THE WAY WE STAY

Chapter 7

JANE'S P.O.V

"Huh." Mark chuckled on our walk back to his volley pact.

I looked at him. "What is it?"

"You're teaching Riley's kids?"

"You didn't know?" I cleared my throat. "I never told you that? What, because you're a fan?"

"Look who's asking."

Mark winked at me and ran to his friends. I rolled my eyes to respond to our weird conversation.

Well, Mark was half right. The band was big. He and I used to listen to Before You Exit's songs in our car since years ago. I could not say that I was their biggest fan ever, though I enjoyed their songs. Just like everybody else, I also found myself curious enough to google about Riley and his nation-wide shocking marriage when it happened. Everybody knew they got the twins. But literally having the twins, years later, sitting in my classroom, was another level of reality. It was a mixture of feelings one could never be able to explain.

I tried to put aside the fact that he was still right there few steps away from where I sat. I collected all of my consciousness in the day to focus on taking pictures and cheering the baby brother. I wanted to forget the moment we had five minutes ago, when he held me for another minute, only to stay in silence and stare deep into the ocean with his kids cheering in the background. The one weird minute that I did not mind.

"Yes, Mark!"

Suddenly I heard a voice that I recognized. I turned around. "Connor?"

"Found you again." He smirked. "Your brother is cool. We decided to watch him while we're here."

"Yes, Mark!" Cassandra cheered along in Connor's arms copying him.

"Mark? Mark" Callista echoed her sister unexcitedly. "I want Miss Walker."

She asked me to pick her from Riley's side. Riley grinned at me and I replied with a nod, then he handed her to me. Callista rested her head in my shoulder and was given a soft stroke in the hair from Riley.

"Sorry." He whispered.

"No, don't be. We do this often in the classroom."

"Unlike Cassandra, I bet." Riley looked at his rather fierce daughter. "She's always on another level."

"I can tell that too." I chuckled.

I somewhat knew that Connor and Toby could hear us. The brothers picked Cassandra and brought her further to get better sight of Mark, leaving me, Callista, and Riley at the back.

"You guys often come here?" I broke our second weird silence.

"Yeah, yeah. The girls love the beach so much." Riley fixed his hair. "But this only happens when the brothers can help me handle the twins."

I smiled and bowed. "All hands on deck."

"Exactly." He smiled back. "So, uh, you too, come here often?"

"Only when Mark asks me to be his fake girlfriend in front of his friends."

"Fake girlfriend." He copied my words. "How so?"

"Online dating goes south." I rolled my eyes. "It comes with a cup of something though, so I couldn't say no."

We both chuckled. Very plain and usual but I felt it so soothing talking to him. Riley took a seat by my side, willingly, while holding the sleepy Callista's shoes. So much to say we looked like a perfect family, except we were not.

"Whoo-hoo! It was a killer game!" Mark hugged me.

"Don't hug me..." I could only groan for nothing because it was too late, he crashed my bones already.

Mark had a little chat with the brothers again. They congratulated him for winning the game. I did not know they also enjoyed this type of match.

"Hey, my friends really buy it that you're my date." Mark drank from my bottle.

"Good, then we can stop holding hands." I chuckled.

"The opposite! Joe right there, he really likes you, I think."

I really swore I could see Riley flinch a little. He repositioned himself, all uncomfortable gestures.

"Then you should tell them I'm your girl, end of story." I replied to Mark.

"Joe is half-vampire." Mark noted, saying how blindly his friends could be in chasing girls they liked.

"Boy, I'm no match to the dating game." I smirked. "Come on, let's go home. Callista is so sleepy already."

"Oh," Riley stood up. "I'm sorry for letting you hold her this long."

"It's totally fine." I shook my head and gave my best smile.

"It's very nice of you, thank you." He locked his eyes on mine sincerely.

"Anytime." I stroked Callista's back.

Mark and I walked the brothers to their car. One, it was the perfect reason to say goodbye to Mark's half-vampire friends. And two, now Cassandra begged me to carry her to the car, that her sister has fallen asleep peacefully in Daddy's arms.

"Hey, I'm getting our car. Wait here." Mark asked me to stay with the guys.

"Uh, little Cassandra." Toby took her from me. "They must put some more weight this week."

"Or we're just too tired from holding them all day." Connor showed a fake tired face to Riley.

"Okay, I got it." Riley replied with a smirk.

"A treat." I nodded.

"Yeah, things I do for my daughters."

Riley and I both chuckled. We both awkwardly watched the talented Uncles set the twins comfortably. Callista was on the car seat with Toby by her side, while Connor carried Cassandra at the front seat.

"Jane? When you're ready!" Mark was arrived with our car.

"So, thank you for today." Riley smiled.

"Thank you. It's always better with the twins around."

"Don't you get enough of them already?"

"No," I shook my head. "The girls are one of the best students I've ever had. And the sweetest little ladies I've ever met."

Riley smiled once again, bowed his head, showing how grateful he was of the words I just said. I could sense that he was hiding something from me, from the world. I did not know what that thing could be. But I bet every time there was somebody telling him how lucky he was with the girls, he would nod and thank them sincerely.

Whatever that was, I would not - and rather should not - enter his personal life too far. I was only the teacher of the twins that he occassionally met.