𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

That's My Girl.

𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨

"Would anyone like a brownie?" Dean asked as he entered the room with a tray of brownies. "I made them them just now so they're still warm."
"No thank you Dean," I declined.

"I'd like a brownie please," Marisa said eagerly as she reached for the tray, only for Dean to move it out of her reach. "Sorry Marisa, these aren't for kids."
"Why not? Jasmine let's me have brownies whenever I want."
"True, but Jasmine's brownies don't have cannabis in them."
"What's cannabis?"

"He means weed. More specifically, Mary Jane," Felix explained.
"Eww! He put a lady in there? That's nasty!" Marisa grimaced.

I chuckled in amusement and pulled her down next to me. "No sweetheart, he didn't put a lady in there. 'Mary Jane' is another name for marijuana. Marijuana is a plant that can be smoked recreationally or used for medicinal purposes. And some people like to put it in brownies as a treat. But it's not something little children are supposed to have. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "You explain things very well Valentino. And you have a nice voice too. I can see why Jasmine loves you so much."
"His voice isn't the only thing she loves about him," Dean snickered as he offered the tray of brownies to Xavier.

You're right about that.

"When are the fireworks starting Mommy?" Rachel asked.
"Not for several hours honey," Annalise said as she handed Alex his bottle so he could drink.
"Last year there was a snowstorm. I hope the same thing doesn't happen this year. I really want to see the fireworks."

Just then Jasmine and Adella came downstairs wearing matching knee-length red dresses. Their hair were done in the same one-up hairstyle and they had on matching bracelets. I blinked twice at their ensemble. It it weren't for their eye color they could've passed off as identical twins. Even their hair was the same honey blonde. It was almost freaky. Almost.

"Hey, you girls look great," Annalise commented.
"Thanks, it's something we've been doing for years since we were little girls," Jasmine said. "Every night on the 31st we dress up in identical outfits and accessories and walk around the house doing everything exactly the same. It used to drive our families crazy. We also used to play tricks on them."

"Just make sure Valentino doesn't confuse the two of you if he happens to get drunk tonight," Dean said. "Next thing you know he takes Adella to bed instead of Jasmine. Boy that'll make headlines in the morning."
"I'd never do that to Jasmine," Adella said. "No matter how strong my urges I'll always control myself where she's concerned."

"She's right," Jasmine smiled. "When we were thirteen there was this boy I had a crush on. His name was Aaron and he was fifteen years old. I really liked him. Sometimes I'd walk into the library and see him reading in a corner by himself or outside drinking from the water fountain."

Jasmine gave a nostalgic smile and fiddled with her bracelet. "I didn't know it at the time but Adella secretly liked Aaron too. When she saw me looking at him and smiling she knew right away that I felt the same way."

"And you know what's even funnier? Aaron liked me too and I didn't even know it," Adella smiled. "Instead of getting jealous Jas let us be together. He was two years older than I was but he was so sweet and gentlemanly. He bought me gifts, treated me to ice cream and took me to the movies almost every Saturday. He made me so happy." She paused for a moment and leaned her head on Jasmine's shoulder. "And I have you to thank for it."

"You were happy with Aaron," Jasmine said as she placed her hand on Adella's cheek. "That was more than enough for me. I would've gone to the ends of the earth to bring him back for you if he left. I think I even threatened to nail gun him in the face if he broke your heart."