Find me

Chapter 56

Gabriel POV

“Lock the door.” Gray said. “Shut down the blinds. Turn off the lights.”

“Is that really necessary?” I sighed.

“Of course it’s necessary.” Gray said, walking to the front door and locking it. “I won’t let anything get in the way of us watching Game of Thrones. We’ve lost too much time already.”

Aria chuckled, and I shook my head. I grew up with him, but I never got used to his dramatics.

“The show isn’t even that good.” I mumbled, making Gray gasp.

“I will kick you out.” Gray said sternly, pointing a finger at me. “Don’t mess with me.”

“You can try.” I said, shoving a fistful of popcorn into my mouth. “I’m not leaving Aria alone.”

“Number one, she wouldn’t be alone.” Gray rolled his eyes. “Number two, don’t speak with your mouth full of food. It’s gross.”

“You saw me eat dirt.” I said, chewing on the popcorn in my mouth. “How is this worse?”

“Why would you eat dirt?” Aria asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Gray said that he would give me M&Ms if I ate a spoonful of dirt.” I said, looking at my sister. “It was worth it.”

“I didn’t think that he would do it.” Gray said as he sat down next to Aria. “I lost a bag of M&Ms. And they were peanut M&Ms. My favorite. It was one of the saddest days of my life.”

Aria chuckled and shook her head. I pulled her closer to me.

“Okay, A.” Gray said as he grabbed the remote. “Are you ready for the best show ever?”

Aria nodded, and I rolled my eyes.

“I can’t believe that bastard almost took you.” Gray said angrily. “You and I wouldn’t get to watch Game of Thrones together if he succeeded.”

“Yeah, like that’s the worst that would happen.” I mumbled as I kissed Aria’s temple.

She looked at me and gave me a small smile.

“He didn’t take me.” she said quietly as she leaned her head on my shoulder.

“I know.” I mumbled. “Nobody ever will.”

“Okay, enough talking.” Gray frowned at us. “It’s starting.”

I shook my head at him and looked at the TV. I couldn’t be less interested. Gray has made me watch this show with him like a hundred times already.

I focused on my sister instead. I was so fucking happy that she was here with me. I was so fucking happy that the people who hurt her were in jail. They deserved to be there. They deserved much, much worse, and I was more than willing to give them that, but I knew that it would take me away from my sister. I wasn’t letting that happen. Not now, not ever.

I watched her, and I couldn’t help but smile. She was so focused on the show. I watched her eyebrows furrow and I watched her smile. It made me so fucking happy to see her like this. She was relaxed. She was carefree. She was warm, and she wasn’t hungry.

I leaned in and kissed her cheek. She glanced at me and smiled.

“This scene is so good.” Gray said, pointing at the TV.

He kept commenting on everything, and I could tell that Aria was a little bit annoyed. She wanted to watch the show without him talking all the time.

“Did you know...” Gray started to speak, but Aria finally interrupted him.

“I can’t focus if you talk all the time, Gray.” she said softly.

“Right.” Gray chuckled. “Sorry, A.”

She smiled at him and looked back at the TV.

I wasn’t even paying attention to the show. I didn’t even know how long ago did the episode start. I didn’t even know if it was close to ending. I was only looking at my sister, making sure that she was warm enough and that she ate enough.

I couldn’t believe that just a few weeks ago, I was an only child. I couldn’t believe that she hadn’t been with me my whole life. It felt so natural to have her here. It felt so normal to be a sibling. Nothing about it was weird for me. Nothing bothered me. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed being her brother. I enjoyed being the only person she felt completely safe with. I enjoyed being her protector. I enjoyed everything about being an older brother.

We hadn’t had our first fight yet, but I was sure that I would lose it. I would do anything for her. I would give in immediately. I couldn’t even imagine fighting with her.

“Wait a second.” Aria’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Aren’t they siblings?”

Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she was staring at the screen with a confused look on her face.

Oh, the episode was almost over.

“They are twins.” Gray looked at her and grinned.

Her eyes widened, and she looked at Gray.

“But they were just...” she mumbled. “You know.”

“Yeah.” Gray laughed. “I told you it was a good show.”

“That’s just so weird.” Aria mumbled as she looked back at the TV.

“It must be even weirder for you.” Gray said. “You are a twin.”

I chuckled and shook my head. Aria was so immersed in the show that she didn’t even hear what he said.

I ran my fingers through her hair and kissed her temple. I loved watching her discover new things. I loved watching her as she realized that she loved a show or a movie. I loved watching her try new foods. I loved when she thought that it was delicious, but I also loved when she didn’t like it. The frown on her face always made me laugh.

I just wished that she didn’t have to discover all of this. I wished that she already knew it all. I wished that she didn’t have to go through all that pain.

“So, what did you think of it?” Gray asked as the episode ended.

“It was really good.” Aria said, smiling. “The ending was weird, though.”

“Well, get ready, girl.” Gray laughed. “The whole show is like that.”

Aria’s eyes widened. “The whole show?”

“Well, most of the show.” Gray nodded, grinning. “It’s really interesting. You will like it, I promise.”

I sighed and reached out for a bottle of water on the coffee table.

“Okay.” Aria nodded, smiling at Gray.

“I am so happy that you are here, Aria.” Gray said as he pulled her from me. “I always wanted a sister, and now I have the best one.”

He hugged her tightly and smiled.

“I am so happy to be here too, Gray.” Aria said softly. “Thank you for accepting me.”

“Oh, love.” Gray smiled softly as he kissed her cheek. “There was never any question about that. You didn’t get one brother. You got two.”

Aria smiled brightly, and my heart grew. Watching my best friend and my sister get along so well made me so fucking happy. I wasn’t really happy that he called himself her brother, but I decided not to mention it. He wasn’t really, I was. Only me.

Gray let her go, and I pulled her back to me. I couldn’t go long without holding her.

I kissed her temple and took a deep breath. She was here. She was safe.

I had to keep reminding myself of that because I was still terrified that someone would take her away from me.