When Grey Met Colors - Cordelia Goode

☆ Part 9 〜 The bomb ☆

When I enter in the café, I'm immediately greeted by the warm scent of coffee and pastries. I look at my surroundings, searching for a tall, black haired woman with glasses and I find her sitting in a booth right next to the big window where we can read Jess' Café backwards.

    Seeing Esther after all this time, it feels like a dream. And when she lifts her gaze to look at me, all the good memories we have together come crashing into my mind and I realize that in the end, I can't really be angry at her for so long. I allow myself to smile at her shyly and she gives me back my smile, getting up and walking up to me.

    When we're only at a few inches away, we both open our arms to hug the other, this familiar embrace warming my heart. I really missed her. Despite everything, she's my sister and I'll always love her. After we break the hug, I follow Esther to the booth and I sit in front of her.

"You look radiant sis." Esther says with an unsure tone, probably feeling the same awkwardness I feel.

"Thank you Esther. You don't look so bad either." I joke. We both smile, a silence following my last words. My sister readjusts her glasses and clears her throat.

"I wasn't sure you'd come."

"I wasn't sure either. But I know I made the good choice." Before either of us can add anything, a teenage boy with a beige turtleneck and black jeans appears next to us with a tray full of coffee cups and plates with pastries.

"The black coffee and chocolate bread for you," says the teen putting a cup of coffee and a small plate in front of my sister, "and the cappuccino and the chocolate eclair for you miss," he finishes, his gaze on me.

"Thank you very much!" My sister says sweetly before the waiter turns around and leaves us. "That's what you took when we were younger, I hope that's still the case."

"So... are you gonna tell me the reason why mom wouldn't let you talk to me?" I change subject, feeling the urge to know why my mother acted so horribly for the past year.

"You might not like what you'll hear, I prefer to warn you... You know that we have a big age difference... Well, there's a reason for that. Mom and dad didn't just decide to have you sixteen years after they had me." Esther takes a deep breath and as she looks away, I can see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Her lower lip is quivering and she tries to hide it by biting it.

"Take your time Esther, it's okay." I say trying to make her feel better and comfortable. I even take her hand when I see that it's really hard for her to say what she has to say.

"I'm not your sister Kory... I'm your mom-" The tears are now flowing freely on my sister's cheeks, her hand squeezing mine strongly.

"You're joking, right?" I ask with a smile knowing damn well that she isn't. She wouldn't be telling jokes about this. And it's obvious that she is telling the truth. A knot builds itself in my throat as I feel the emotions trying to get out of my eyes, but I force the tears to not come out. Esther takes her face with her available hand, letting herself go while I try to process everything in my head.

"I'm so sorry Kory, I wish I could've told you ages ago-"

"Why...? How did I not know that?" I ask quietly, my gaze lost into the void.

"When I got you, mom told everyone you were hers and she forced me to stay quiet. 'You're her sister and only that' she told me and at sixteen, you obey to your parents. Dad wasn't so fond of that, but mom wouldn't listen, she was so ashamed of me for being pregnant and not telling her."

    So that's why dad never liked it when I called him that...

"As we grew older, I tried to be as close to you as possible, but mom started to see me as a threat, she feared that you'd like me more than her, so she... she forced me to move out and to stop having contact with you. I wasn't happy with that, but she kept saying that that was the best thing for you, so I obeyed. Even if I only wanted to tell you everything, since the beginning... I'm truly sorry Kory."