It had now being a week since I visited my aunt. I was settling comfortably into my college schedule like before and there was no difference even in my routine with the exception that I no longer woke up at five in the morning to get ready and go for a jog. I now woke up at eight for classes at nine like a sane normal college student and Olivia was proud of that. She was just happy that I’d no longer knock on her door at the crack of dawn demanding for her company while I jogged. I had to admit it felt pretty good to get three hours of extra sleep everyday.
It had been a week but Ethan still did not come to meet me. I wondered if I should just lose hope and move on but it was too soon to take that decision but it would certainly be considered late if he showed up now. But I missed him. I missed him too much to the point where every brown haired guy made me think it was him, only to be disappointed.
Olivia and I had been getting along pretty well. Amelia had called the day after Tristan visited us and asked us how we were doing. She informed us that Juliet was getting cranky and annoyed at having to keep up a good behaved girl fa? ade and she was on the brink of not giving a shit and just being herself.
There had been no calls from anyone after that and we didn’t call them either. It was finally the weekend now and Olivia had made plans with her other friends to go watch a movie and catch up with them. She would’ve invited me but I declined because those group of friends and I were completely different and didn’t mix. It would just be awkward and I wanted to save us both the trouble.
I was planning on completing my shift at the café and then go back to my apartment to relax with popcorn and a movie alone.
When I approached my building, there was a car parked right outside. It was the type that Ethan drove and I wondered if he really had come. I got really giddy and excited and I practically ran to my room and flew up the stairs faster than I ever had.
To my great disappointment I didn’t find him waiting in front of my door. I searched the whole building thinking he just didn’t know my apartment number but that wasn’t the case. I didn’t find him anywhere. The building was tiny so it didn’t take much time to search but he was still nowhere to be found.
Heartbroken, I trudged back to my room and slammed the door shut so loudly behind me that I actually heard a crack but didn’t bother examining the damage.
I regretted not memorizing his car plate number. But who did the car belong to? Nobody in this neighborhood was rich enough to afford that car.
I freshened up. I was in no mood to go through with my previous plans of movie and popcorn so I just flopped onto my bed, hoping to fall asleep.
I couldn’t though. All I could do was stare up at my ceiling and listen to all the sounds my ears could pick. A car started up outside and drove away. I hoped it was that prissy car which got me excited for no reason. I heard someone bickering over something but their voices were too faint to be comprehensible. Then there were footsteps which got louder as they climbed upstairs. I was certain they’d pass by me but it stopped right in front of my door. I sat up.
It took the person five full seconds to knock on my door. I told myself to not get my expectations too high. It might just be the landlord or Olivia who forgot something or a pizza delivery at the wrong doorstep.
I opened the door without looking through the peephole. He was standing there holding red roses but I doubted my vision.
I stepped towards him and regarded him with narrowed eyes. He was smiling at me. I extended a hand and cautiously poked his cheek. My fingertip felt warm and soft. He was really here. My Ethan.
“Ethan,” I whispered, still in disbelief.
“I’m sorry. I took too long, didn’t I?” He held out the roses to me. “Pretty roses for a pretty you.”
I felt my eyes warm up as the onslaught of hot tears started. “You came.” I launched myself at him and wrapped my hands around his waist and started soaking his shirt with my tears. We stumbled back at my force but he gripped me and steadied us.
I was crying rather loudly and I worried if I was disturbing the neighbors with my deafening bawling but at the moment I didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and caressed my hair and swayed us back and forth a little.
We stayed like that for quite some time before I finally pulled away. He wiped away my tears with the back of his hand which wasn’t holding onto the flowers.
I grabbed his hand and threaded my fingers through his. “Come on.” I pulled him into my room and closed the door. He handed me the flowers which had crumped up slightly during our hug. I put them in a vase and turned back to him. We took a seat on my bed.
“I’m sorry, Ethan. I know you knew from the start and I still shamelessly lied to your face. I felt terrible for doing that. I don’t know if you’ll ever trust me because of this but I want you to know that I’m terribly sorry and I didn’t mean to do that. I was planning to tell you after the party but then I went and screwed everything and I was scared of what will happen.” I rambled on and on. I wanted to get everything out and tell him why I did what I did.
“Hey, hey. I know.” He cupped my cheeks so I was looking directly into his eyes. “I know everything, okay? I was a little hurt when you didn’t tell me before starting to date me but I understand that you had no way. I found your letter a few days ago and I know it wasn’t always about your choice.”
“Do you hate me?” I asked fearfully.
He exhaled through his mouth. “Of course not. I never did. I’ve always loved you and continue to do so.” There was a tenderness in his eyes and his words were a soft caress of relief.
“I love you too, Ethan. More than you’ll ever know. But please accept my apology and I hope you forgive me for all that I did.”
“I forgave you a long time ago.” He said, making me feel relieved of the weight that had been pressing down on my throat all these days.
I hugged him again, refusing to let go. I needed to feel his touch to remind myself again and again that this wasn’t a dream. His beating heart was a melodious music to my ears, spreading warmth through my rather quiet and cold surroundings.
I pulled back only to press my lips to his. Our kiss turned fervent due to the lack of touch for ten days. I could tell by the way his lips moved against mine and mine against his that we missed each other terribly.
We pulled away. “What took you so long?” I asked the question I feared the answer to.
“I wanted to give us both some time. Even if I already knew about you, we still needed this. Besides Heather wouldn’t let me go to you and if I had gone against her I don’t think I would’ve lived and then we both would’ve been unhappy. My brave fa? ade only just lasted till what you heard on that phone call. Plus I moved back into my house and my dad was strictly monitoring how I worked after. It was near impossible to escape his scrutiny.”
I nodded. “Of course. I’m glad you didn’t let me come in between your work especially when your father was monitoring you. So is that your car parked in front of the building?”
“Yes, it’s mine. Why?”
“I saw it and thought you came so I searched everywhere but you weren’t there. Where had you gone?”
“I went to buy flowers for you. I walked there because it was in a narrow street and my car wouldn’t have fit.”
“Oh.”
“Did you miss me a lot?”
“A little less than a lot.” That was a big fat lie just to punish him a little for turning up ten days late.
He frowned. “That sucks but I missed you a little more than a lot so I guess that makes up for it.”
“Then you could’ve at least called! This whole time my anxiety shot through the roof and I thought you never wanted to see me again.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry but I felt that whatever needed to be said should be done in person.”
I agreed. “So what is happening back there?”
“I knew Juliet was never going to change. She’s still the same even after two years! She’s annoying and bratty. I knew I was right to suspect you when you claimed to have changed as Juliet. She didn’t even last a week into blending into her role. She broke down this morning and admitted everything to your parents. To say they were shocked would be an understatement. Mrs. Jenson nearly fainted and literally shook her daughter to the point where she was dizzy to ask where you two were. I was there and I said I knew and she ordered me to bring you to her. She sent Juliet back with another man to bring the other girl, Julia.”
“So you know about us now?”
“Yes, your mother told us everything. She hadn’t told her other kids that two of the triplets were kidnapped and so no one knew. To think you two were kidnapped so young and the guy faked your deaths…” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head firmly as if to get rid of unpleasant thoughts. He opened his eyes. “But everyone is confused how this could be, how you two survived while still retaining your real names after being adopted into different families.”
But I knew exactly what had happened and I told him. “I’m so sorry for you, Julie. I’m so glad you’re okay and will be back to your real family.” He kissed my forehead. “What you went through was horrible. I’m not going to let anything hurt you again.”
“And I won’t ever hurt you again or let anyone else.” I promised.
After we calmed down, I asked, “But why were you there? You said you moved back.”
“That I did but every morning I used to visit your home before work to water our garden. Did you think I’d ever forget watering them? I also took care of Plowy who you left behind.”
“Oh my God, you continued watering them? And I miss Plowy so much. Heather told me that she’ll take care of him. Is he okay?”
“Of course.” He dug out his phone from his pocket. “Here’s what you’ve missed.” He showed me all the pictures of Plowy and the pictures he took of the garden everyday. I could notice some growth from the first day from when I left till today morning.
“They’re growing well.” I squinted at something that caught my eye in the picture and let out a laugh. “Why’d you scratch out that ‘t’ in Juliet so aggressively? I can barely make it out anymore.”
“That’s good. That’s what I wanted. You don’t know how much I cringed while writing Juliet’s name on that. I wanted to write Julie. She kept making fun of our garden and so I squirted ketchup all over her hair and face.”