Vivian Kent moved to New York in June for the summer semester exchange program in the United States. She was studying design in the fashion industry; a course she never put much effort into as her father had already promised her one of his starter companies to launch her career. Vivian Kent had known her father to be the richest widower on planet earth but had no clue on what businesses he truly managed. Throughout her childhood, she lived to see different faces around their villa tending to her every need. She was the apple of her father’s eye, and together with her older brother, sprinted around the hallways demanding things that their father’s infinite gold easily bought. Vivian had never met her mother in person except for the art on the walls that revealed her exquisite beauty, painting a picture of a ravishing beauty with cocoa skin and plump rosy lips. She saw no resemblance to the woman in the frame whose smile brightly lit every hallway, making her absence much bearable for
I left the study room slightly inebriated and strolled back to the living room, not wishing to be termed a poor host despite having Jacque around to do the hosting for me. Terrence was standing in front of the wall that shelved my life’s achievements, admiring the glossy trophies and certificates that decorated the wall. I cleared my throat to announce my entrance, startling him from his bent position. “Oh, I didn’t know you were there?” he laughed, straightening his posture immediately. I walked toward him, shaking my head to get rid of the fuzzy feeling in my brain. “Sorry for alarming you,” I said, regaining my balance as I held my arms together beside him. I barely ever stood in front of this wall myself, and only seemed to notice it whenever I gave esteemed guests a tour of my house. I smirked in admiration as I skimmed through the well-framed certificates and medals awarded to me throughout my academic and professional life. My mind went back again to Charlotte’s words - you a
Manning’s household was one filled with bubbles of ecstasy and hope for years. It was a close-knit family known in the neighborhood for its amiable and welcoming culture. They had lived in Atlanta ever since their first child was born, releasing streaks of sanguinity right after her first cry. They named her after her late grandmother, loving her more than anything else as she was the first surviving child after a series of miscarriages. Charlotte was born without any complications which was a gift to the Mannings as they had frequented the hospitals more than they wished, the pungent smell of hospital antiseptics clinging onto them for years. Seeing their healthy infant dart around the house left them desiring for more, hence they gave parenting another shot two years later with the same level of hope that the second try would be as fruitful. Ever since she had her scan done, Mrs. Manning spent her trimesters preparing for the arrival of her twins as her heart leaped in immense joy.
We all sat down in the living room, Terrence and Vivian cradling together on the couch. He had his arm over her shoulder, still looking as astonished as he was before. The pool of tears had dried up, leaving behind the loud sniffles from Vivian. Lucas had settled on the couch right across from mine, waiting anxiously to hear the entire story unfold. “Wait, but it doesn’t make sense,” Vivian spoke, tilting her head to maintain the same eye level as Terrence. “He had searched all over for you, reassuring me every night that he would get you back. You know how he can be...” she sniffled once more before adding, “and three months later, he told me that you were found dead in an alley in Yorkshire. I did not believe him at first as I knew you wouldn’t leave without me. Not all the way to Yorkshire.” She pulled out a tissue from the holder and blew her nose noisily on it. From the very first time we met; I had never pictured Vivian having an ugly cry as she did today. Her confidence and
The whiskey I had had before fazed out of my head thanks to the breezy night air. As I sat outside with Charlotte, my mind flashed back to Vivian and Terrence. For the years that I had known her, Vivian had never mentioned having a sibling – alive or deceased. Her family talk began with her tycoon of a father and her then best friend, Abby, but after her fall out with Abby, she only ever mentioned her father in passing. Abby and Vivian had apparently been allies since high school; their bond being christened to last forever. Forever ended up being shorter than they had planned when Abby fell in love with Mark despite Vivian’s abhorrence. Learning that she did have a sibling was astonishing, and I could only imagine how she felt when the truth she had lived with for years turned out to be pure fabrications. Despite our casual arrangements for leisure, a part of me genuinely cared for her, but I found solace in the fact that Vivian was one to bounce back faster than she fell. Charlot
I sneaked into the dark room, avoiding any movements that could wake him. The night had brought forth heavy news to bear, and all I wanted was to be there for him. I had failed so far as Lucas and I had chatted late into the night, completely unaware of the time. We had both been perplexed when the kitchen clock chimed at 2 am: four hours of conversation and laughter later. It felt good finally catching up with him after a long while, which left both of us feeling like we had not missed too much. I removed my house shoes and crawled into the bed beside Terence who was facing the other side of the wall. His breathing seemed hazy and the way he hid his hands under the pillow made his posture look quite fragile. Being the bigger spoon, I cuddled him and kissed his temple, marking my presence in case he needed it. I lay close to him, breathing into his back enough to impurify my air with his scent. Feeling my body next to his, he turned around and held me next to him. He kissed my for
Terrence crept out of the room, unable to fall asleep. There was a heavyweight in his heart that kept him awake. He had heard the laughter from last night seep through the wall but he could not join them for fear of being downcast in their happy reunion. He had feigned sleep when Charlotte walked in, afraid to burden her with his own weight. The staycation was meant to be thrilling for both of them, and he did not wish to sour it so soon. He reassured himself that he was happy to finally reunite with his sister, but a part of him shunned him for betraying her before. Terrence sat alone at the bar, not bothering to turn the lights on. He took a shot for leaving his sister behind, another for being a coward and not being able to confront his step-father on his identity, and one last shot for not looking for his sister before this. The alcohol went down his gut carrying with it all the pain in his head. He set the shot glass down and lay his head on the counter, going through the after
I spent the morning with Terrence driving around the city to find jewelry stores. The trip had been awfully quiet as Terrence stared out the window through the entire distance. I could tell that he had a lot going on in his mind, but could not garner the emotions to care much. I hardly knew him enough to meddle, choosing rather remain as quiet as myself. Traffic was not as bad during the weekends which made it easier to maneuver around various corners of the city. Our first stop was Starbucks where we got coffee as we had missed breakfast in the house. We then headed to Golden Beauty as our first jewelry store which was a fruitless move as all we got were girls gawking at me. Such scenes made me uncomfortable and clearly, Terrence too felt it. The second store was also a flop as nothing Terrence saw made him happy. At Khan’s however, there was a wider collection of jewelry that screamed expensive from afar. The jeweler displayed various sets of rings which judging by Terrence’s jovi