Cold love {teacherxstudent, wlw}

Part 21

*Valentina's POV*

"Finally you are here, why am I not suprised you are the last one to arrive?" my mother greets me in the cute way she usually does.

"Haven't you heard? The best come last?" I just made this up, but well you need creativeness to this bunch here.

"Just stop Valentina, come in, we don't have all day for the photographers, they are paid by the hour" of course the photographers.

I go inside the enormous beach house which I still don't understand why we got, but nevermind, I see Maddie walking towards me and hugging me.

"I missed you sis" she says as she lets me go "Yeah, everything been okay? No more little ditch accidents right?" I ask her, earning an eye roll from her "I've been good, promise" she says putting her hand over her heart.

"Maddie darling please come here" My father tells her "Valentina move" He then says to me "Nice to see you too dear father" I say as I stand next to Hazel for the family photo.

"Don't mind him, he is just an ass as usual" Hazel says, like she always did during growing up "I appreciate it Haz, but I'm not 10 anymore I know how to deal with them" I say.

"Doesn't mean you should" Hazel says pulling her lips into a thin line, she is the only one who ever stood up for me, now that she is a mother she is even more sensitive to seeing how our parents are treating me, I know she would never do the same with Tommy and Elsie, she loves them both equally.

"Yeah it doesn't" I reply before the photographer start telling us how to pose and what to do.

He takes several photos, flash going off everytime, these things don't really bother or irritate me that much because I've been posing for photos ever since I was born, at least it feels like that.

"Okay thank you, my darlings come let's sit down to eat" my mother says, still playing the perfect mom in front of the photographer.

"Hey how are you by the way? Business going okay?" Hazel asks me as we are headed towards the kitchen "Yes, everything is fine, business is splendid as usual, how are the kids?" I ask.

Before she can answer I see two little brunettes running towards me "Aunty Val" they repeat over and over until they both hug my legs.

I kneel down becoming eye to eye with them "Hello munchkins, aren't these clothes just beautiful on you?" I ask kissing at first Tommy's head and then Elsie's.

"Thank you aunty" says Elsie as she snuggles into my neck, I hug her keeping her close to me.

I don't love anyone unconditionally, well the twins are the exception, I would die and kill for them. Hazel watches us a small smile playing on her lips, when the twins were born 4 years ago she insisted that I should be their God mother, it was an easy decision for me to make because I fell in love with Tommy and Elsie the minute I saw them.

"Come here baby, let Aunty Val breath" she says, Elsie pouts but lets go of me, "There you are sweetheart" Mike comes in talking to Hazel.

He looks at me and immediately a smile caresses his lips, Mike is like a brother to me who I actually like, we've been through together some shit, he was there for me my whole 'experiencing' phase, when me and Helena made it official, when she cheated for the first time, then the second, every time he was there letting me lean on him, although I always said I don't need to because I don't mind the cheatings.

I really wanted to fall in love with Helena, I really did, but she never fully let me, I stopped trying after a while, I don't know anything about love, I don't know how it works but I'm sure this whole 'you just know' shit is fake, you can't just know, the world is more complicated than that.