was their normal routine; it was weird how it was never planned. They smell pancakes and move faster down the stairs. Nini has plates laid out on the counter for them to take, which are gladly accepted. After all the plates are ready, they sit around the couch in the living room.

Nini puts something on the TV, and they all mindlessly stare at it while they eat. Once the plates are all empty and put in the sink, the awkwardness only increases. I guess we should just get this over and done with, right?

The twins sit back on the couch and just wait. "So... I understand that there is some obvious frustration, confusion, and tons of other things, but I want to try and clear up some things today," Nini starts. The twins were only praying that nothing would interrupt them this time. "I don't want to waste any more time than I already have, so let's just get started."

Lauren and Jayden nod eagerly as they shift their sitting positions. "Your father and I were fresh out of college, and he dropped a pretty big bomb on me. He wanted to join the military, which had been something we'd talked about before, but I was still shocked. I supported his decision, despite not wanting him to leave. Then a month after he left, I... found out I was having a baby."

So he didn't walk out on us. He didn't even know he had kids, Jayden thinks. Wow, I could not be more wrong.

"Also, don't think I haven't heard your conversations about him; you two aren't the best whisperers, but I guess I can't blame you since I never bothered to clear anything up." The twins' faces paled at being called out. Well, mostly Jayden; his opinion was the most negative and vocally expressed.

"Wait, baby? As in singular?" Lauren asks, diverting the conversation away from their previous harsh discussions.

"Yeah, I didn't know I was having twins until about halfway through. A funny part of this whole thing: when I went in to find out the gender the first time, the doctor told me I was having twins and that one of them was a girl. Apparently, the other baby wasn't cooperating, so we found out the other at my next appointment," Nini laughs.

"So Jayden has been troublesome since the beginning. I knew it." The boy glares at his sister as they wait for their mother to continue talking.

"Anyway, the military thing was only supposed to last for three years. That was the term; three years then everything would go back to normal. Except it didn't." Nini takes a moment to hold back her emotions with this part. "You all were about two when this happened. I was brought letters telling me that h- he had... he was dead."

Everyone in the room could feel their hearts drop. Nini hated this part of the story more than anything. "Wh- What did you just say?" Lauren stutters. I guess that's why this has been put off for so long.

"His dad, your grandfather, brought me two letters that were sent out. One was from him, and it said how he was scared he wouldn't be able to come back. The other was the military... confirming that that was what had happened."

The children could feel their own emotions building up. They never had any genuine evidence to hate him, and they knew that; that's just what they felt. But now, knowing this changed everything.

"Th- This is why you never talk about him," Jayden mumbles. Nini nods.

"I never wanted to talk about it. It was so hard after the news came. My friends always had a hard time after that trying to get me to do stuff outside of the minimum. I would wake up to take care of you all, but when you were down for the night or taking naps, I just... I didn't have the motivation to do anything else."

They all had tears in their eyes now. "After those letters arrived, things changed. I always avoided the topic, and my friends didn't bring him up either, which was because of me. They were always the ones who tried to get me to talk with you guys, but I could never bring myself to do it. No matter how hard I tried or how long ago it was, my own emotions would always got in the way, and I'm sorry for that." Nini knows she needs to tell them the whole truth; the words and sentences are in her head, but they won't come out. It's gonna come out eventually; you just need to say it now.

"Did the letters say how he died?" Jayden asks.

"No, it just said he died on a mission."

Nobody talks; they don't know what to say. Nini furiously wipes at her eyes. The twins were more stunned than anything. They were also kinda disappointed for a certain reason. "So we'll never get to meet him?" Lauren says.

"Well..."

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If you didn't see it, I have a one-shot book coming soon!!

You can leave suggestions for stories as well as title possibilities and check out the introduction chapter now!!
(Yes, I've already said this in Just for a Moment chapter 37😅).