Twin Fate: Sun and Moon

Chapter 9 - Plans For Saturday

It was an uncomfortably long moment before one of us broke the silence.

"Math first," I muttered, my voice strained. "Without Alex, it's going to be a nightmare." The words were more for myself than for her.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You never sat with me in math. It'll be a piece of cake." Her eyes sparkled with amusement, but then her expression turned curious. "By the way, what's up with him?"

"Home. Sick." I said, my voice clipped, fighting to keep it steady. "He's got the flu, or something. High fever and all." I took a sip of coffee. It scalded my tongue instantly—I always forgot how hot the coffee was here. I blinked back the burning in my eyes, but I knew she could tell something was off. Her brow furrowed as she studied me.

"Coffee," I said quickly, wiping at my eyes, "It's hotter than I'm used to. Back at home..." My voice trailed off.

"Texas, right?" she asked, chuckling softly.

I nodded.

"So... what brought you here? Family?"

I shook my head quickly, almost too quickly, trying to stave off the darker thoughts she might have, which were probably untrue. "No, no. Alex and I just... wanted some space. To see the world, you know? Don't think we're snobs or anything," I added hastily. I cringed as soon as the words left my mouth, realizing how it must've sounded. "And the college here—it's better suited for Europe than anything we'd find back in the States. Since we're planning to move here eventually, it just made sense."

She looked at me with aumusement, considering my explanation. Her eyes drifted towards the parking lot, where my black Mercedes was parked. A grin tugged at her lips.

"It's kind of hard not to seem snobbish driving that thing around," she teased, nodding in the direction of the car.

I felt my face flush. "That was my mom's idea, not mine," I said defensively. "Honestly, I would've taken a bike if it were up to me."

Her smile softened, turning warm and genuine. "I like that. Modesty." She took a sip of her cappuccino, not even flinching at the heat. "It's always been my cup of tea."

I stared at her, trying to hide my surprise. How was she not fazed by the temperature? My mind raced, searching for something—anything—to say, but nothing coherent came to me. My brain seemed to be running at full speed yet producing nothing of value.

"So, are you from around here?" I finally managed to ask after what felt like an eternity of awkward silence.

"Yeah," she said casually, as though the question was expected. "Born and raised. Though my grandparents took me in after my dad died in a car crash. My mom... well, she left when I was four, so there really wasn't anywhere else for me to go but to them." Her voice was calm, almost indifferent, like she was reciting some impersonal fact.

I blinked, taken aback by the sudden gravity of her words. It reminded me too much of Alex. My throat tightened. "I'm sorry," I whispered, the words barely audible but sincere..

She shrugged, her gaze drifting towards the window. "Don't worry about it. Time heals all wounds, right?" Her voice was light, too light for the weight of her story, but there was something in the way her eyes clouded over that told me the opposite.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say. Then, without thinking, I spoke. "Alex... I don't know if you've heard, considering how fast rumors spread around here," I began cautiously. "But his parents... they died when he was young, too. He's my adoptive brother now. Not that it really changes anything between us, but..."

"I've heard." She glanced at me sideways, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "Your new friends have pretty big mouths, you know."

I forced a chuckle, though her words hit me harder than she probably realized. Big mouths. What else had they said? Did they already spread that conversation from the other day—about Elin? My stomach twisted uneasily at the thought.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her expression softening as she studied my face. I must've looked as worried as I felt.

"Yeah, yeah. It's nothing," I lied at first, but then decided on honesty. "It's just... unlike Alex, I'm not really a fan of our new friend group. I mean, Bjorn and Felix, they're fine, I guess. But... I don't know. There's something off about the lot of them." The words slipped out before I could stop them, an afterthought that carried more truth than I'd intended.

She studied me for a long moment, a strange expression flickering across her face, like she was debating whether or not to speak.

"I mean," she began slowly, choosing her words with care, "not to feed into your doubts or anything, but... I never liked Arvid. He and I just—well, we got off on the wrong foot."

I felt a spark of agreement on the topic of Arvid. "Honestly, I've been getting that vibe, too. Just the other day, we were watching the game at our place, and he was acting so arrogant, like he knew more about basketball than the players on the court." I shook my head at the memory. She nodded knowingly shifting in her seat.

"Always trying to be a know-it-all," Elin added with a smirk. "So, you get what I mean when I say your group's not exactly the best crowd."

I didn't have an answer for that, so I took another sip of my coffee, grateful it had cooled down to a manageable temperature. The words hung between us for a moment, making me wonder just how deep her dislike for Arvid went—and how much truth there was in her assessment.

Then she leaned forward slightly, her expression brightening. "Hey, why don't you join me and my friends this weekend? We're going on a picnic. Some of us stay overnight, too. New faces, fresh start." She grinned. "You can bring Alex along. Some of the girls already have their eyes on him." She chuckled, and I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yeah, sure," I agreed, trying to match her enthusiasm. "Saturday?"

"Yep," she confirmed. "We usually gather at the college around one, then head out for a hike in the forest to the north. It's a lot of fun."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, feeling a small flutter of anticipation. I knew Alex would be up for it—he was always the sociable one, drawn to crowded places like a moth to a flame.