Ava’s POV
I was feeling lonely. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I was missing them terribly, and it was driving me insane.
Where did they go? They left without saying goodbye to me. Did they despise me so much? Did they want nothing to do with me?
Without them, I was pessimistic and empty. My heart ached. I’ve been missing the twins a lot. I hadn’t been myself since they left. I felt lost. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have summoned the courage to express my feelings to them. Because without them, I was incomplete.
“Ava,” Oliver called my name, jolting me out of my reverie. “What’s the matter with you? Why are you torturing yourself?”
“Nothing is wrong, Oliver. I’m fine.”
“Don’t tell me you’re fine, Ava. You are not. You’ve been moody since the twin brothers left. You haven’t been yourself. You barely consume your meal. Tell me, what is wrong with you?” she queried.
“Oliver, I’m okay. Please stop asking me,” I grumbled.
“Enough already, Ava. I won’t stop asking. I don’t want to lose my best friend. You are my family, so please tell me what is wrong. I am begging.”
“Oliver, I miss them,” I burst into tears.
I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. I felt empty and lonely without them. I wanted them, and I missed them so much.
“Oh my! Don’t cry, baby girl. It hurts to see you in distress. I’m sorry you have to go through a lot,” she said, dabbing my tears away.
“What should I do, Oliver?” I asked her. “I am vague without them. I feel vulnerable. I don’t have control over my heart. They remain on my mind. What should I do?”
“Shhh…” she hushed, stopping me from crying. “Honey, I understand you, and I’m sorry this is happening to you. I am susceptible to help you in this kind of situation. I know you’re deeply hurt and helpless.”
“You don’t understand, Oliver. I feel like my heart is being segregated from me. My heart aches and bleeds, yet it continues to scream for them. I’m helpless, Oliver. Helpless,” I cried out, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Please help me.”
“I will help you out. I promise to help you, so please stop crying. I don’t want you to get sick, my love,” Oliver said, pulling me close to her chest. She stroked my hair until I fell asleep in her arms.
When I awoke the next day, I was feeling in pain, drowsy, and exhausted. I tried to get out of bed, but the pain stopped me. I tried to get up again, but I fell back onto the bed. The pain streamed all over my body.
Then, I became thirsty, so I tried to call Oliver’s name, but my voice came out low. I could barely hear myself speak; let alone the person I was attempting to summon.
I tried to stand up again, but I couldn’t. My vision was becoming blurry. Even though I had only just awoken, I was exhausted.
I was about to make an attempt again when Oliver entered the room.
“Ava!” she shouted as she dashed towards me, dropping the bowl and towel she was holding. “What do you think you’re doing? Can you please stop trying to get up? You haven’t recovered yet.”
“What is happening to me?” I asked, perplexed. “Why can’t I get up?”
“Don’t get up. Just lie down and get some rest. You’re not feeling okay, and your body is weak due to the burning. I’ve been taking care of you since last night,” she explained.
“What?” I was surprised by the information she was giving me. “Why? Am I ill?”
“You’re running a fever and having a nightmare.”
“A nightmare? It must be something from my past. Well, my past still haunts me,” I murmured under my breath.
“What are you talking about? No, you didn’t have a nightmare about your past. Stop speaking with animosity. Everyone has a past, darling,” she said.
“I didn’t have a nightmare about my past? Then, what kind of nightmare are you talking about?”
“A nightmare about Aiden and Ethan. You were dreaming about them before you started burning up. I was worried and taking care of you all night,” she answered.
“About them?” I let out a dry laugh, feeling disappointed. I could only dream about them. “Oliver, I think it is time to move on with my life. I think it is time to wake up from the dreams I am entangled in.”
I clutched my chest. It was difficult to consider moving on with my life and forgetting about them.
She fell silent for a few seconds. “Ava, I think you should wait for them. They must have their reason why they decided to leave without saying goodbye to you.”
“You’re advising me to wait? What if they never come back again? What if the day I saw them will be the last time I will be seeing them again? Don’t you get it, Oliver? They don’t feel the same way. They don’t love me the way I love them. Everything is just a one-sided love!” I screamed.
I shouldn’t have cried out because I felt like my body was being ripped apart. Pain gushed throughout my body.
“It’s okay, Ava. I’m here. Please stop hurting yourself any more than you already are. I’m sure they love you as well. They love you a lot, just like how my parents love each other. Please stop crying.”
“Do you think they will love me? Who am I kidding? They will never love a girl like me,” I murmured, loathing myself.
“What do you mean? Ava, you are a beautiful girl with a kind heart. Any guy who you will end up with will be the luckiest guy in the world, so stop all the nonsense you are splitting out.”
“You know I am speaking nothing but the truth. No one will like the type of girl like me. I am not pure. I am no longer an innocent girl. Every guy likes and wants a pure and innocent girl to date. Am I qualified? Tell me exactly where I’m qualified?” I asked her.
“Everyone likes you. I love you, and I always want the best for you, my dearest sister. You are my family and my best friend. I’m sorry for not being with you when you were suffering back then,” she tried to console me.
I hugged her and cried, gushing my grief and my sorrow.
Weeks Later.
After a month, I was feeling better. I’d been getting antsy since I saw and heard about them. I couldn’t forget or take them out of my mind. I kept trying to get them out of my head, but it was more difficult than I imagined. It was impossible for me because they had infiltrated my heart without realizing it. I had lost my heart to them. They were the controllers of my heart.
Oliver had always been there for me. She was a best friend and a sister to me. She had shown me true love and made me understand my worth. With her by my side, I feared no one. There was also hope for me that I would conquer my inner demons with her help. She had been urging me to take my dinner.
“Ava, please eat. Even if you can’t eat all, at least eat some. Don’t go on a hunger strike,” she nagged.
“I’m not hungry. Take it away,” I refused.
“No, you must. You will eat your meal, no matter what you say,” she insisted. “Now, open your mouth before I make you open it forcibly.”
Fuck!
“Could you just stop nagging? I said I’m not eating”
Before I could finish my statement, she nudged a spoonful of food into my mouth, forcing me to swallow it.
“What the fuck? What are you doing? You almost make me choke on the food! Are you trying to choke me to death, Oliver?” I grumbled.
“Stop, Ava. Don’t make me mad,” she warned. “I am only looking out for you. I don’t want you to be unhappy or stuck in your emotions. What if they come back and find you in this state of health? What do you think they will do? Will they be happy when they find out they are the cause you are like this? Ava, please! I am begging you! Eat your food.”
I was also unhappy with myself. I wanted to eat as well, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t, and it was killing me. I didn’t know I could be as frail as I was. I couldn’t believe I could fall in love and be able to say no to my emotions. I had lost control of my body.
I took out my cell phone and dialed their number once more, but it was turned off. I had been calling their number since they had left, but it was always disconnected. I strolled through my portraits, looking for the snap we took together. I admired them on the phone screen.
“I need to be strong, Oliver. I need to be strong for them, so I need to eat something to replenish my energy. I don’t want them to return and meet me like this. I believe they will find their way to me. They will come for me,” I said, my eyes twinkling with hope.
“Yes, that is the vigorous girl. You must eat in order to gain strength. They’ll be here soon. They will come back to you because they love you. It was never a one-sided love,” she reassured me as she began to feed me.
“Oliver, I bless the day I met you. I never regret having you as my sister and my best friend. Thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for always being there for me. Always remember this, my dearest sister, I love you a lot.”
“I love you too, big sister,” she answered back, smiling.
***
Oliver’s POV
I despised seeing my sister in such a state. I despised catching a glimpse of her suffering, and I despised it even more when I was powerless to help her. Without them, she felt sad, lonely, and empty.
I had no idea what kind of spell they had cast on her. I was convinced she would never be happy without them because she had nightmares about them. In her fantasies, she even moaned and called their names.
She had changed. This wasn’t the Ava I knew. This wasn’t her at all. Something didn’t feel right. There was more to it than I realized, and I think the twin brothers hold the key to all of the puzzles. After all, they were the keys to the answer.
I needed to ask them what was wrong with my sister. She wasn’t like this before. I didn’t take a break from taking care of her all night long. She was burning up.
I soaked a dry towel in water and used it to wipe her body every minute. I was devastated. I was unhappy to see her in this state. My lovely Ava’s flawless delicate skin became thin and pale. It was clear she was in pain.
I went into the bathroom to get more water. When I returned, I noticed her struggling to get out of bed. Pain and struggle were written all over her face, yet she never gave up and tried again.
“Ava!” I shouted.
I was appalled, scared that I was going to lose my best friend and sister. I despised the twin brothers. Why did they leave without saying goodbye? They disappeared without a trace.
“Did I do anything wrong? Are they not interested in her? Are their gazes telling the truth?” I kept questioning myself.
Seeing how pale she was, I tried to persuade her to eat her meal, but she refused. I felt guilty as she went on to cry. Guilt depleted my body as I watched her tears run down her cheeks. She kept screaming despite the pain she was feeling. They should never have left her alone. They hurt my beloved sister. I hated them. But even if I hated them, I could never show it because I didn’t want her to hurt her any further. She was in love with them.
“Oliver, guys love pure and innocent girls. I am no longer pure. I was an abused victim. I’ve been fucked by numerous guys and my masters, so who will be willing to be with a girl like me?” she cried out.
I was speechless. Was this how she felt about herself? She was damaged, but I vowed to mend her. I would heal her no matter how long it took or how slow the progress was.
“Don’t talk like this to yourself. Everyone loves you. Who will have the heart to hurt an angel like you? You have a kind heart. You’re pretty, and I love you, Ava. I will slay anyone who dares to loathe our Ava,” I promised her as I tried my best to console her.
I convinced her to eat so that when they returned, they wouldn’t find her in such bad shape because I knew they would feel bad if they discovered they were the cause of her ailments.