Keepsake

Chapter 22

Alysia Evers

Mom serves me a plate of eggs, sausages, and bacon. I eat it up thinking I was going to need the energy. With what laid behind me, I felt that what was setup for the future would be beyond the past.

"Easy, Alysia," my father instructed me. "What are you eating so fast for?"

I stop and swallow. "I just get the feeling that I'm going to need it. For the past few days I've been having a lot on my mind and it's tiring me out." I was referring to all of the secret research that Marcus and I were doing behind everyone's backs.

Pamela says, "Have you got a test today?"

"No."

"Then what is it?" my dad asks.

Both of them stare at me waiting for an answer.

"Well, . . . I, Marcus and I have been studying a lot. We've got to keep our heads on tight, don't you think?" I try to laugh it off, but they don't appear to be amused. They just look at each other, read their minds, and then look away.

Great. Maybe they suspect something.

My mother gives me a ride to work and on the way, she tries to get it out of me. I resist and play it cool.

"What have you and Marcus been doing for the past few weeks?" she asks.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not blind, Alysia. Your father and I see what's going on, maybe more than you know," she spoke with a light tone. "It's uncomfortable watching you two sneak around behind our backs. You already know that we're not going to stop you."

"That's kind of strange, isn't it?" I comment. "You and dad approve of us being together but disapprove of us doing it behind your backs."

My mother's head tilts to the side. "I never looked at it that way," she realized.

Dodge successful.

***

When work is over, Marcus picks me up and we head to school. I'm already desperate for him, and eagerly await for the classes to be over with, even though they haven't started, yet. All I want is for us to be left alone for a few hours. Learning about cousin couples had definitely had an impact on my physical and mental attraction to him. Whatever guilt I previously had days and weeks ago had been shown the door. Now I had no shame in telling him straight forward how I felt.

"Okay, Marcus, when do we tell our parents about cousin couples? We've been sitting on this information for weeks already. Linda says the sooner, the better."

He laughs and turns the radio in his car on. "Just a little while longer. My parents are almost ready to hear it. Yours have been ready for a long time, though."

"So, you're waiting for your parents to be ready. Care to explain?" I try to mimic a sweet sounding voice to get him to talk.

"Sure," he answered. "My parents haven't mentioned a single word about you and I being together. Now, that could be blamed on the fact that you haven't been over to my house in a long time, or because Lawrence and my dad are beginning to start all over again on giving their relationship as brothers a chance. Do you remember when they first learned that they were brothers?"

"Yes."

"Well, they're starting to act like it, again. It really just started, though, so we need more time for them to develop."

I look at him. "Develop what?"

"They need more time to develop the idea that maybe being a happy family is worth more than what my parents previously thought. I can see it in my mom and dad's faces. They know that you and I are together. It's no secret. But the best part is they are learning to just let us be."