Chapter Three

Elena’s POV:

He was frozen while my mouth was moving slowly against his mouth. I took my time nibbling and feeling his soft lips. The feeling of his lips was better than what I perceived in my dreams thousands of times.

“He is the one.” My heart yelled at me.

Suddenly, I felt his hand on my waist, and I was sure he would push me away, but instead, he pulled me closer to his body. Then his lips started to move slowly, touching me gently like I would break if he put a little pressure.

I teased his mouth, wanting it open and allow me to explore his every velvety nook. He opened his mouth allowing my tongue to plunge inside his mouth, battling for the dominance.

My world exploded with happiness when I realized he was kissing me back, and his tongue was playing with me. Unfortunately, the pleasure didn’t last long because he pulled away from me as fast as he gave me the taste of heaven.

I gazed at his swollen lips with my hazy eyes.

“You wouldn’t have done this if you were not dreaming, right?” I asked him with a bitter laugh.

He clenched his jaw, looking insulted. But then the anger disappeared and sadness took its place again.

“I was just dreaming too, when I kissed you,Jake,” I said bitterly.

He was glancing at the floor with rage on his face. He clenched his fist, trying hard not to punch something, looking disoriented.

I shook my head in disappointment and left his house with tears streaming down my eyes.

I wiped away the tears from my face and entered the house. I found my mom and dad in the living room, sitting on the couch, discussing something.

“Good morning,” I said and averted my eyes to avoid eye contact so they wouldn’t notice my red eyes.

My parents looked up at me and stared at me with questioning gazes.

“Good morning, princess. I thought you were sleeping,” Mom said.

“I woke up early and went out for a walk, mom,” I said, trying to look anywhere but at mom.

My mom nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. She kept her eyes on me, assessing me.

“Come here, princess. Your mom and I need help picking the decor color for dinner,” Dad said.

“What dinner?” I asked them in confusion.

“Madeline's parents will be leaving tomorrow. Your mom thinks we should arrange a family dinner before they would leave. So, the dinner is tonight and you’re invited too,” Dad said with a smile.

Did I tell you how much I love my dad and his obsession with cracking silly jokes?

I smiled and sat down on the couch beside my dad. He handed me the booklet to choose the color combination for decor. I tried to act cheerful about the whole dinner thing, however, my mood was spoiled.

“I think this color combination will look good, champagne and white. What do you say, mom?” I asked mom with a fabricated smile to hide my pain.

“Yes, this looks nice,” Mom said, smiling. Dad nodded, allowing me to leave.

“I’m going to my room,” I got up to leave when my mom's inquiry halted me.

“Did you have breakfast?” Mom asked.

“Yes, I did,” I answered her and went to my room.

I slumped down on my bed and touched my lips. I caressed my lips, imagining his soft lips over mine.

Ugh ! They were so soft. Why do I feel addicted to his kisses and his eyes?

Shit! I kissed him! I kissed Jake Carter. My brother’s best friend!

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, relishing in the feeling of that beautifully nauseous moment.

The regret on his face was making me angry.

Why do I feel rejected? I asked myself.

“And he pushed you away.” My mind reminded me.

The tears again burned my eyes, making me blink my eyes repeatedly. Why did he push me away? Does he still see me as his best friend’s little sister when I’m trying to show him that I’m a grown woman who can take her own decision. He had to accept that he wants me. I saw it in his eyes. These feelings can’t be one sided. I couldn’t be the only one suffering this heartache.

I heard the knock at my door and yelled, “Come in.”

Eric entered my room, dressed in grey sweatpants and a black shirt with his phone was in his hand.

“Mom told me to check on you. She thinks your mood is off,” He said, slumping on the bed beside me.

“No, I’m fine,” I lied.

“Here you go again, lying to your twin. How dare you do that to me?” Eric said in a dramatic way.

I stick my tongue out, slumping on his back in sadness.

“I told mom that you are probably feeling single on many ways after watching Brandon and Madeline getting married. Isn’t it right?” He asked with a smirk on his face.

“Fuck off,” I mumbled and he laughed.

“Come on, just spit it out,” he said.

“You don’t have a boyfriend and you’re craving from one. Don’t you?” He asked, laughing at his stupid joke.

“Eric, stop teasing me,” I said.

“What are you hiding twinzie?” he asked.

I stayed silent, feeling tired. He looked at me and frowned.

“Is there something on your mind? You know you can tell me anything,” He said, turning to me, looking at me in concern.

He was my twin and somehow we could feel each other’s emotions too strongly. I knew he was feeling my sadness and stress.

“Eric, I think you were right,” I said absentmindedly.

“I was right about what?” He asked curiously.

But I knew I couldn’t tell him. He would just broadcast it to both of my brothers because Elena finding a boyfriend was common ground for them to connect and discuss.

“About something, now leave.” I said, concealing all my emotions and feelings.

“I’m not going to leave until you tell me. I love secrets,” he said with a evil smile.

You throw a cushion on his head and he makes a face, catching it.

“I’m tired and going to take a nap so you need to go,” I said, pushing my brother out of my room and locking the door.

I fell on the bed and shut my eyes to get some sleep.

An hour later, I woke up, and my mom gave me a few chores. The day went on as I got busy and that made me stop thinking about Jake and things that happened in the morning. Then the time of the dinner came and I went to my room to get ready. I pulled out my sleeveless peach color cocktail dress with my silver high heels. I dried my hair and curled the ends of my long brown hair to give them some volume before leaving them open. Then I applied a bit foundation and pat some rosey blush to give myself a flushed look.

“As if you need blush since Jake came back,” my mind taunted me.

“Shut up. I don’t want to think about him right now.” I said to myself.

Applying the soft pink matte lipstick, I got changed into my dress. I sprayed my favorite perfume that smelled like roses and vanilla. Then I put on my diamond studs which was a gift from my dad. He spoils me too much with gift and his love. I really respect him and love him for that, however, I still won’t surrender to not dating until twenty five. When I got ready, I went downstairs to join everyone. I found my parents talking to Madeline's parents. My brothers were busy chatting about some place they wanted to visit next summer.

Alyssa was silent and looking around awkwardly, so I made my way toward her.

“Hi,” I said, standing beside her.

“Thank god you’re here. I feel so nervous to meet all these people again,” Alyssa said and grabbed my hand.

“Don’t be nervous. I’ll stay with you,” I said, giving a light squeeze to her hand.

Alyssa feels anxious around people because of her past. After what she went through, it’s tough to trust people, but she has been trying to overcome that fear and control her anxiety because of my brother’s social life. His career needs him to be always in a public eye and that makes Alyssa uncomfortable, however, she loves him too much and tries to work around it.

“Let’s start with Madeline's parents because they’re nice and super friendly,” Alyssa said, looking confident.

“Okay,” I said dragging her to meet them.

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Emerson”. I said.

They smiled at us.

“Hello, Elena,” They both said.

“You’re looking beautiful,” I complimented Mrs. Russell.

She was wearing a wine-red color dress. It was floor length, and her hair was set in a sleek bun. Her makeup was natural, and she looked beautiful. I was a girl but I was stunned to see her beauty.

Nobody would guess how horrible her past was. How she stayed in a house full of murders and drug dealers until Gabriel Russell came to rescue her.

Alyssa nodded her head with a smile.

“Thank you,” Mrs. Russell.

“You both look gorgeous too,” She said, looking at us.

She grabbed my shoulder and pulled me in a side hug.

“Your hair look so good, Elena,” She said.

“Thanks,” I said, smiling.

“Have you met Sam?” She asked.

“No, not yet.” I said shyly.

We started chatting about some stuff, and Alyssa was warming up to Mrs. Russell.

Noah smiled at me, mouthing thank you. I smiled back at my brother, but my smile vanished when the man standing with my brother turned and looked at me with his green mesmerised eyes.

I stared at the wine glass in his hand in disappointment. He gave me a smile and then clenched jaw, staring intensely into my eyes.

I blinked, hoping he would disappear like a bad dream. But nothing happened, and he stayed where he was standing, chatting with my brother.

He glanced at me again and sent me a sly smile, taking a sip from his glass.

My heart stopped beating for a moment. His smile was captivating, but his eyes were intimating, challenging me to defeat him in this game. I knew he was here to seek some answers from me.

I decided to escape and leaft the dinner area by making an excuse. I made my way to my room when someone captured my wrist, halting me in the middle of the corridor. My heart started to thump inside my chest. I felt scared, yet excited. I didn't know what would happen. But I wanted something to happen. I wanted Jake to be here with me, burning with jealousy and confessing his undying love.

I took a deep breath and turned to find Sam standing there with a sheepish look on his face.

“Hi, where are you going?” Sam asked me.

Sam was Madeline’s brother. He was cute with dimples and brown eyes. However, his sterling grey eyes were to die for. He was a friendly guy with a charsmatic personality.

“I wasn’t going anywhere,” I said, looking at him with an awkward smile.

“You look gorgeous,” He said, looking at me from head to toe.

“Ah, thanks,” I said with a smile, feeling my cheeks getting hot.

“I talked to Brandon and Madeline a few minutes ago. They’re really enjoying their vacations in New Zealand,” He said, grinning from ear to ear.

“I’m glad they are enjoying. Do you know how Bryan is?” I asked him.

“He’s really happy and they uploaded his video on their I*******m account. Did you see it?” He asked me.

“No, I was really busy today arranging dinner with mom”. I said.

He pulled out his phone and showed me Bryan’s video. Bryan was trying to ski on his small snowboard and falling every time. It was funny yet cute. We could hear Madeline laughing in the background as she was the one making the video, and when my brother tried to help Bryan, he refused to take any help from his dad and fell again.

Brandon and Madeline didn’t go alone on their honeymoon/vacations; they took Bryan with them and told us it was time for some family bonding and making memories. We couldn’t agree more with them on that.

“My nephew is cute like his aunt,” I said, smiling.

“And he is stubborn like your brother,” Sam said, and I laughed.

 Suddenly, a shadow fell on us. I looked up and found Jake gazing at us with a sharp dissapointed look. However, the possessiveness in his green eyes made me swoon.

"Maybe I imagined it?" I said to myself.

Then an idea popped into my head. I knew it was wrong, but it was the only way to find out what was going on in his head.

I stepped closer to Sam and put my hand on his shoulder.

I whispered in his ear. “Don't tell my brother that I said it, but I agree with you. Brandon is stubborn,”

“I will keep it a secret,” Sam smiled and replied.

Jake was still staring at us like he was ready to chew us alive. His eyes didn’t leave me alone once. There was anger and traces of betrayal in his eyes. I didn't understand why he was feeling that. And why his possessivness was pleasing me.