Chapter 30

"Do you have a brother?" Jeremy asked, his eyes focused on the bar of sealed chocolate. He gave her the chocolate after the wrapper gave him a hard time to be removed.

"Yeah," Rachael retorted, using her teeth to open the wrapper of the Snickers. "I actually have two brothers." She gave back the chocolate after opening it.

"So you're the only girl?"

"No. I have a sister," she told him.

"Are you the last or the eldest?" Jeremy asked her.

Rachael didn't care about all the questions that he was asking. She enjoyed answering them. She loved the way he asked her smart questions about herself. Rachael had the burning desire to ask him questions about himself; however, she held back her anxieties. She didn't want him feeling sad because of something or someone he lacked in his life.

The way they were was better. Since he enjoyed knowing about her, she enjoyed telling him all about herself. It was pleasing. A mother thing. A true mother would give up her happiness for her child's.

"I'm the second child. My twin brother, Steve, came before me. Then Ashley came few years before Thomas, my youngest brother, could."

Rachael didn't know why he gave her such a look. His eyes were wide open, and his bottom chocolate–plastered lip drooped.

"You have a twin?" Jeremy asked, maintaining the expression on his face. Rachael nodded her response to his question, smiling. "How does it feel to have a twin? How does it feel?" He asked her the question repeatedly excitedly. 

"Normal... We are like every other people who aren't twins. Having a twin is cool, but it's not like you have superpowers," Rachael stated casually.

It wasn't the first time for Rachael to be asked such a question. Even adults have asked her the exact same question. Though she had been asked the same question several times, by different individuals, she couldn't figure out why they always thought that twins felt different from everyone. She sometimes doubted the twin bond, because she sometimes forgot that she's twin on normal terms, and when she and Steve have a fight.

Jeremy had wished he had a twin when he saw an identical twin in the market on one of the days he went to the market with his grandmother. However, he knew he wasn't even going to have someone to call a sibling since his parents weren't existing anymore.

"Do you have a child?" Jeremy asked, eager to find a playmate. He didn't have one at his grandparents' house. He waited for her to reply, but all she did was stare at him while attempting to move her lips.

Thomas walked in the room. His presence brought Rachael out of her trance. He had on a yellow V–neck t-shirt, a black shorts, and black Jordan one sneakers.

Rachael was surprised to see Thomas. She was expecting Steve from the way they parted at the mall the last night. She thought he was continuously going to do what he did yesterday— check on her from dusk till dawn.

"Oh, Thomas, it's you," Rachael said welcomely. "I wasn't expecting you," she added, staring at Thomas who tiredly sat on the bed. "Don't you have classes today," Rachael asked him.

Thomas waited for a moment. "I do, but..." His eyes travelled down the floor then back to Rachael's. In a soft voice, he said, "I can't go to school," then signed.

"Why?" The question was already out when Rachael realised that she knew the answer.

"People keep staring at me like I was the one who..." Thomas stopped himself in the middle of his sentence. Nevertheless, Rachael got the hint of what he wanted to say. She didn't blame him. "I, too, was, on my campus, disturbed by paparazzi. They kept bothering me even when I ignored them." He rolled his eyes and sighed.

Rachael got up from the chair. She walked to him, sat down next to him on the bed, and wrapped her hand around his shoulders. In a genuinely apologetic tone, she said, "I'm sorry that you are affected from what happened the other day." Rachael pulled him closer to her. She gave him a side hug. "All this will pass, OK? People forget about things easily. Don't worry."

"What pains me most is Jacob mom told him to stay away from me until further notice," he said, way, too, naturally for it to be a statement of expressed–grief.

"I don't think Jacob will do that," Rachael stated surely.

"He's already doing that."

Rachael held him tightly for minutes with her head facing out the window in contemplation. She looked down when she felt a little hand trying to go around her waist, and found Jeremy trying to join the hug. He stared at Thomas and Rachael sympathetically. 

It was all Vivian's fault, Rachael thought. Vivian didn't have the second thought that her action wasn't going to ruin only a wedding but a family; a life. Now, Thomas was affected.

What stupid secret she had for Charles that she was using to ruin their lives? All this would have been easier if Rachael knew what the secret was, but her dear fiancée, Charles, decided not to tell her at all. He was the main reason behind all that was happening. If he hadn't done something stupid, the bitch Vivian wouldn't have had anything against him.

After few minutes of group hug, Rachael drew away. Jeremy, as if he had knew Thomas for a long time, sat on Thomas' laps. Both Rachael and Thomas were surprised to see that Jeremy liked Thomas already.

"Who is he?" Thomas asked Rachael, adjusting Jeremy on his laps.

Rachael looked at Jeremy who was also looking at her as if he was waiting to hear who she thought he was. "He's Jeremy," she retorted. "You can ask him about himself. He's a good talker," she said, smiling at Jeremy who was blushing. "Why don't you two get to know each other while I go get ready for mom's charity program."

"It's three hours from now, Rachael," he told her, looking at his wristwatch. "Why the rush?"

"I'm a woman," she replied promptly as she walked to the door. "Can you give Jeremy a bath for me?" She made a pleading face when her spoilt little brother wanted to refuse.

"Yeah. Please..." Jeremy begged, making his bunny eyes; enchanting Thomas. 

"OK. Fine," Thomas agreed.

"Thank you very much. I will be back. I ordered few clothes for him this morning. They should be here by now. Thank you again." She closed the door.

Thomas lifted a heavy Jeremy up. He carried Jeremy into the bathroom and helped him get his clothes up. Thomas sat him in the jacuzzi that was already  filled with bobble.

Jeremy played with the bobbles while Thomas scrubbed him with the sponge. Scared at first, Jeremy put a handful of the bobbles on Thomas' face. A bobble war started when Thomas did the same.

Soon the bathroom was flooded with water and bobble all over the floor.

"What the living hell is going on here?" They stopped when they heard Gibson's voice. Gibson stood at the door, holding his trouser as if it will drop off him into the water if he leave it. "How old are you Thomas?"

"Still a teenager," Thomas replied, trying hard not to laugh at annoyed Gibson. "Underage," he added.

Gibson mumbled something as he left the room. Both Thomas and Jeremy busted laughter when Gibson left the room.

Thomas took Jeremy back into the room after giving him a shower. They saw shopping bags on the bed when they came back into the room. Seemed like it was the clothes for Jeremy that Rachael had order.

"Who is Jacob?" Jeremy asked innocently when Thomas was putting his shorts on, after they had argued on what would look good on Jeremy.

Thomas eyes travelled up to meet Jeremy's.  He didn't see that question coming. "He's my friend. My best friend. Why ask?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?" He hoped Jeremy's response was genuine. He didn't know how he would tell Jeremy that Jacob was more than just a best friend if Jeremy would ask. Explaining his sexual orientation to the boy was surely going to make Rachael angry. She wasn't homophobic. That didn't mean she wouldn't get mad at him for indulging in a conversation that was homosexuality related to a little boy.

"Nothing," Jeremy said again.

They became mute when Gibson came back with a bucket and a mop. He glared at them as he went into the bathroom to clean the mess.

A/N

Do you wish you had a twin sometimes? As for me I do. Why wouldn't I? Imagining me having someone who looks like me. Damn. I'm jealous.

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