Acing Romance

Six

As much as Sohal wanted to be happy for his sister, there was a part of him that resented her. She had always been the perfect child growing up. Even though she was a few years younger, she had been lucky with Fated and found someone worth marrying.

He stood at the door and checked his pockets. He had his phone, keys, wallet, and the gift he bought last minute. It seemed he had everything... but his confidence.

He took a few shaky breaths and tried to prepare himself. It was just a baby shower. It should be okay. As long as he kept his mind off Fated, he should be okay.

Sohal gently tapped the door and it immediately flew open. Nikita practically glowed, the smile so wide on her face that it might as well have been tattooed on. She wore a long flowing dress that showed off her baby bump and white slippers.

"Sohal! You made it!" She moved her wavy dark hair out of her face.

"Nikita, it's been so long. I got you a gift." He gestured to the tiny gift bag in his hands.

"Oh, just put it over on the table." She pointed in the direction of a table already overcrowded with presents. "Come in, come in. We're getting things set up in the backyard right now, but in the meantime, make yourself at home and eat."

Before Sohal could ask his sister how she was doing, she walked away to greet another guest. She was even more of a social butterfly than he remembered.

Sohal decided to free his hands from the tiny bag he was holding. He approached the table and eyed the rest of the gifts. There was a spot that was just large enough to fit it.

The boxes were fairly large and he wondered if his gift of a small baby onesie was really enough. Not like he could change it at this point. He was about to place down the present in the space when a pair of hands quickly plopped down a neatly wrapped box.

Startled, he looked to the person to see familiar eyes staring back at him. It was his first time seeing Rune outside of Vein. Rune looked more put-together than usual. His dark messy hair was slicked back and there were thin lines of silver eyeliner which made his dark brown eyes pop more. He even wore a dress shirt instead of casual baggy clothes.

"Rune? What are you doing here?" Sohal stared at him in confusion, a part of him wondering if Rune was really there or if he had imagined him into existence.

"I'm a friend of Lorenzo's. I couldn't miss a big day like this," Rune glanced at Sohal. "I wasn't expecting to see you here either. What brought you here?"

"Oh, well... Nikita is my sister." Sohal tried not to gawk at the man. He couldn't believe that Rune was there in front of him. Either one of them was psychic or it was a very strange coincidence.

"That's cool. I bet your sister is glad to have you here," Rune replied. "Are you excited to be an uncle?"

"Yeah."

He wasn't sure what else to say but he couldn't talk about Vein while he was at a family event. He carefully placed his present on top of Rune's and began to make his escape. The snack table was his destination, but his way there was cut short too fast.

"Sohal!"

His name boomed throughout the room and Sohal groaned. He tried making his way through the room in an attempt to avoid the owner of the eager voice. He didn't want to talk to him today. He just wanted to see Nikita and maybe eat some snacks.

Sohal's dad appeared which made his heart stop for a moment. "Did you bring a date with you? Nikita mentioned that you came alone."

"O-oh, well, the person I am dating currently is... busy. Yeah, she was busy. I mean, she is busy. She wishes Nikita a happy and healthy baby though," Sohal stammered.