06

Riley.

Four hours into the journey, we arrived in New York. The air was stiff as usual, the street filled with workers walking down to the bus station.

I wind down the window, sticking my hand out. It feels surreal that I am back to the place that broke me. Just as Brian had said, there is a massive chance that I will get to run into them, and what would I do if that should happen?

I will practice for that, of course, and nothing keeps Alex and Austin far away from them. “You seem less enthusiastic about it now that we are here,” Brian commented.

We hadn’t said anything to each other since our conversation earlier. I shouldn’t have said those words to him because I’d given him the hope that one day, I could change my mind, and we could be something I doubt would ever happen.

“I don’t know. I feel uneasy about it. The memories I buried are trying to crash my head again.” I responded, grabbing my bottled water and gulping down everything.

Using his right hand, he squeezed my hand as I panted heavily. Maybe they were right; it was a bad idea, and I was not as brave as I thought. “You are Riley, known to be brave, so don’t let it get on you.”

I nodded my head, finally steadying my breath. We shared a look before he retracted his hand from mine and kept his gaze on the busy road of New York. “I am sorry, Brian.” I found myself saying.

“There is nothing to be sorry about, Riley. Just know I will always be here for you, wherever you need me.”

That has been one constant thing that Brian doesn’t fail to remind me whenever he notices I am done. He and Nana have been my support systems before the twins came into existence, and for them, I ought to excel.

There is no better way of getting the perfect life without leaving everything behind and being happy. “The address.” Brian requested.

I fished out my phone from my black tote bag, reading out the address for him, and he typed into his GPS with one hand. “Aha, we are just some minutes away from it.” He exclaimed, and the traffic light turned green.

As he drove through the city of New York, my mind kept wandering as to how I was going to keep up my life here without Nana or Brian to help me. It was a decision I had solely made, and hence, I would take responsibility for it to figure out my life.

The two-bedroom apartment I got was just a five-minute drive to my new workplace, then a twenty-minute walk. I could use that as an exercise whenever I am returning from work.

I had realized that it would be good and favor me, but then, leaving the only thing left for me was the cruelest thing to be done. “Don’t you have things that you would need from a store?”

“Yes, we could grab some food from the nearest McDonald too,” I replied.

In agreement, my stomach grumbled loudly, and Brian laughed. “You should have agreed when I said we should stop at the…”

Alex groaned softly, stretching his body until he was touching Austin, who was still fast asleep. He rubbed his eyes gently while yawning. It came as a shock to me that they had slept for so long.

They were never the type to sleep for a very long time without waking up to ask for food or water. “You are awake,” I said, returning to face him.

I combed his hair with my hand, trying to put it back, but it kept falling, and no matter how many times I would get it trimmed in a month, it grew back fast.

It wasn’t a gene that I would have said that they had taken from Noah because his hair takes a long to grow, and the same applies to me. Their natural blonde hair had a touch of brown hair in it, which I still can’t figure out how that is. “Mummy.” Alex softly said.

“Yes, hun. You are hungry, right?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer to the question.

At the same time, Austin woke up also. “We will be there soon,” Brian muttered.

All I could do was pray that we would get there before they started crying. They have already tried sleeping for so long, and the next thing would be them crying to get food.

To keep them lively, I tried to make a little conversation out of it. “Do you want some fries and burgers?”

I almost palmed, realizing that I had fucked up. The doctor had advised against feeding the fries. “Riley?” Brian asked, raising a brow.

“What? It was a slip of the tongue.” I mouthed.

If only I could make them unheard what I had just said because Austin’s face brimmed with so much happiness.

Brian pulled into the driveway of McDonald's. “Takeouts or eating here?” He questioned.

“Let’s just eat here,” I mumbled. Takeouts worsen things for me, and I need to rest before Monday. “It is the best for all of us,” I added, picking up my bag.

As soon as Brian turned off the car, he dropped down with Austin in his hands while I held out my hand for Alex. Due to the bag I held, I couldn’t pick him up.

Just like the happy family that Brian had wanted us to be, just the four of us walked into the eatery. All eyes turned on us as the bell rang, indicating someone had entered.

We went to the counter and met an old lady with a smile, ready to take our orders. “Take the kids to sit somewhere while I order,” I told Brian.

He didn’t object to what I had said and took Alex’s hand from mine, then walked down the eatery until they found a seat at the end of the eatery. “What a happy family.” The old lady commented.

All I could do was smile at her. “Your husband seems so obsessed with the kids.” She added.

I turned back to see Alex and Austin jumping on Brian while he sat there, the biggest grin on his face. “Oh, he isn’t my husband.” I clarified.

It would be better to tell the truth than lead her on. “Then he would make a better husband. Don’t let him go.” She winked before grabbing her notepad.