The Choice

3) Joe

Should I approach her or not?

I'm in the grocery store, not because I am buying stuff; I'm just after Aurora. I've been following her nearly everywhere for a month now and I feel bad for doing that, but she is my only and last hope to get to Omer.

A month ago, I knew that she came here and I've been lucky enough to know that she's been staying in a place that is two streets far from our house with her friends. I've been like a shadow to her wherever she went, I tried to talk to her a lot, but she's never alone. Today she is, but she's been talking on the phone since she set foot in the store.

I don't know if she knows about me or Ali. I don't know if she'll freak out when I approach her, but I have to. I shouldn't be stalking someone especially if this person may be my older brother's girl. She hangs up and heads for the next aisle, I take it as my que and follow her there.

She's inspecting some kind of detergent when I stand next to her, I need to get her attention. She looks at me sideways then does a small double-take and tries to hide it. Her eyes are a bit wide as she tries to shuffle away from me, then she disappears through the next aisle and out of the whole place.

I close the door to our place behind me, "Remove it!" I hear Eliana's screech. I furrow my brows when I hear my brother's laugh followed by sound of footsteps as Eliana appears in front of me looking as if she saw a ghost. I stand there stunned when my brother appears after she takes off rushing towards the kitchen. Then, I see it; he's holding a wig.

Eliana has never been a fan of wigs or hair in general, although she has long ass hair, but she says that she freaks out from any type of hair that 'does not have an owner'. After we discovered that several years ago when we were kids, we took it as our lifelong mission to scare her off with hair extensions and wigs.

"Ali Mughrabi, I swear if you came one step near me ONE STEP, I'll throw this pan at your head." she cries as he goes inside the kitchen after her unfazed by her threat. "Pipe down, Rapunzel. I have a hell of a migraine." I call out as I plop down the couch watching them as he backs her up against the fridge. He glances at me then lowers the wig as she sighs placing a hand on her chest. "What happened, Joe?" he asks concerned.

"This girl definitely knows us, Ali or at least she does know me." He comes with Eliana at his heels as he sits on the couch opposite from me throwing the wig next to him that causes the poor girl to jump and scrunch her face at it before she sits next to him as they both fix me with a concerned look. I look at my hand in my lap then tell them about what happened today at the grocery store.

"Maybe she doesn't like men near her." Eliana quips, I shake my head "No Eli, you should have seen the look on her face. She knew something." She purses her lips and I look at my brother, he's zoned out again. Since I convinced him to give it a shot and follow Aurora, he's been doing that a lot; zone out, think a lot or let his mind drift elsewhere. This isn't something new about him, he always has been like that when he sensed that something related to Omer approached. He didn't want to get his hopes high; I get him, but I want my brother back too and this won't happen when we're sitting here with our hands behind our backs.

"I want to see her." is the only thing he says before he stands and heads for the kitchen to start lunch. I look at him from my place on the couch, "We can go and try to talk to her, Leo. Maybe she'll talk to us." "Or maybe she'll freak out even more." Eliana says as she lounges on the couch.

I look at her expectedly, "what?" she asks. "You should come with us." She raises her brows then nods smiling, "I'm in." Ali sighs from his place, "guys please, we do not want to excite ourselves for nothing." Eliana tilts her head, "look babe, I really get you, but this time I don't get why are you off. I mean we won't lose anything; the girl is not like the hustlers who came and told us they will lead us to Omer in exchange for money."

He nods, "but we looked everywhere, angel and found nothing." She sits up, "But Joe has been following her for months now, we should give it a try!" I smile at her as she convinces him, Eli always had my back even when I caused trouble, she was there and helped me fix it also, she defended me a lot in front of my brother.

He finally nods giving up, "fine, we can go. I wanted to see her anyways." She jumps from he place and leans above the counter to kiss his cheek and heads inside again. He looks at her then at me, he catches me smiling at them as his face softens "What's wrong with you?" he asks smiling for a bit. "Nothing, I'm just happy she's here. you need her. We need her." He nods and I think about Aurora, what if she really is with Omer? Will she be like Eli?

Eliana and Ali have always been together, she was my classmate back then and I remember the first time I befriended her. I gave her a sandwich of mine and the next day she gave me hers and just like that we became friends. After a while, I introduced her to my older brothers, she liked Omer more 'because he is kind' I recall her small voice say when he always came to our class to take us home. As years passed, she became our fourth sister and mom loved her like her daughter, but dad ruined it all by urging us to move out to London. That's when she and Ali were in love, but they didn't get to confess for each other before we left, they were so young anyways; at least she was, we were eight at that time I remember.

Eliana has been my best friend so, she told me and Ali told Omer then, both me and Omer told each other keeping their secrets between us. We left, but kept in touch through texts and face times then suddenly we told her that we're back. She came right away in the same day we arrived here thinking that finally we'll be back together, but when she came, she found my mom a wreck, dad not home and us lost as we didn't understand why our brother is no longer with us. It stayed like that for almost twenty years now; me, Ali and Eliana trying to find Omer and mom in her makeshift dungeon that she built for herself inside her mind.

People tried to trick us as Eli said; by telling us we know where our brother is then taking money and run away. This is why Ali almost freaks out every time we tell him let's look for Omer, although he is the person who needs him the most. He has been alone, taking full responsibility of me, mom, the house and Eliana as well. I admit it I am a coward, I ran away and found comfort in danger. While I let my anger out screaming at the world; blaming everyone for what I faced and am facing, Ali was there acting like the hero he is rescuing the remnants left of this family.

He may not realize it, but he has been Omer since Omer was left behind. This is why he is the most person who aches for finding our brother again because when Ali took up the job of mom and dad being my parents, he is the real one who lost his. That's why I vowed when I was young to find Omer again when I grow up; partially for me and mostly for Ali.