In The Eyes Of a Saint

T H I R T E E N

A/N: Hey guys, it's me again! Sorry to those who read my work that I haven't updated in so long. I just finished my first marking period of my first year of high school and it was--for some weird freaking reason--extremely stressful. Now that I'm in the second marking period and the recent holidays are over, I believe I'll be able to stick to my upload schedule more and keep to a frequent schedule.

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it, I don't know when this chapter is going up but Thanksgiving for me was yesterday. Anyway, onto the story.

~ER❤️

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"So," she starts, "what's your deal with my brother?" My eyes widen and I stare at her.

"W-what do you mean?" I stutter, my heartbeat increasing.

"I mean are you trying to date him or something? How'd you two meet, anyway? I don't believe a thing about you just 'bumping into each other' at the café. So, spill." She sips her coffee, staring at me intently over the rim. For some reason I get more nervous and my palms start sweating around my mug.

Annika Mueller is what you would call a perfect human. She doesn't have a single flaw--physically and personality wise. Her face is proportioned in the right way and the freckles that are spread across her nose are just barely noticeable but still compliment her skin. Unlike me, she has deep brown eyes and nice eyelashes. Even her hair, which is a long bob and any bobs usually don't look good on anyone, looks perfect as it sits over her shoulders in light waves. No wonder she's a model. I feel so intimidated and uncomfortable that I'm wearing her clothes. I can't even say I hate her or she has a bad personality because both would be lies.

She even was nice to me and her brother even though she looked like she wanted to bother the hell out of Erik. Which is probably why she asked how we met and I stared at my lap while Erik muttered something about me being a regular in the café.

"Are you okay?" I snap my head up to meet Annika's eyes. She looks genuinely concerned which is. . .scaring me even more. Some-freaking-how.

"Um, yeah--" My voice cracks. "Yeah, I'm fine. Uh, we technically met at his apartment--his, uh, apartment building I mean. Nothing big," I say, hoping she won't ask anything else. Annika opens her mouth to say something else but Erik, thankfully, decides to come back from the bathroom.

"So, little bro, what's been going on in your life? New job or anything?" Erik smiles and drops his eyes to the table. His sister is older than him and I get the feeling he looks up to her a lot.

Looking back up at her, he answers.

"I like my job at the café. Leave it alone. And other than Noa, nothing big." He turns to me and smiles a little more. I feel my neck heat up as well as the tips of my ears. Any attention that was ever given to me by the male species has never been received well. I always turn red but only on my ears and neck because apparently I don't like blushing normally.

"So, I was wondering if I could stay with you for tonight," Annika asks and Erik looks at her, his smile falling.

"I thought you were staying with mom and dad?" Annika's face mimics her brother's and she grips her coffee tightly.

"You know how mom and dad are. They wanted me to be a lawyer and you to be a doctor. You're becoming a doctor, maybe not the kind they wanted but still a doctor. They think all models are pretty faces on empty skulls and open legs." She sighs. "We had a fight and I don't want to stay with them anymore." I feel a little sadness in my chest and when I look back up, Annika's staring at me.

"My parents are lawyers, I think. They could be retired by now, they wouldn't tell me. They wanted me to be a lawyer but I like photography. They think I'm not going to go anywhere in life taking pictures. Honestly, the way Erik talked about your parents, they didn't seem that bad. You shouldn't let a small fight stop you from being close to your parents. Try to explain to them what you're doing isn't just some job with airheads and women who don't know how to close their legs. I know if I could go back, I'd try being closer with my parents." She gives me a smile, her eyes softening and showing kindness. I can't help but smile back, looking down at my now-cold cup of coffee.

"You do make a good point." Erik shifts and I peek up to see him smiling. "It's just hard, you know? When I do try to explain it to them calmly, they don't even listen." I nod, completely understanding and that's being honest since I've gone through the same thing.

"Just. . .don't give up. The worst thing you can do it give up on your relationship with them and just screw everything up." Annika smiles wider and leans forward.

"Thank you, Noa. I can tell you're gonna be good for my brother," Annika says, lightly touching the back of my hand. "I can also tell we're going to be good friends."

"I think we are, too." We laugh and smile and when I look at Erik, he's smiling widely. He looks at me and when I look into his eyes, something sparks in me. I can't yet tell what it is, but I can tell it's amazing.