17 Bad news

Date = 5 April
Place = San Francisco (Enrique’s home)

POV – Aria

“Ug, I despise tea,” Mel pulls up her nose as soon as I enter the room with two mugs. She puts on a severe pout, like every time someone dares to drink coffee in front of her, so I grin knowingly … and bend down to hand her one mug.

“That’s why we’re not having tea,” I wink at her surprised face and I sit down, legs crossed, next to her on the sofa, turning to face her. We’re both freshly showered and in comfy tracksuits that I stole … eh … borrowed from Enrique’s closet.

“Eh, you figured out a way to brew me some baby-safe coffee,” I shake my head. These Blackburn children are always a little over-hyper … except maybe for Ilkay.

“Wait, I hate that caffeine-free stuff too … can merely drink only boiling water with milk; it will taste the same. It’s not that, is it?” Her suspicious look on the cup, topped with cream and chocolate crumbs.

I click my tongue, “Tsk, nope. ”

She takes a small sip, leaving a ring of cream around her mouth. Her face lights up and she licks it off without hesitation. I knew her sweet tooth would appreciate some delectable hot chocolate.

“I found this article in the magazine while I was waiting for you … “ she says slowly, her face plastered with vulgar improperness, and I can only think what the article is about. Sex.

“Signs that he’ll be good in bed.” And my guess was spot on. The book gets folded double. Then she looks around.

“Pen?”

“In my bag.” Reminiscing through my bag on the ground, the dreaded envelope is pulled out and I almost go into cardiac arrest. I totally forgot that was in there. She drops the envelope on the table without a word and searches further until at last, she finds what she’s looking for. She puts the back of the pen in her mouth and picks up the magazine again.

“Let’s see how our guys compare …” she reads the first option, “Number one: If he has a storybook stare, in a way that makes you the best kind of nervous, it’s gonna be outstanding sex. It just is.”

“Okay, you can definitely tick it off; it’s like these guys invented that look.” I’m trying my best to keep my mind off the envelope haunting me with its presence. “One more perfect than the other … I just can’t tell you who has the sexiest eyes.”

Mel nods over eagerly; agreeing without question and I’m sure she has some green orbs on her mind right now. Damion sure has beautiful eyes … so does Jackson with his stormy blues … Alejandro with his icy stare … Ilkay and Logan with their steel gazes … and Axel with that vampire gape. But it’s not the ones that turn my knees into jello or send shivers down my spine.

“BEAST stares,” I giggle and she burst into laughter, holding one hand on her tummy. The baby … I glance at the envelope on the table.

“Exactly,” Mel stops laughing. She told me all about her conspiracy that men attend a special place to learn how to manipulate women. And it makes total sense to me. She reads from the magazine again.

“If he drives a sports car, he probably has a turbo engine to excel you down the road of ecstasy,” she titters and shakes her blonde head, “Well, seems that this article was written just for our men.”

“Does that mean you also harbor a jetpack down there since you’re now driving a sports car?” I inquire, thinking about her super cool green customized brand-new out-of-the-box Lambo that she received from Damion’s sponsors - just because she’s his girl.

“Oh yeah … freaking hell! I love my new car so much,” she hugs herself shaking her body. “And think, maybe one of these days you might be driving a new Ferrari.”

“I would not say no to that!” I beam. No normal sane person would refuse a free car. She winks at me and focuses on the article again.

“If he dances like Channing Tatum, or fights like Oliver Queen, he’s definitely got the moves to be a Magic Arrow in bed.” Well, well, well. I glance at the dancing trophies in the cupboard along the wall … the poor one that’s lost its glass recently. I know by now that the Blackburn children excelled in sport … athletics, rock climbing, skateboarding, and so on and so on … but the brothers all chose one to pursue; Enrique danced, Ilkay surfed – believe it or not; Logan played football (still does) and Jackson went into all sorts of fighting … no surprise there. Hockey is just something he does to keep himself occupied … or that’s what Enrique told me once. Mel chuckles again and follows my gaze.

“Okay, so a definite mark for Enrique …” she makes a right mark on the page, “Damion and Jackson fight like ninjas … “

Right, so it seems we’re gonna go down the list of all the guys, “Logan … eh … “

I unwillingly look at the envelope when she mentions her youngest brother, biting my lip. Could it be the truth? And how would Brian know all this? Maybe everybody knows and he’s just playing me for a fool?

“Okay sister, I can’t do this anymore … spill the beans.” I jolt when the magazine drops to the ground with a loud thud; her face serious. What beans? I don’t want to spill anything, especially not with the chance of her spilling her little bean prematurely. So I act ignorant and dumb.

“Eh, what beans? Oh, Logan … I’m sure he’s movable enough to be good in the sack.” But I should have known my contracted-sex-partner-boyfriend’s little sister is anything but stupid. She puts down her empty cup and picks up the dreaded envelope.

“This beans.” She holds it up in the air and I think my heart is having convulsions. Flip. I stare at her tummy, hoping the baby is staying put. Ug, Aria, she hasn’t even seen what’s inside yet. I have to convince her to leave this alone.

“Mel, please,” I plead … and I’m willing to beg, anything, but she can’t open that.

“Aria, listen,” she puts the envelope down between us, and I’m thinking of grabbing it and running away … but I know Mel is pretty fast … and I’m not.

And what if she runs and hurts the baby that way? Ug, what to do?

“I’ve seen the envelope in the photos of you and Brain. And then I saw you take it from your locker. Brian gave it to you, didn’t he?” I nod, there’s no denying it.

“And he’s using it to blackmail you somehow?” Damn this girl is clever. I keep quiet and watch the cup in my hand turn orange. Am I really afraid? It’s not me … I’m not one to give up so easily. But this time people can get hurt … really hurt.

“Don’t be scared, Aria,” Mel puts her hand on my leg and I look at her in shock. Can she read minds now? Is that some supernatural power you get when you’re pregnant? Come to think of it … I’m sure all mothers can read minds … mine sure could.

“The cup … “ she gestures with her eyes towards the now orange cup in my hand, “I also bought 2 that day, remember. Not that Damion knows what it means, but it’s fun to see what freaking mood he’s in.” I remember now. I smile, thinking that I haven’t told Enrique what the cup is all about either.

“Aria, I can help you. Please let me,” this time she’s pleading. Suddenly her eyes fill with tears. I’m stumped; you don’t see this side of the girl very often. Maybe it’s the hormones.

“You know, our family has gone through a lot …” she wipes her sleeve over her eyes and suddenly I feel like tearing up too.

“I think you can relate, ‘cause your life is also hard. But … Aria … “ she grabs my leg with both hands, “everyone can be happy … everybody can be saved.”

I frown, what is she talking about? Saved from what?

She moves forward, closer to me so our knees are touching. I look down and turn the mug around and around in my hands; afraid that she’ll see the truth in my eyes. Mel can be very attentive … they all are … and sometimes it’s extremely annoying. It’s as if they can see right through you, into the very depths of your soul. Especially the twins … they’ve perfected that study.

I smile … BEAST club. But I’m not complaining … all the training paid off - Enrique sure is a rom-com cliché in the sack. My smile grows until it’s as big as it can get.

I dreamily look up, just to find my so-called future sister-in-law staring at me with now folded arms. I haven’t even realized she stopped talking. I pull a face, knowing I’ve been caught out.

“You see, this is what I’m talking about.” I’m lost for a moment … are we back to the magazine topic? What has she been talking about now?

“Eh, sex?”

She flips her eyes and shakes her head.

“Focus, bitch,” she teases as if I’m supposed to know what she’s talking about without her actually talking … but I’m not Kiara. They understand each other like peanut butter and jam. We’re not there yet. I want to tell her that she’s the one hopping from one thing to another, but then again … she is a hormonal ADHD catastrophe at the moment, so I keep my mouth shut.

“I am talking about love … true love.” Flip, was I daydreaming that long … when did we get onto this topic?

“After experiencing the effects of real love with Damion; seeing how it changed us both … healed us, I know there’s hope for my brothers as well. And I promised myself I’m gonna help them. If Damion can overcome his past and be epically happy, then everyone is savable. The question is, will you help me?” She pauses a little and then sighs deeply.

Savable? Everyone? I mull it around in my head and think about the robot twin. Can he be saved? Can his heart start beating again? Even if there’s only the slightest chance of this happening; for us to experience love; to be happy together; I’m willing to do anything.

“I’m in.” I mean, how difficult can it be to save these San Francisco boys? My sister is fighting cancer … CANCER … so a few demons are nothing compared to that … is it? And just how bad can those demons be? It’s not as if they were tortured or abused or anything like that. They just have issues because they found their murdered mom’s body. And granted it’s bad … really bad … it’s not the worst thing out there. Just like them, I lost both parents in one night too. And although I haven’t seen their corpses, I also have issues with that. But like I said … it’s dealable.

“Great! And we’ll start with you and Enrique … one boy at a time. You’re already together, so now we just need to add true love … and with the way he looks at you, that’s not gonna be so difficult.”

Yeah, but staying together might be … if Brian has his way.

Her smile lights up her face, right to her blue eyes. Jackson’s eyes … well, without the darkness. Logan’s gray eyes pop into my mind …

“Eh, Mel can I ask you a personal question?” She frowns and tips her head to the side. Then she nods.

“Your eyes, do they come from your mom or your dad?” She pulls a funny face.

“Well, the blue eyes come from Mom, but she had dark hair. Dad looked just like Uncle John; blonde with gray eyes. Why do you want to know?” Okay, maybe Brain is lying. Logan obviously got his eyes from his dad then … just like Ilkay … and it seems his darker hair comes from their mother. Brian must be bluffing. I would not put it past him … he’s the worst kind of person. Just thinking about him makes my skin crawl and suddenly I’m covered by goosebumps.

Mel waves the envelope, looking at me for confirmation that she may open it. How am I going to do this? How to let her help without her losing her little peanut?

I put the mug onto the small coffee table and look straight at the little blond.

“Mel, that envelope … what’s inside … it will be a very VERY big shock to you and your family. And with big … I mean nuclear explosion big. You can lose your baby.” I watch her facial expression change, from shock to confusion, and then it ends with determination.

“Aria, the little bean is not going anywhere, he’s a fighter like his dad.”

“He?”

“I have this feeling it is a boy. And I’m not going to let Brian-fucking-Cruise do anything to hurt my family … he will not win. Just like that bitch Chloe. Not while I’m around. You and me, we’ll fight, together. Okay?”

“Mel, I warn you, it’s bad … real bad, so you must prepare yourself for that.” She looks at me and nods. Then she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, opens her eyes again, and starts reading the paper she pulled out. Her face goes white and she freezes into some kind of paralyzed state.

“Mel!” My blood runs cold - scared; aghast; petrified - my eyes stuck on her tummy. Please let the baby be okay. Please, please, please let the baby be okay.