SOFÍA'S POV
Everyone is happy inside the house because Jessica is back, and I am too, but all of this was too much for me to bear at this moment. I'm happy to know she's safe and home again, but on the other hand I'm angry at myself for not doing more four years ago to find her. From what the doctor who treated her after the storm said, she didn't have a good time, and to make matters worse, I hit her the moment I saw her this morning, she must be hating me.
"Sofi, are you okay?" my fiancé asked and I nodded. "Yeah, I just want to be alone, Jack." I asked "And you know I won't leave you alone. Want to talk?" He asked, sitting down next to me. "There's nothing to talk about." I responded "Of course there is. Your sister is back. Aren't you happy?"
"I am, but it's a big change all of a sudden. This morning before coming to my parents' house I thought she was dead, and when later Santi tells us she's alive. It turns out all these years were a lie for everyone. I feel... I don't know, I feel in many ways at the same time." I said sincerely, "You're shocked, it's normal." He responded "I don't know."
"And why don't you come in and go with them? Go hug her, it's what you've been wanting all these years." He said with a small smile on his face "Right now she must want me as far away from her as possible." I replied, "You talk like you don't know Jessica."
"I know her, and that's the problem. Plus, she's not the same Jessica we all remember. That Jessica died in Los Angeles four years ago, this is a new Jessica." I responded, shrugging my shoulders. "She's your sister, that hasn't changed." Jack assured, "It may be, but Jack, you know better than anyone it's difficult to recover all your memories..."
"It's complicated for people who don't have anyone or are interested in knowing their past life, but Jessica has a lot of people and seems interested in knowing her life." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "You can't know that." I pointed out "If she's not interested in knowing what her life was like, what is she doing here?"
"Well, I don't know." I respond, "Well, I'm telling you, she's here because she wants to know what her life was like." my fiancé said totally convinced. "What if she doesn't like it and leaves again?" I asked, fearing that would happen. "She won't." He assured, "You don't know."
"She has reasons to stay. There's Santi, your parents, your grandmother, you and those kids. Jessica has no reason to return to Los Angeles." He pointed out all the possibilities that could make her leave. "What if she has a boyfriend there?" I asked "She must not have it if she's with Santi again."
"I don't know, all this is too much for one day, and to make it worse I screwed up as soon as I saw her." I muttered, "I'm sure she won't take that into account." He responded, "You don't know my sister at all, I see" I said with a sad smile on my face "I didn't have enough time to get to know her myself, but I can tell you from her body language when she came into the house, she was just nervous. There wasn't a trace of anger towards anyone."
"You say that to make me feel better." I protested, "No, I'm telling you this because it's true." He assured, "As you wish." I said not focusing on what he said "Don't you want to come in?" He asked, getting up from the ground. "I'll be in in a little while. Why don't you go to your future sister-in-law so you have the opportunity to get to know her better and study her?"
"I wasn't …" he began to deny and I let out a small laugh. "Of course, you were doing it, but I know you do it unconsciously, now, don't let Jess find out, because she kills you." I assured, "I'll write it down. See you later?" He asked and I nodded. "See you later."
We kissed and he left with the others. I'm not going to go in until Jessica leaves. It's not I don't want to see my sister, because that's what I want to do. I want to hug her and tell her how much I missed her, but I know her and at this moment she wouldn't want to see me and I won't give her a hard time, that's more than clear to me. "You should be inside the house with the others."
The moment I heard Jess's voice, I turned around and saw her standing there leaning against the door frame. "Jess?" I asked, surprised to see her there. "Yeah. Why don't you come in?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to bother you any more than I have." I admitted, "You won't bother me. You might scare the kids a little, but they'll get over it and I'll make sure they're not afraid of you."
"What an image those kids have of me at this moment." I responded, denying it and focusing my gaze forward. "Don't worry about that, they have seen worse with me, especially Miky is the one who saw me angry the most." My sister said, laughing. "If it's like years ago, believe me, it's something to be afraid of."
"That doesn't seem to have changed." I heard Jessica's footsteps approached until she sat next to me. It's a little strange to have my sister sitting next to me after we supposedly buried her four years ago. Not everyone is lucky enough for it to turn out to be like her. "I'm sorry about earlier." I apologized. "The slap?"
"Yeah, I should have listened to what they had to tell me. I hope you're not angry." I said sincerely, "Not angry, I thought you hated me." Jessica responded, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't." I said, "It's the feeling you get when someone you don't know, the first thing they do is slap you and tell you things you have no idea about."
"I'm a little impulsive, I can't help it." I confessed, "I'm usually impulsive too, so I understand." She assured, "At least someone who understands me." I murmured and we were silent for a couple of minutes. "Let it go."
"What?" I asked, focusing my gaze on her. "Anything you have to say, I will listen." She insisted, "I have nothing to say." I responded "You have a lot to say, I can see it." She assured, "I don't want to bother you." I repeated, "It won't bother me, I'm a stranger, after all."
"You're not." I said seriously "Yes, I am. But I can tell you from experience it's not good to keep things to yourself, it's better to release them and let them go." My sister replied, "Do you want me to tell you seriously?" I asked surprised and she nodded "It's all bullshit. We thought you were dead for four years and it turns out that's not the case. You're alive and no one had any idea you were. We didn't do anything to find your body. We were satisfied when they told us in these cases no body has been found."
"And what they said is true." Jessica said, nodding, "But we were able to continue searching. We might have found you on the street or something. During this time, I really missed you, Jess. I missed you and practically cried every night. If it wasn't for Jack, I don't know what would have happened to me. We were all bad, but the worst was Santi, and he didn't deserve to be like that, he's a great man and loves you more than anything."
"But you were also hurt." She pointed out "And what difference does that make? You didn't have a good time either." I said, remembering what the doctor said, "If I'm honest, no, I didn't have a good time, but I got over it, and that's what matters." Jessica said as if what she did was no big deal. "I don't want you to leave, Jess."
And I couldn't help but start crying. I noticed how Jessica hugged me and ran her hand along my arm to calm me down, something had an effect as the minutes passed. "Sofía, you don't have to worry about me leaving because I'm not going to." She assured, "Are you serious?" I asked hopefully "Of course I'm serious. "This is where I have my family, the person I love the most."
"And the children who came with you?" I asked, figuring they would have to go home. "What's wrong with them?" She questioned "You'll have to go back with them." I said "I don't have to go back to them, I'm the legal guardian of both of them." she confessed "Of both?" I asked, surprised, because I had the idea it's the guys, but I didn't expect it to also be the girls. "Yeah, it's a long story one day I'll tell, but now brighten up that face. I don't want to see you cry."
"I've missed you so much, Jess." I admitted, "You could say I missed you too." She responded, shrugging her shoulders. "You don't have the slightest idea; you didn't even know we existed." I laughed and she nodded. "True, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss you." She insisted, "Anyway, I love you very much, and I'm sorry for saying I'd wish you were dead."
"You shouldn't worry, Santi explained to me why you said what you said." My sister responds, "That's why you didn't kill me." I muttered, "I wasn't going to do it, I thought you hated me." She replied "I never hated you, maybe sometimes we argued too much, but I never hated you." I assured, "I'm glad to know that."
"I'm sure Santi told you." I pointed out "Santi says a lot of things so I don't worry, he's not exactly a good example." Jessica said laughing "Maybe, but you're with him again from what I heard" I responded with a smile on my face "How fast news spreads." She answered, but with her smile widening "You should know that."
"I should, but I don't." Jess responds seriously, "Shit, sorry." I apologized, realizing I had implied she should remember it. "Why?" My sister asked with a frown. "Because of what I said." I responded "That I should know?" She asked and I nodded "Don't worry, it doesn't bother me. I've been hearing things like that for four years."
"But from people you don't know." I noted "Point for you, but anyway, I got used to it. Spending a month with Carla helped me get used to it." She responded, letting out a laugh in which I joined in. "She's a big mouth." I said "I agree."
"So now you're both going against me? I, who did everything possible for you to reconcile?" Carla's mock offended voice asked. "Don't be dramatic, Carla." My sister and I said at the same time, "You hurt me more and more, dear." continued "Was she always this exaggerated?" Jessica asked me, raising an eyebrow. "This isn't it yet, give her time and you'll see how she is."
"Thank you for making me look so bad, Sofia. I thought you at least appreciated me." she responded, but her smile made it more than clear to me she's not offended at all. "You know I appreciate you and love you, but you are exaggerating." I assured, "I'll save this one for you."
Carla approached us and sat next to me, leaving me between the two of us. She put her arm around my shoulders and stroked my arm. "I'm glad you fixed whatever happened to you earlier." Carla said with a big smile on her face "There's nothing to fix, I just had to talk to her." replied Jess "Well, whatever your sister worked. I congratulate you, Jess, your ability to tame beasts is still intact."
"It's no big deal, she just has a bad temper, like me." My sister answered, shrugging her shoulders. "Now I understand where it came from, darling." laughed my sister's best friend. "I doubt it." Jess murmured. "Believe me, you are." Carla insisted, "What if we go inside and show mom, dad and grandma you don't hate me?"
"I already told you; I didn't hate you." I protested, "I know, but it's just a way of saying." She said, laughing, "I'm with Jessica, it seemed like you wanted to kill her, but look, you no longer need me as a sister, you already have Jessica alive and well." Carla responded and perhaps I could tell there's a sad tone in her voice. "I may have it, but you were very annoying these years and it cannot be helped, so you will continue to be like my older sister."
"Jessica is older than me." Carla protested. "For a year." I pointed out "Just for a year? I thought I was older." Jessica said with a face of not understanding anything. "That's because I take great care of myself, dear." Carla boasted "If she thinks that, it's because you apparent more years."
"Thank you for calling me old to my face Sofia." Carla protested. "I'm here to tell you the truths, no matter how painful they may be." I said, laughing, "Sofia, she's not that old." I defended Jess "Thank you, at least someone who loves me. For my twenty-five years I look wonderful."
"Twenty-five?" Jess asked again confused. "Are you going to call me old too, Jess?" Carla questioned. "No, it's not that." She murmured "So?" We both asked "If you are twenty-five, then I'm twenty-six." She said "You know how to add, I congratulate you sister."
"Of course, I know how to add, but I was about to turn thirty." I couldn't help but laugh. Jessica wasn't thirty years old, nor did she look thirty, so I don't know how thought she's going to turn thirty. "That's stupid." Carla said, still laughing. "Maybe, but it was my reality until recently." Jess defended herself. "Well, congratulations, sis, you're turning twenty-six again. You're the first person to turn twenty-six twice."
"This is all weird" She murmured again and I nodded, because I'm completely sure it is. "I know, but you'll get used to it." I responded with a smile on my face "Hey, a question Carla." Jess said looking in her direction. "You just made it." This one said laughing and Jess rolled her eyes. "That's not what I want to ask you, stupid."
"I know" Carla said, once she calmed down. "If you are my sister's sister, does that make you, my sister?" She asked curiously, "We were already sisters long before I became her. That remains the same." Carla assured, "So Mikey and Madison are too?"
"I adore these guys, so yeah, I could consider them so." She said quickly, "If you have me as a sister, you tell me you have three. This is not what I expected. I thought you had those children as your children." I pointed out, a little confused. "You're wrong, it maybe I adopted Madison and is Miky's legal guardian, but they are like my siblings."
"You have to tell me things about these years, sis." I said, "I'll tell you, but another day." reported "You better, but can I ask you a question?" I questioned and she nodded. "Now that you are here, will you help me with the wedding preparations?" I asked and a big smile appeared on her face. "That's not even a question, Sofia."
"And what does that mean exactly?" I asked "Of course I'll help you; I won't miss this even if I die. How long until the wedding?" she questioned "Three months." I quickly responded, "Well, we have a lot of work to do, because it's going to be the best wedding Italy will ever see."
"I'm glad you're home again Jess." I said sincerely, "And I'm glad to be here. Now let's go inside with the others." We got up, Jessica limping slightly, and went inside the house. For once in a long time, I felt like things were going well, and now Jess is back, things would be much better. My sister is back and I won't let anyone separate us from her again.