Accepting Owen (Emilia's Perspective)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Even though I had told Elijah I wouldn't reach out to her, I couldn't help myself as I laid on the couch. I had tried for hours to sleep, but had no luck. Just after two in the morning, Little Ava was still online. I debated for a moment what to send if I was going to send anything, but I settled for, "Can't sleep?" I wanted to keep the conversation light so it was less likely to make an impression she might remember.

Almost immediately, she wrote back, "No, not before finals. You?"

"I'm staying with my brother right now. The couch is pretty uncomfortable," I said honestly.

"Where does your brother live?"

"Chicago. We're in his apartment right now. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" I already knew the answer to that, but I wanted to play along with her little game of asking questions.

"No, it's just me. Do you have others besides your brother?"

"No, it's just the two of us. He's my older brother so he's lived on his own for awhile. I just got married and moved out of my parents house," I replied.

"Oh, where did you move to? You used to live near me right?"

I smiled proudly. Smart girl. She did her research before adding me. "I actually still live around Green Bay, but might be moving to Chicago. Have you ever been here?"

"I haven't but once I turn 18 I want to travel. I'd love to see Chicago, all the states, most of Europe. Abu Dhabi and Bora Bora are probably the places I'd like to see the most but are the most expensive so I may not ever get there."

I smiled at her message. She wanted to travel. That was something my brother could provide for her. I responded,"After you finish school, maybe you'll luck into a way to travel. Abu Dhabi is kind of strange for a school kid to want to travel to. What makes you say that area? Why not Dubai?"

"Dubai is too popular. It looks so crowded. They have some crazy laws I think in those areas, but it's so pretty. They have so many beautiful buildings, and life there just looks so successful and freeing," she answered.

"Success can happen anywhere. I've visited Dubai. The laws are a little strange compared to here, but nothing you couldn't handle. I haven't been to Abu Dhabi, but I'm sure it wouldn't be much different. There are nice people everywhere, and mean people everywhere. No matter where you go, you can't run away from problems. Do you feel like you need to be freed from your life?"

"No. Maybe a little bit. I feel trapped here with my mom. She doesn't make much money and I have to help her a lot. I just feel overwhelmed sometimes. I want my own life."

A yawn overtook me from the exhaustion, but I couldn't get comfortable without Owen beside me. "I understand that. It's hard to be so young and have so much responsibility." I hadn't experienced it, but I'd watched Elijah go through it. Maybe they could help each other balance what was expected of them.

I watched the ellipses on messenger for a few seconds, as my eyes started to drift close.

~~

"Emilia!"

I gasped awake to my brother's face.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He shouted.

"I don't know, since I have no idea what you're talking about. What time is it?" I rubbed my eyes and sat up on the couch. The sun was up at least.

"You told me that you weren't going to message her!"

That was when I spotted my phone in his hand and reached for it, but he yanked it back too quickly.

"I thought you weren't going to do it! You're acting like a big sister! You said this would freak her out."

"You're freaking out! I said she was too young, not that it would freak her out." I reached for my phone again, but he snatched it away from me.

He held his other arm out as I stood up, so he could keep me at least an arm's length away. "Who gives a shit! Who talks to a kid like this?"

"I am her big sister! Ive been waiting for her too, asshole!"

My words hit Elijah like a slap in the face. He blinked, backing away from me. "What do you mean?"

"I've been hearing about your stupid fairy tale my entire life, and I want her too. I wanted a little sister, and she's the closest I'm going to get. So if I want to talk to her, I will."

"You will not. She's not a babydoll for you to play with. She's a human being. She's a confused teenager with feelings-"

"Yeah, she feels trapped, overwhelmed," I snapped. "She feels like too much is being expected of her. And if you read further, she wants to be freed. Ideal travel destinations? I got those too. Now you know what to plan for your honeymoon. She's an adult trapped in a kid's body, just like you were. She's fourteen and trying to worry about finals, but she's having to help make sure she keeps a roof over her head at the same time.

"Maybe I shouldn't have reached out," I conceded, "but she needs help. She's going to run to you. When you tell her what you can offer her, she's going to be so happy to have you in her life. She will love you, but I think at first you just have to show her you won't put too much on her. You have to show her that she's not just going to work for you, that she's going to be your team mate."

He snarled as he handed my phone back to me. "You need to stop. I was wrong. You shouldn't have reached out to her. I appreciate the insight, but I do not want you to have a relationship with her right now."

"So because you can't have her, I can't even talk to her?"

Elijah grabbed my chin and put his face so close to mine that his eyes morphed into one. "I said no," he said, his upper lip twitching with fury.

I shoved him away and pulled my chin back. "Good! I'm glad you're back to being your old shitty self so now I can go home!"

~~
I posted the first four chapters of a new story today called Unclaimed. Im going to try to update both of them once a day for now.