Between Two Hearts 18+ | PAUSED

009

(ALERT: SLIGHT SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER 🙂)

It's been a week now Aerylin is still locked in her room. I knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," her chirpy voice shouts on the other end. When I entered, clothes were in piles everywhere. Her bed is unmade while she eats cookie dough ice cream and sits crisscrossed apple sauce on the floor.

"Everything okay?" I lightly close the door and walk over to a pile of clothes and a pair of purple panties hook onto my toe. "You know what I realized, dear Dahlia?" I wait for an answer to her rhetorical question as she shoves another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

"When this baby makes my stomach larger, I won't fit my favorite things," she pouts. "You have some time, Aerylin. The little monster isn't that big yet." I smile at her; she scrolls through her phone.

"We can find those favorite things in different sizes," I suggest. "It won't feel the same," she whines.

I plop onto her bed, looking down at her on the periwinkle carpet she sits on. And we stayed in silence for a bit. "Armando, Rowan, and Pen are worried about you," I admit. I'm worried too. I don't say it.

Since the day we came home, I kept bringing Aerylins' meals to her.

Rowans tried once but said she didn't let him in when he brought her food. She quickly snatched the plate, spoke some gibberish, and slammed the door in his face. She doesn't reply whenever Armando goes, but he sees her shadow through the door.

"Oh."

Oh? That's all she has to say? "Okay, that's it, get up," she looks up from her screen at me in confusion. "You need assistance, got it." I take the ice cream and phone from her. She stands, "Hey!"

"The chariot awaits, Aerylin. If you're not going to see your brother or Rowan, that's fine, but you can't stay holed up in here forever." She looks at me, sighing in defeat.

After finally getting Aerylin to walk down the stairs after reassuring her that her brother wasn't her. I hold her hand as we walk through the garage. She fidgets like she's going to bolt.

"Where are we going," she asks as I buckle her into the passenger seat. "You'll find out," I give her a mischievous smile.

Estevez

"I don't get what's going on with Aerylin," I admit to Rowan as we drive towards the base. He shifts in his seat a little. He's been acting so weird. "I have to tell you something, Armando," he scratches the top of his platinum-covered head.

"I'm listening," I look at him through the corner of my eye while keeping my attention on the road. "You remember that day I was smiling at my phone- you asked me what's wrong I didn't tell you?"

The memory comes back to me. "Yea, you said you would tell me when you're ready."

He looks out the window at the setting sun. "Aerylin," he pauses. "I'm in love with Aerylin." My foot roughly slams the break of the car we both jerk forward.

"What did you say," my hands still gripping the steering wheel tightly. I must be going fucking crazy.

He turns towards me his once nervous demeanor shifts. "I am in love with Aerylin. I love her, Armando. I tried not to, and I can't." I look him in the eyes, searching for anything. How didn't I see it sooner? Well- maybe I just didn't want to see it.

"Hear me out." I narrow my eyes at Rowan. I open the door to my car and slam it shut when I walk out. I intake the fresh air surrounding me.

Rowan exits the car and leans on the hood of the car in silence. I know Rowan has always been a relationship type of person. My problem isn't him dating my sister. I wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened between them.