Am I really willing to burn a bridge with my mother and my twin before I tell them all of this? Before I do everything in my power to reconnect?
“I need to talk to them.” I stand and grab my suitcase, the wheels squeaking as I pull it to my side.
“Good.” He smiles in satisfaction.
“Want me to grab you anything?”
“No, thanks.” He pulls out his phone. “Henry is getting me something from the sushi spot.”
I nod and set off, shaking in my boots as I march up to the bookstore. My heart hammers against my ribs with each step. The timing is perfect. They’re leaving the checkout counter as I step through the large doorway.
“Hey.” I lick my lips, which have gone dry. “Um, wanna get coffee?”
My mom’s shoulders melt, and I can tell she’s been waiting for me to extend the first olive branch. Relief washes over her features. “Sure.”
Jemma doesn’t say anything, but she follows us to the coffee kiosk, where we order all our usuals. The two of us had some choice words after Oliver left, before I started giving her the cold shoulder, and while I can’t remember everything I said I’m pretty sure I threw the words “betrayal” and “all your fault” at her. Since then, our interactions have been kept to restrained conversations about things that aren’t one bit important.
My oat milk latte in hand, I take a seat at one of the small wooden tables by the windows. The surface is sticky beneath my palms. Jemma and my mom arrange themselves across from me, another reminder of the distance between us.
“I hate this,” I sigh.
Jemma’s lower lip trembles, but she quickly bites it, trying to hide any emotion. “Hate what?”
“This.” I gesture between the three of us. “I know you were trying to protect me. I see that, and… thank you.”
Her eyes shine with tears. “You were a mess after dating him, Dev.”
“And while dating him.” Mom sniffs, wrapping both hands around her cup like she needs something to hold onto.
“You were always trying to please him.” Jemma shakes her head at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. “Then after you broke up, you were a shadow of yourself.”
Her words press against my lungs, forcing the air out. “Yeah,” I whisper. “I was. I realized something, though… I could have left at any time, and I didn’t. I also could have spoken up and told Oliver that he shouldn’t talk to me the way he did, but not once did I do that. I didn’t tell him about my boundaries whatsoever, and then I got upset when he didn’t respect them, like he was supposed to read my mind.”
My mom looks like she doesn’t know what to say, her mouth opening and closing. But Jemma is shaking her head before I’m even done talking. “It’s common human decency that he lacks,” she says. “If someone?—”
“I’m sorry, Jem, but it’s not that simple. People aren’t black and white, good or bad. We make mistakes.” I pin her with my gaze, and she quickly closes her mouth. “I appreciate you for looking out for me. Thank you. Please, trust me when I say that Oliver and I have both grown. We’ve been working on our relationship together. I know it must have been hard to see howthings were before, and if it all starts to go sideways again with him, I’ll leave. I have no qualms about that anymore. But I’m going to go home and I’m going to get him back, because I love him.”
The monologue I hadn’t even planned on giving finished, I slump back in my seat and draw a breath. My hands are trembling slightly, adrenaline coursing through me.
Mom reaches across the table for my hand, her fingers warm and familiar. “That’s what I wanted to hear. I needed to know that you’re keeping your wits about you.”
I nod eagerly. “I am.”
Jemma twists her lips, her expression caught somewhere between stubborn and apologetic. “Damn it.”
“What?” I ask.
“I’m sorry, that’s what.” Her eyes are red and misty, and a single tear escapes down her cheek. “I guess I’ve been a little overprotective.”
“You’re my sister.”
“Twin,” she adds, and there’s the smallest hint of a smile on her face now.
I grin. “You should be protective. I’d be the same about you.”
She wipes away a tear with the back of her hand. “Come ’ere.”
Relief flooding my chest, I go around the table and hug her tight. She holds me just as fiercely, and I can feel her heartbeat against mine. It’s right on time, too, because a voice comes over the speakers announcing boarding for my flight.
