—Devon
It's been like a week or two. To be honest I lost count because I was so busy with my job and everything in between.
It amazes me that I somehow manage to send her flowers at work and plan things about the apartment. I did rent the one beside her place and paid for its rent advance for 3 months.
I let Adam handle the talk with the landlady since he's good with that. I decided to call him by his name because Mr. Guerrero. was too formal.
I considered him as my friend so now we call each other by our first names.
He's older so I sometimes joked about him being my lost brother and destiny made us meet each other to reunite. He couldn't stop laughing and told me that I was silly.
I actually do have a brother, a young one but he's in the states, studying. So we really can't bond and see each other everyday. Thankfully Adam's here.
Today's weather is so hot and I feel like I'm melting little by little. We're on our way to visit my studio type apartment because this is the only day that I am totally free and don't have a schedule for meetings.
I went with Adam because I can't drive today. I'm just so exhausted and If I do the driving I might doze off and create an accident. So to avoid that from happening I let him drive for me.
Once we arrived we were greeted by the landlady who is standing right infront of the doorstep of my apartment.
She's smiling widely to us and I don't know why.
"If you need something don't hesitate to ask me, okay? I just live downstairs. Just knock at my door, hm?" She winked and waltzed her way back to where she was headed earlier.
As soon as we opened the door, the pretty , neat and simple space appeared in front of us.
It might sound overreacting but my jaw almost dropped.
The walls were painted with a off-white color that matches the aesthetic of the furniture that I bought.
At first I thought that the furniture wouldn't fit because I bought way too much for an apartment this small but look, it surprisingly fits.
The dining table was small and big enough for two people. There is also a medium size cabinet beside the sofa bed and a small drawer with a small lamp above.
I also bought appliances like electric fan, mini fridge, air fryer, and coffee maker.
Thank god the air conditioner was still working fine so I can stay here without sweating ball sacks and sweat beads on my forehead.
We both sat on the sofa bed and rested ourselves for the time being.
"Did you check on her while I was away? Any new info to share?" I asked while massaging my temple.
"Yep. Well just like you, she's always busy everyday. No days off. According to her landlady, she always leaves at 8am, works tons of jobs in the morning, returns at 5pm to prepare for her night job at her adoptive parents bar. She's just like you, workaholic"
She also works in the morning? Why?
Her work in the bar is already tiring because she's always standing and walking. Not to mention the bar closes at 4am.
She's not getting enough sleep and that explains the dark circles under her eyes.
I just don't get it. Maybe she's not getting paid properly. Not enough to pay for her bills?
I'm so worried. She might get sick if she continues to abuse her body.
I need to do something.
I faced Adam beside me and smirked.
"I have a plan"
He just shook his head and heaved a sigh.
…
Initially I was planning to go to the bar but our family suddenly called for a family dinner so I had to cancel my plan and went home.
I was surprised to see my younger brother, Alejandro, sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone.
As soon as he put down his phone our eyes met and I saw how his eyes widened and immediately got up and ran towards me.
I smiled and opened my arms as wide as I could to welcome his hug. Good god! I miss this kid. It's been like what? Two? Three years?
He is no longer a kid anymore. He is a man now. He has grown so much.
He hugged me tightly and I was chuckling because I know he misses me as well.
"How have you been Alejandro?" I asked and held his shoulder to see his face.
"I'm great, Dev. Did I surprise you?"
"Yeah! I wasn't expecting you to pop right in front of me. Is this real? Are you real? Am I dreaming?"
"You're not!" We both laughed and walked towards the dining area, arms on each other's shoulder.
Our Mom saw us together and she formed a smile on her lips.
She loves to see our closeness to each other.
Alejandro is the biological son of my adoptive parents. He was our miracle.
My Mom has this case called Diminished ovarian reserve, in which she has fewer eggs inside her ovaries leading to difficulty of getting pregnant.
After searching for the kid they want in every orphanage they visit, they finally come to the decision to choose me.
Good news came and Alejandro was given to us. I can still remember how we screamed due to excitement. Mom was crying and Dad was holding his tears. He was so happy that he planned a celebration later that day and invited all of his workers in the company.
Now I can't believe that he is just 13 and his height is crazy tall. Good to know that he doesn't have problems with his growth hormone. He grew up too fast and I didn't expect that.
I'm happy that he's finally home after those years of studying abroad.
We can finally have some fun together.
…
"Oh I almost forgot, Alistair. Cienna called me earlier, she said that you've been ignoring her text all day" She glanced at me and drank her wine.
"Mom, I was busy. You know that"
Busy with Luna.
"Still, you should make time for her. You know how important she is"
I looked down on my plate and suddenly lost my appetite.
I don't want to talk about this stuff. Not in front of Alejandro. He'll worry about me.
I just know exactly how he'll react to this kind of thing.
Dad held Mom's hand and caressed it.
"Love, let's not talk about this, okay? We can do the talk later"
I just drank my water and stood up, excused myself and went to my room.
…
It's raining heavily outside so I decide to stay and sleep inside my old room. I'll leave first thing in the morning.
I was about to turn off the lamp beside me when I heard 3 soft knocks on the door. And I knew who that was already. Alejandro.
"Come in", He opened the door and appeared to be holding a tray with two tubs of ice cream.
One thing I love about my brother is that he knows how to comfort people, especially me. He has comforted me with ice cream in his hand ever since he was little.
We may grow up in separate places but there are things that didn't change at all. He's still the sweetest and most caring boy I ever met.
I'm just so lucky to have him.
He sat on top of my bed beside me and offered me the tub of mint chocolate flavored ice cream. He still remembers my favorite.
I accepted it and thanked him.
"Do they still need to do that for the company?" He asked, curious about the matter.
"Yup, even though both companies are doing fine they still need to collaborate to be one of the most successful companies in this country. It's all about the power and the money, Alejandro. The power they hold is still not enough for them, they crave for more. They can't be contented"
"Do you want me to talk to them? I can help you"
I know he can but I can't drag him to this mess. This is about me and the plans my parents created between the two families. I can't let him talk to them.
"No, thanks. I don't want you getting involved in this kind of thing, Alejandro. Just focus on your dream and let me handle this myself, okay?"
"But what about what you want?" He looked at me. The worry in his eyes was evident. I know that any minute now he will start crying.
He breathed in and out then continued to speak.
"You'll set it aside just because they had planned all this stuff for the betterment of their company. They didn't even consider what you wanted. If you're happy or not, that makes me sad." His shoulder started to shake as his eyes filled with tears started to pour in his cheeks. I took the tissue box inside my drawer and handed it to him.
"I'll be fine, kid. Don't worry about me, okay? I can still do whatever and whenever I want" I assured him.
"But for pete's sake they're talking about marriage, Devon. Marriage is something to be taken seriously. You can't just force two people to get married and expect them to fall in love. Love is something you need to find and experience and once you felt that everything is worth for marriage that's when you propose."
Woah! I'm surprised he knows how serious marriage is. He is so mature and I'm so proud of him.
"When did you grow up so fast huh?" I smiled and touched his hair to tease him.
"I'm serious, Devon. I just want you to prioritize yourself and for once do not think about what they want. You're not a puppet, so don't let them control your life. I just want you to be happy"
"I am happy, Alejandro" I showed him a smile.
"Are you sure?" He squinted his eyes.
"Yup. But not about the fixed marriage stuff" I took a spoon full of ice cream and shoved it to my mouth.
"If ever you have a plan in mind, just call me and I'll help you. I will be useful, I promise. Don't lecture me about dragging myself into this mess. I'm meddling cause I know how happiness is very important to all human beings so you don't have a choice but to let me."
I chuckled a bit and nodded my head.
"Okay, that would be noted"
Once we finished the tub of ice cream we laid our back on the soft and comfortable bed. We let our body rest and let our eyes close.
Tomorrow's going to be a long day. Another day to think about some important stuff. And she's one of those important things.
And God! I miss her!