Chapter 18

Aiden ambled into their living room, yawning and bleary eyed. He peered through his half closed eye lids and stopped short, a few steps in. The curtains were apart, letting in a stream of sunlight that illuminated in its wake millions of dancing dust particles. He could see the shafts of light against the darker atmosphere of the room, together they achieved a kind of warm sunbathed look that was a particular favourite of his, since childhood. He called it the light and shadow effect. But on this particular day, his entire attention had shifted to the figure that slept peacefully on the sofa. Jenna had curled up on their sofa, clutching a cushion as she slept. It was an old habit, her always clinging onto either of the twins at night, something she never got over apparently. She only replaced warm bodies with fluffy cushions, Aiden thought bitterly. The shafts of light fell over her dark hair, giving it a sort of reddish brown hue. Her face was enveloped in a slight shadow, giving her a halo around her head. Aiden almost smirked but checked himself. He quietly moved across the room and drew the curtain slightly so that Jenna was no longer directly in path of the rays. Aiden knew she hated that. He heard her stir in her sleep and quietly started to make his way out when—

"Aiden?" came a groggy voice. He turned around. Jenna's sleepy dark eyes stared back at him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up."

"No, no it's alright. What time is it anyway?"

"A little over nine."

"Whoa, I must have overslept," said Jenna yawning, pulling her fingers through her tousled hair.

"Really? I remember you never getting up before 10!" Aiden said, before he could stop himself. Jenna looked up at him, grinning but that made Aiden pull back within himself again.

"But then again, I didn't know you for the past five years so, what do I know," he mumbled as he turned to walk out.

"Is that how it is going to be now?" Jenna's voice softly wafted to him over his shoulder. The tone made feel a pang of hurt ripple through his hurt. He knew he didn't want to have this conversation but in spite of himself he turned back to face her, such was the power of her disappointment.

"Be like what?" he asked innocently, even though he knew only too well.

Jenna sighed. "This! You can't even bear talking to me for a minute."

"I am talking to you, aren't I?"

"You tell me, are you?"

Aiden stood there, jaws clenched tight. He wanted to tell her that he didn't like to behave this way. He wanted to say that he knew it hurt her, it hurt him too. He wanted to yell at her and apologise to her at once. But he didn't. He just stood there, not being able to shift from her unrelenting gaze and that every honest question.

Jenna shook her head, she could feel the pain she was causing and she felt her own heart shatter under that weight every time Aiden behaved with her that way.

"You really can't get past this?" she asked.

Aiden still didn't speak. He wanted to say, "Sure I can, give me more time". But a small voice inside his head said, "What will you do when she does give you time? Will you forgive that she let you think she was dead, abandoned you?" Aiden wasn't ready to get rid of that voice yet so he kept his mouth shut. He didn't really want to see the look of utter disappointment on her face but he couldn't think of anything to say. The sense of betrayal was still too great. He kept rewinding in his head the days he mourned her, when he thought that she was gone forever, when he thought it was his fault, their fault. He had pushed himself to a very dark corner and now suddenly here she was like nothing happened. He wasn't ready to let go of his misery yet. He had been completely miserable for so long that he had forgotten how to be otherwise. He was scared of letting go that misery because it was such a great part of who he was and with the recent events, all the wounds had been clawed open and Aiden felt like he couldn't let himself get over that too quickly.

Jenna waited for more than a minute in complete silence, her heart sinking with every passing second.

"If it hurts you that much Aiden, I don't have to be here. Ethan will understand, I promise he won't blame you."

Aiden felt a sudden dread rise within his chest, forcing words out of his mouth, "Where would you go?"

Jenna shrugged, "I'm not sure but I promise I won't disappear."

Aiden stared at her, mouth half open.

"I'll send postcards!" Jenna added as an afterthought.

Aiden realised that it was the last chance he had, of actually putting words out. And this time, he ignored the sneering voice inside his head, and spoke up.

"You think leaving solves everything?"

Jenna was taken aback. That's not why she had suggested it.

"No! I dont. But it would be better if you weren't forced to see me every day."

Aiden clenched his fist nervously.

"I don't mind having you here."

Jenna tilted her head, "Really?"

"Yeah. What do you want me to say Jenna?" Aiden huffed, finally giving up.

"I want you to be honest."

Aiden scowled, "Well, in all honestly, I mourned you for 5 yrs. I deserve at least some time to adjust to having you around again."

"Being away from you hurt me every bit as much as it hurt you. At least you and Ethan had each other!" Jenna replied softly.

Aiden frowned, "I felt like it was the end of everything! I had lost the only person who cared about me, apart from my brother! You know what that feels like? I'm not like you Jenna, I don't make friends easily, I make it very hard for anyone to like me. And when someone like me loses someone, it's absolute!"

Jenna stayed silent for a second and the attempted to try again.

"You did find good people who care, Aid."

"But I didn't find anyone who calls me 'Aid' and that was all I really wanted!" Aiden felt his voice cracking as he attempted to keep from yelling.

Tears sprung in Jenna's eyes.

"No one ever called me 'Jen' either. It was only you."

"Nothing is the same Jenna!" Aiden replied, clearly in anguish.

Jenna bit her trembling lips and walked to Aiden. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, placing her head on his chest.

"I know. But things that matter are all the same."

Aiden let a tear slide down his cheek as he whispered, "I loved you."

Jenna buried her face in his shoulder and whispered back, "I still do!"

She heard Aiden's heart falter a beat, she could feel the sudden goose bumps that appeared on his skin and finally felt his strong arms wrap around her, as she, for the first time in years, relaxed in his embrace, in complete happiness.

Ethan's ears perked up, trying to catch any movement. All he picked up were two heartbeats, both fluttering and then falling into sync. All was quiet downstairs. The doubts cleared and feelings shared. He felt a physical load off his chest when he heard his brother finally say it out loud and now that everything seemed to be peaceful, he found himself feeling happier than he had felt in ages.

"Why are you grinning? Is it me hair?" a bleary eyed Danny asked, peering at Ethan, suddenly conscious of his tousled hair. He was still snuggled under the sheets, looking confused and in Ethan's opinion, completely adorable. Ethan wriggled closer and pulled Danny into a kiss. Even though he was still half in the troes of sleep, Danny moved in and by the time they finally broke off, all the remnants of sleep was long gone from Danny's eyes.

"Good morning to you too!" Danny giggled, slightly overwhelmed, "what's the occasion?"

Ethan grinned. "I have been eavesdropping on my Jenna and my ass of a brother." Danny shot up straight in bed, half excited, half indignant.

"Oh man! Didn't I tell you this is bad manners? You werewolves don't have much respect for personal spaces do you?" Danny scolded as Ethan rolled his eyes with a naughty half smile.

"Do you want to know what happened or what?" he said.

Danny tried to hold on to his look of disapproval but failed.

"Okay! What? Tell me?!" they both laughed and Ethan relayed all that had played out in the living room.

When he had finished Danny was grinning from ear to ear.

"It's that great?!" he exclaimed happily. He was very fond of Jenna and Aiden was, well... Aiden, so he was pretty fond of him too.

Ethan grinned pulling Danny closer, "Not just great. It's perfect!"

THE END

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