“Oh.” I let out a deep breath. “So, stay away from Luca? Got it.”
Pops took a sip from his tumbler. “Marcello is the youngest and the quarterback of Astor Prep’s football team, but not book smart like Luca. His grades are average. Never took well to school, not even with tutors.”
“Alex’s choices are the dumb jock or the smart psychopath?” Aiden let out a maniacal laugh. “Can’t wait to hear about the rest of them. They sound like winners.”
“Aiden,” Pops hissed. “Please let me finish. It’s rude to interrupt people when they are speaking. You will attend the etiquette class with Alex tomorrow. Maybe the coaches will help you find your manners.”
This was the first time he’d raised his tone, and it scared me because the sudden change in attitude reminded me of my mother. But anywhere was better than home.
“Sorry,” Aiden muttered when I pinched his arm. “I’ll shut my trap. Go ahead, Pops.”
My grandfather had to think briefly before saying, “Ah, yes, I was telling you about the other two Salvatore brothers. Arlo adopted Bastian and Damian ten years ago. Their parents owned Atlantic Airlines and died in a plane crash. Very tragic. Quite ironic. They were billionaire orphans with nowhere to go, so Arlo brought them home.”
My chest ached at the thought of their lives blowing up in a puff of smoke.
“Bastian,” my grandfather said, “is a piano prodigy. A very gifted boy. He played his first concert when he was two years old.”
“What?” I choked out. “Two?”
He nodded. “He’s a prodigy. Like Luca, he possesses a very high IQ and excels academically. Harvard University has granted both of them early admission.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
At least my future husband wouldn’t be a jackass. However, he made Marcello sound like a dumb jock. But at my last school, the jocks were the hottest guys, so there was that.
Entranced by this story, I bent forward, resting my elbows on my thighs. “What about Damian?”
I was hoping he had saved the best for last.
“Damian is different.” Pops downed the dregs of his glass. “He’s very handsome and could easily be a model. But he doesn’t seem to like the attention of women.”
“So, he’s gay?”
“Alex is not marrying a gay man,” my twin said without thinking, speaking out of turn. When our grandfather glared at Aiden, he recovered by saying, “I mean… Sorry, Pops.”
“No, he’s not gay. However, he has an unusual relationship with Bastian. Arlo has mentioned how close they are in passing. Either he doesn’t know the true extent, or he doesn’t want to disclose it. Or perhaps he wants to ensure you will choose Marcello or Luca.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. But I have seen it for myself. The boys are unusually close. You would need the jaws of life to separate them.”
“I’m like that with Aiden,” I confessed. “I have nightmares… and when I can’t get back to sleep, Aiden calms me down. We’ve never been apart.”
“That’s not uncommon for twins. However, Damian and Bastian have different parents. Even before their parents died, they were inseparable, which was why Arlo had to adopt both of them. Bastian had many relatives who offered to take him… but none wanted Damian. He was always an unusual kid.”
“Unusual, how?” I asked, not sure if I should fear Damian.
If I chose Bastian or Damian, how would I get one without the other if they were so inseparable? It sounded pretty strange, but I understood the need to hold on to a loved one. Aiden was my rock. Without him, my world would have crumbled.
“He doesn’t speak that often,” Pops told me. “I was one of Damian’s physicians after Arlo adopted him. He has selective mutism. It’s an anxiety disorder that prevents a person from speaking in social situations. He also has complex PTSD, night terrors, and a slew of other diagnoses.”
I already felt like Damian was my kindred spirit. I wondered what he looked like and how his voice would sound if I were to hear it.
We had so much in common.
I had night terrors, complex PTSD, and anxiety, and there had been seven months when I hadn’t spoken a single word. It was one week after my mother locked me in the closet for the first time.
My school therapist treated me weekly for free. Dr. Tanya insisted I try painting as an outlet for the ongoing stress.
“Damian can speak,” Pops continued, “but I don’t want you to get your hopes up, Alex. He may never communicate with you.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
