Just Tourists ✔️

Chapter 33

"Eric, um, I didn't want you to come to the Embassy because I knew Cole was here. Cole- he um he's our brother," Melody sputtered and I stared between the three of them in shock.

"I hope to god you joined some sort of monastery or something and Cole is like our spiritual zen brother or some crap," Eric muttered and I remained silent, not really knowing how to process this new information.

"Look I have a lot to explain, I know," she began saying but Eric interrupted her.

"Was there even an important reason to keep me in Los Angeles or were you just trying to keep me from finding this out?" he asked Melody, crossing his arms over his chest. Cole looked extremely uncomfortable and just as shocked as me.

"Ok yes, I was purposely trying to keep you away from going to Italy but I was planning on telling you about Cole, I swear," she promised touching his shoulder gently.

"Melody! Why would you keep this away from me? I want an explanation!" he yelled shrugging off her hand. At this point, a couple of people who had been walking in the hallways were staring at us.

"I think that we should move this somewhere more private," I suggested trying to avoid the gazes of other prying interns. Cole led us away from the halls and up to his empty dorm room.

"Well?" Eric asked his sister expectantly. Melody took a deep breath and looked between the two boys.

"Mom and dad, they- they aren't our parents. They weren't able to have kids and on this one particular mission they found themselves with a once in a life time opportunity to take home three amazing children who needed a family," Melody began explaining but she couldn't bring herself to look at either of them.

"I never met our real dad but our mom was... she was awful. I don't remember that much since I was only five. You were barely two and Cole hadn't even been born yet. But according to mom and dad, our real mom was involved in some illegal business. They were on a mission to investigate her and the particular gang she was involved in. They were able to remove you and I from her custody but Cole hadn't been born yet so we had to wait before we could do anything.

Once Cole was born mom and dad tried to get custody of him too but it was too late. She had disappeared and taken Cole with her. For almost five years, mom and dad tried to find her. At that point you didn't even remember so we decided not to tell you anything.

By the time we had found Cole, he was already accustomed to life here in Italy. It turns out our mom just abandoned him in an orphanage a year after giving birth to him. He was adopted by another family and already had a life here. Mom and dad talk to him on occasion, they aren't as close. I visit Cole twice a year," Melody explained.

I looked between the two boys and realized why Cole's blue eyes always painfully reminded me of Eric's when I was homesick. They were the same beautiful eyes. They had the same dark hair and fair skin. They weren't identical but they definitely looked like brothers.

"Are you saying I'm not even American? I don't know my real parents. Is Eric even my actual name? My whole life I thought I knew who I was," Eric sighed looking between Melody and Cole.

"You're still Eric, you're still my little brother, and mom and dad are still your parents. Nothing has changed other than the fact that you have a brother now," she reassured him.

"What I don't understand is why you couldn't tell me sooner. Why couldn't I know about Cole?" Eric asked her.

"Because it wasn't certain that we would ever find Cole. Why would we tell you that you have a brother but that the chances of ever seeing him were slim to none?"