Alex sat under her favorite oak tree in Central Park, reading a book and sitting on a blanket. Reading has become her secret passion: she somehow became hooked on romance novels and has already read a fair amount of them. She sat near a fountain, listening to the water pouring out of it. Kids played among each other nearby and the adults sat on park benches, calmly sharing conversations. Teenage boys passed by on their skateboards and teenage girls coming back from shopping sprees walked on by, giggling and gossiping about.
Alex kept her love for reading a secret since she knew that her family wouldn't take it too well (in her opinion), considering that it was her.
***
At the Sub Station, her family was serving customers.
"Where's Alex?" asked Jerry as he picked up dishes.
"She went shopping with Harper," answered Theresa, scribbling an order on her notepad.
"Hey, if she gets out of work, then I do too!" exclaimed Justin from behind the counter.
"Same here!" yelled Max from the back room.
"I thought we agreed on one of us at a time gets out of work," warned Theresa.
"Yes, Mom," replied her sons in unison.
Harper came in.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Russo! Hey, Justin! Hey, Max!" greeted Harper cheerfully.
"Hello, Harper. Where's Alex?" asked Theresa kindly.
"What do you mean? I came to see her," answered Harper.
"You mean she's not with you?!" exclaimed Jerry.
Harper shook her head, obviously confused.
"She lied to us! C'mon, Jerry! Let's go find her!" exclaimed Theresa furiously as she and her husband started to untie their aprons.
"I'll go. Harper, stay here and take my spot," said Justin.
"Don't worry, I won't let you down!" exclaimed Harper excitedly as he walked out.
***
Alex quietly sat, reading her novel. She couldn't believe how romances were so addicting. She used to look down on them (mainly on books in general) but ever since she picked up one of Future Harper's books, she just can't put them down.
A shadow fell upon her.
"Alex?"
Alex let out a small squeal of surprise and quickly hid the book behind her back. Justin motioned her to make room on the blanket and she did. He sat down next to her.
"So, you lied to Mom and Dad to come and read. That's a new one," said Justin, cutting right to the chase.
"I-I wasn't reading," stammered Alex nervously.
"Hey, isn't that Dean over there?" asked Justin suddenly.
"Where?" asked Alex, distracted.
Justin snatched the book from her hand.
"Hey!" yelled Alex.
"Alex, it's okay if you like to read. Surprising, but okay," said Justin calmly.
"Give it back!" yelled Alex angrily.
He gave it back to her.
"Don't tell anybody," said Alex after a pause.
"Why not?" asked Justin.
"Because they'll overreact," answered Alex, adverting her eyes.
"I didn't," replied Justin, giving her a warm smile.
"Yeah, I guess you didn't. Thanks," said Alex, smiling.
She hugged her brother. Justin was surprised but not displeased and hugged her back.
"Well, I'll leave you to your reading," he said once they separated.
"No, stay. You can come read with me. It can be our sibling bonding thing," suggested Alex hopefully.
That was something Justin couldn't resist to say yes to.
It's a bit strange to see Alex with a love for books, isn't it? Or to have a book in her hands, period. I also added a sweet brother-sister moment in there, too. Well, I hope you liked it!
Please review!