Devotion

two ﾒ ew

ANGELICA

As my brother, Rowan, holds Leilani and me upright to his shiny black Range Rover outside, I can't help but groan. I'm too wasted to even stand up straight. I look over at Lei, who's drunkenly smirking at my brother. Her glossy eyes show every emotion there is.

Once we get to the outside and near his car, the air is cold and hits my legs repeatedly. It's September; it's too early for it to be fall weather. The humidity is very high, but the wind blows every now and then.

We get to the car, and he opens the door with a straight face, easing me into the passenger seat. My braids move against my back as I get myself comfortable. He shuts the door and repeatedly does the same thing for Lei.

Rowan rounds the car, opens his door, and hops inside. I rest my elbow on the console, holding my forehead, and breathe out small breaths. "I'm starting to see two of you both; how drunk did I get?" I ask myself in regret.

Lei laughs out loud, sounding just as wasted. "Oh, girl. Pretty, pretty drunk." Her smile is wide in the rearview mirror, and I just groan in disbelief.

"Why do I let you make decisions sometimes?" I asked her, not expecting an answer. My head hits the headrest on the seat as Rowan pulls out of the busy driveway. My head moves around, trying to find a comfortable space in the seat, until it lands on the car door handle.

I'm not sure why it's the last resort, but it's the most comfortable.

My arm rests under my head, and I lull myself to sleep. "Rowan?" Lei begins speaking, and a smile still sounds in her tone. "How emotionless are you? You never show any emotion."

"He's a brooder," I say, half-asleep. Her laughs fill the car, and a smile creeps on my face.

I could feel the dangerous glare of his green eyes, but I ignored it because he was scary. God knew he'd be even more intimidating with colored eyes than brown, but then again, I love brown eyes even if I don't have them.

My brother and I share the same exact features except for skin tone. I have a darker brown complexion, but it doesn't matter because people know me as his little sister. "Oh, that's De Santis' sister." They'd say, and it's very annoying.

As much as I love being a twin, I don't like being compared to him. We might have grown up similarly, but we are two different humans. He likes to deal with the dangerous family stuff, and I'd rather watch it happen.

Lei breaks the silence again and talks to Rowan again. She's had this weird obsession crush thing with him for the longest, and honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't given into any of her antics by now.

He keeps that cool demeanor that he uses at work with Dad and other guys in the business. Me and my mother are the only ones you can approach with no issue at hand. I'm not exactly the scariest in town.

Alone in my drunken thoughts and hearing Lei speak rapidly, the car eventually stops, indicating we're home. Home sweet home. Rowan gets out, rounding once again, and opens the car door for both Lei and me.

"Ooh, I have a wedgie," I say, fixing my dress without anyone really noticing. Lei moves past Rowan and heads towards the door of the mansion we live in. We have a penthouse and a house a little outside of New York City; nothing special.

Rowan leads us into the house with the door opened. Lei and I walk in, and I immediately go to the kitchen. The light is turned off, which means the parents are fast asleep, and I can now raid the fridge with no mercy.

Lei's footsteps trail behind me, just as eager to eat some food. Our heels clack against the tile floor as we move continuously around the kitchen for a snack.