Always

bonus chapter: Lucas

LUCAS

I am a magician even if naked and empty-handed, for I am the wand and all the magic ingredients. I invent the spells, add magic words in the perfect combinations. Everything else is a prop, a diversion. A good magician, a magician who is a good person, has the power to conduct blessings to creation.

 

Magic is just an illusion. A beautiful, rare, unnaturally natural gift to those who are capable of welding it the right way. The playing cards, the props, the thrill on people's faces, and the wonder and amazement in their minds after I perform a trick, are a sight to behold.

I shuffled my cards absent-mindedly as I heard that door to my room open.

"Is that a Farrow shuffle?" Carina came inside my room and looked at my hands, her mouth agape.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I asked her. Not a lot of people would immediately recognize it.

"I've been trying to practice that for ages now. I moved on from the basics to the weave then the dovetail and then one-handed. But you're doing a Farrow shuffle with one hand?"

My eyes brightened. My mom taught me when I was very small. She told me that when she was in college, she did it for a fundraiser and my dad donated a lot of money, just to see her do it. It was their meet-cute.

"I could teach it to you. Come sit" I patted the space beside me as he sat down there. Then I handed her my extra pack of cards and told her to show me the basics.

"Alright, that's actually not bad at all. I think we can work with that." I showed her how to do the Farrow shuffle until she finally got it and then, for the rest of the day, we showed each other our main tricks and watched a movie before going to sleep.
 
"Thank you, Ma. I love you and I miss you." I spoke towards the stars before drifting off to sleep.

_______

I woke up in the middle of the night. My stomach was growing. Time for a midnight snack.

I tiptoed downstairs and opened the fridge. When I closed it, I saw two dark figures on the kitchen counter, kissing.

"Ahh! My virgin eyes." I screamed as they jumped apart. My scream was not loud enough to wake anyone, just for them to hear it.

"Liam? Is that you?"

I blinked a couple of times to let my eyes adjust to the sudden light.

"Er, yeah." He was shielding the other person's face as I reached for his hand.

"Liam, who is she? I didn't know you had a girlfriend."

He glared at me before raking his hands through his hair.

"I don't have a girlfriend. Here." He moved away from the other person to reveal a guy standing there. Interesting.

"So? You're gay. What's the big deal, you don't have to hide it from us, Liam, we'll support you no matter what."

"I- I don't know, I guess I was just scared." I smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.

"Soo, what's your name?" I asked, pulling away from Liam.

"André" He said, looking at me and then at Liam and back at me again.

"Me, my sister Layla, and Liam are triplets," I told him as all of us sat down on the stools.

"So, where'd you meet my idiot brother?" I said, finally breaking the ice.

André smirked as Liam rolled his eyes.

"Well, this is a hilarious story. Embarrassing too." He added as I passed them both a tub of ice cream.

"Well, I've got to hear it then,"

Liam got up to search for something in the cabinets while André told me how they'd met. "So, I was getting chased by some local gang because I'd wrecked their shipment and it was their only one. I took a sharp turn into an ally and sped up fast enough to leave them behind.

But when I took the right turn to go back to the airport, I crashed into someone. Both cars were thoroughly damaged and so I got out of my car and checked on the other person."

He paused to take a breath as Liam came back. He had a jar of mini marshmallows, a cup of what looked like hot chocolate, a can of whipped cream, and a bottle of caramel syrup. He proceeded to put whipped cream onto the hot chocolate, put caramel over it, and then stick loads of mini marshmallows there.

Interesting combination.

Liam handed the cup over to André who exclaimed in delight. My heart warmed at the love they shared. I hope to have that someday.