*5 YEARS LATER*
It was Christmas break, and I was ecstatic to go back to my hometown to visit my family. Sure, North Carolina was nice and all, but I didn’t really know anybody beside Charlotte and a few of my friends I met at Duke University. When I first told Charlotte I got accepted into Duke, she was furious, even resulting to slapping me for turning down my Los Angeles offer in an effort to stay with her. I hated the idea of having a long distance relationship with her, so I just decided to go to Duke, and I was actually glad I did-Duke was great for me, and when I wasn’t studying or in class, I was with Charlotte. A while after that, Charlotte and I got married, and got a nice cozy 3 bedroom apartment that was well enough for the three of us-Yes, Charlotte was 6 months pregnant with a bouncing baby girl, and I couldn’t have been happier when I found out.
Charlotte was more than happy with her job of being a school’s counselor, a job that I thought fit her perfectly since she could actually connect to the students that went to her when they had something troubling on their mind, and it paid really well too. As for me, I was just getting my basic requirements over with, but I recently decided to lean towards ‘Biomedical Engineering’, and Charlotte encouraged me to no end. Charlotte and I were happy with where we were at, and that’s all that really mattered.
“Sir, is there anything that I can get you? You seem a bit nervous.” The worried flight attendant asked me, bending over dramatically so her cleavage was practically in my shoulder, but I kept my eyes strictly on her blue ones, squeezing tighter on Charlotte’s hand without intending to do so.
“No, I’m fine, I just don’t really like flying. Some water would be just fine though, thanks.” And with that, I turned to a sleeping Charlotte. Her head rested on my left shoulder, her left hand laying limply on her protruding belly, and I couldn’t help but grin at the sight. It was a blessing to have this woman carry my child, it truly was. We didn’t know what we were going to name our daughter yet, but thankfully, we still have a few more months to figure it out.
Once Amy was old enough, she pursued her dream of traveling, a thing she’s always wanted to do since she was a little girl, so she was on her way back home all the way from Paris, with her current boyfriend, Tyler. When she first introduced Tyler, my overprotectiveness came out, and I grilled him for about an hour and a half before I knew he was worthy enough to date my sister, but that didn’t mean I didn’t keep a close eye on him.
They had met at the supermarket, Amy had claimed, and she seemed to instantly fall in love with the 22 year old, and I guess the feeling was mutual. She was even happier when she realized on their second date that he had always wanted to travel as well, so there they were, going around the world hand in hand.
My mom and practically my whole family went absolutely crazy when we knew Mom was pregnant with twins, and my dad nearly had a heart attack when he found out the news, but once he saw his son and daughter, Mercury and Mikayla Stone, the doubtfulness flew straight out of the window and he instantly fell in love with them. They were honestly the cutest little babies I’ve seen in a long time, with their warm brown eyes and beautiful smiles, I always loved going to visit my brother and sister.
“If she stares at you like that again, I’m tackling her.” Charlotte sleepily breathed in the side of my neck, and I couldn’t help but burst out with laughter, secretly loving her overprotectiveness because it reminded me that she actually loved me as much as I loved her. It was hard to admit, but most days, I found myself realizing that Charlotte was way out of my league, and it was hard to believe that she actually loved someone like me. Harsh, but true.
“Well usually, I wouldn’t hold you back, but you’re carrying my daughter, so..” I joked. Charlotte had expressed with me that she loved the idea of carrying my child, so I frequently reminded her, not as if she could forget, considering she often got back pains, morning sickness, and mood swings, all which I helped her through of course.
“Fortunately.” She giggled, lifting up and placing her lips over mine in a loving kiss, one which I would love to deepen, but was interrupted by a clearing of a throat. Reluctantly turning, I saw the same flight attendant, but now holding a Styrofoam cup that I assumed was filled with water.
“Here you are sir.” She smiled sweetly, handing me the suspicious cup. “Have a nice flight.”
“Er, thanks.” I muttered, glancing down inside the cup, hearing Charlotte snickering beside me.
“What, you think she poisoned your water?” She laughed, now fully sitting up, leaving my shoulder cold, and I frowned at the lack of contact. “I don’t think she would risk her freedom for you.” She joked, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, placing a kiss on her forehead before setting the still full cup in the cup holder, eying it suspiciously.
“Yeah, I’m still not drinking it.” I said. She threw her head back and let out a hearty laugh, one that never failed to make me smile.
“How far are we? God, my back hurts.” She groaned, and as for effect, she clutched her lower back, dramatically letting out a groan.
“Um, we’re actually just about here.” I replied, glancing out the window to see the darkening sky. It was Christmas Eve, and we were going to stay at my folk’s house for the whole weekend, since Christmas Day was on Friday. I had expressed to my parents that we were going to be a bit late since Christmas was when the airports were the busiest, and true to my word, we were about an hour behind schedule. She let out a sigh of relief, letting her eyes flutter shut as she dropped her head on the headrest, leaving me to my thoughts. About 10 minutes later, we were being ushered off of the plane, hand in hand, Charlotte and I headed out of the airport, exhausted with jetlag, and wanting nothing but a nice soft mattress. I could see the bags under Charlotte’s eyes and I could feel my bones crying out each step I took.
“How long do you think it’s going to take to catch a taxi?” I asked as we huddled together on the sidewalk, me wrapping my arms around Charlotte as if to protect her from the biting cold that left her cheeks a rosy color.
“Not long.” She said surely before she pulled away from me, leaving me frowning until I realized she was flagging down a taxi. Clutching her stomach as if showing the taxis she was a helpless pregnant woman seemed to work, because in only minutes, a bright taxi was pulled up to the curb. After flashing me a smirk, she climbed into the back of the taxi right before me, and after blurting the address to the driver, I was laying back, resting my eyes until we got to our destination. The ride only took about 20 minutes, but it felt like an hour. At 9:10, we finally pulled in front of my parent’s house, and Charlotte and I practically fell out of the car, me retrieving our luggage from the trunk before we were all but running up the familiar steps to the mansion.
Charlotte punched the doorbell and rested in my side as we waited for the door to open, and when it did, it revealed my mom, looking healthy and extremely happy to see us.
“Charlotte! Alec! Oh please, come in! How was your flight?” She bombarded us with questions as she ushered us in and away from the cold, taking our jackets and after Dad greeted us, he took our luggage up into the room Charlotte and I would be sharing. Mom showered us with hugs and kisses and ‘Oh, you’re getting so tall’ type comments, and we were just about to go through the all too familiar family album, before I heard running coming down the hall.
“Mercury, Charlotte and Alec are here!” Mikayla’s voice rang, and before either of us could blink, our legs were being squished to death by a pair of twins, both happy to see us.
“Hey, Mercury!” Charlotte giggling, ruffling the toddler’s hair as I kneeled down, looking at a toothy Mikayla.
“Hey, kiddo.” I greeted, wrapping my arms around the small girl. “How is my little sister?”
“Good!” She giggled, wrapping her little arms around my neck. “How’s my big brother?”
“I’m great, thank you for asking.” I laughed before grabbing her waist, earning a squeal from her as I placed her on my hip, turning to my brother. “Hey there, Mercury.” I smiled, once again, bending down and fist pumping Mercury, laughing as he eagerly returned the greeting, and then he was swooped up in my free arm, being placed on my other hip.
“Alright kids,” Mom said, coming from the kitchen where she had earlier disappeared. “Charlotte and Alec are both terribly tired-“ Mom was cut off by the doorbell ringing, and simultaneously, the twins slithered down my legs, screaming ‘AMY!’, and then they were running to the door. Mom followed the twins to the door before unlocking the door and swinging it open, revealing Amy, whose face was flushed from the cold.
“Hey everybody!” Amy greeted, stepping inside and gladly hugging my mom, and then the twins who were giggling, pestering her about Christmas presents which she promised she would hand out first thing tomorrow morning. Tyler was also with Amy, and had taken her coat and hung it up, earning a thank you from her as well as a kiss on the cheek, making me uncomfortably look away.
“Hey, big bro.” Amy smiled, wrapping her arms around me in a hug that I didn’t hesitate to return, just now realizing how much I missed my little sister.
“Hey, Amy.” I sighed, squeezing her tighter. “How are you? I miss you.”
“I’m good, I’m good, thank you for asking.” She beamed, pulling away and placing a kiss on my cheek before turning to Charlotte, and gasping at her stomach.
“Ohemgee, Charlotte, you’re getting so big!” She squealed, throwing her arms around her in one of those girly hugs that made me wince, turning to see Tyler uncomfortably rocking on his heels, still standing by the door.
“Hey, Tyler.” I greeted, and his eyes locked on me, and he blinked, as if surprised I acknowledged him. It was safe to say Tyler was intimidated by me, and the thought made me chuckle inside.
“Huh? Oh, uh, hey.” He smiled, walking up to me and shaking my hand, ending it in the one arm hug thing that I never understood. “How are you?” He awkwardly asked, and I couldn’t help but scoff lowly.
“I’m good, you know, baby on the way and all.” I said, and he nodded, even though he couldn’t relate…Thank god. I don’t even know what I would do if Amy was pregnant; I guess it was time I needed to let go of the idea of Amy still being a little girl, but I would never be prepared to imagine her doing…That.
“Okay.” Mom sighed. “I know everybody must be tired from the flights, so your rooms are upstairs, feel free to take anything from the kitche-“
“Mom, you act like you’re talking to the president, it’s making me uncomfortable.” I explained honestly, earning a laugh from everybody.
“Right.” She exhaled, smiling from ear to ear. “Sorry. You’re right, I should be saying, Amy, no late night trips to the fridge, okay? And Alec, I know you love to peek at the presents Christmas Eve, but if you do, I will castrate you. As for Tyler and Charlotte, welcome to my home.”
“That’s more like it!” I laughed, throwing my arm over my mom’s shoulder and pulling her into a side hug as she chuckled along with everybody else.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIOqutv6GX
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“Oh, this is nice.” Charlotte moaned, sinking deeper into the mattress, and I couldn’t help but agree, wrapping my arms around her, bringing her back to my chest and throwing the cover over the both of us for the cold. “God, I’m so tired.”
“Flying sure knows how to suck the energy out of you.” I nodded, not even hesitating to close my eyes, getting comfortable, welcoming sleep with open arms. “I love you, Charlie.”
“I love you too, Mr. Stone.” She muttered before she was asleep in my arms, just the way it should be.
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Christmas was always hectic. It was a tradition to have Christmas breakfast at 7:30, so Charlotte and I had to literally climb out of bed and intend that. Unlike us, everybody was wide awake, full of life as they passed around plates of food and pitchers of orange and apple juice. Mikayla and Mercury were playing with their food, occasionally throwing their oatmeal and eggs when Mom or Dad weren’t looking. Tyler and Amy were talking about their next destination for traveling, and Mom and Dad were discussing whatever they were discussing.
“Why, good morning, you two! Merry Christmas!” My mom greeted, waving for extra affect. Her hair was tied in a bun atop of her hair and she was wearing her reading glasses, a rare sight to see. “How did you sleep?”
“Good, and you?” Charlotte returned, taking her seat at the familiar dining table, making me sit beside her, already reaching for a cup of coffee to fully wake me up.
“I slept wonderful, thank you for asking! And you, Alec?” Mom asked, but I just grunted in response, not wanting to talk until I had at least two cups of coffee. “Well I’m glad you slept well.” Mom offered after my silence, and Amy giggled at that.
The air was soon filled with chattering, cutlery clacking against glass plates, pitchers being passed around, and laughing, giving into the Christmas spirit.
“Do you need help with the dishes, Mrs. Stone?” Charlotte offered. I always found it funny how Charlotte still called my mom ‘Mrs. Stone’, but she always whacked me in return, making me keep my amusement to myself after a while.
“Sure, I would love that, thank you Charlotte! Alec, Amy, can you guys please clean the table?” Mom asked before disappearing in the kitchen with Charlotte without waiting for an answer.
“Baby, can you please go wait in the living room? I’ll be there in just a second.” Amy smiled at Tyler, who just nodded before he was gone, leaving Amy, me, the twins, and Dad.
I never really understood why mom still insisted on cleaning the dishes when they had maids for that, but I never questioned it, just deciding to shrug it off.
“Why won’t you guys go play in the backyard, yeah?” Amy offered, picking up the twins in her arms before placing them on the floor, smiling as they both shrieked ‘YAY!’ at her suggestion before they were running off, eager to get dirty. Honestly, Mercury and Mikayla were just like Philip and Lilian on ‘Rugrats’, always getting dirty, which made for a lot of bubble baths in their part. Dad excused himself, muttering something about ‘work’, even though he knew Mom hated any type of business calls during the Holidays, and then he was off into his office, leaving Amy and I, silently collecting the plates and cups.
“So how are you, Alec?” She questioned suddenly. “We don’t talk. Are you excited about your first daughter?”
“Yeah, I am. Most guys would cringe at the word ‘kid’, but I embrace it.” I laughed. “I know Charlotte’s just as happy, if not more.”
“That’s nice. It’s also nice to see you and Charlotte together, you know? Seeing you guys always makes me smile…I don’t know why, it just does. Seeing how happy you guys are.”
“Are you and Tyler happy?” I cautiously asked, collecting the spoons and forks as I eyed her in the corner of my eye.
“Yeah, we’re great. I love him and he loves me. We’re really good together.”
“That’s good. I’m happy for you guys, even if I don’t really express it.”
“Thanks, Alec. It means a lot, really.” She smiled, and I gladly returned the favor. “D-Do you…Never mind.”
“What?” I urged, now stopping what I was doing to show her she had my full attention. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“D-Do you think he’s ever going to pop the question? I mean, I know we’re still relatively young, but we’ve been dating for a long time now.”
“Huh? Oh, uh, well, A, everybody’s different. Maybe he’s just scared that you don’t feel the same way, you know? I’d say don’t pressure him, he’ll ask for your hand when he’s ready. But don’t follow all those cliché’s, sis. If you think you guys are ready, then you ask him. Have you ever thought about it?” She wrinkled her nose at the thought, and I laughed, shaking my head.
“It is supposed to be the guy’s role, but there’s no rule actually saying that he has to ask you. I’d say do whatever feels right. Either wait, or just ask him. You could even sit down and talk to him about it; you guys are mature enough to not make it awkward, so I don’t see why.” I shrugged. She took a minute or two to take what I said, in, before she nodded, a small smile on her face.
“You’re right.” She nodded faster now. “Thanks, I knew I could go to you.”
“Anytime, munchkin.” I winked.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmdyFdJoRg
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After breakfast, our family hung around just enjoying each other’s company, from caroling, to ‘Monopoly’, and even ‘Charades’, Amy’s favorite game considering she always won. We were currently playing ‘Scene It’ when Mom had excused herself, claiming she needed to start Christmas dinner considering it was already 6:30. Most of the items were already cooked from Christmas Eve, but she still needed to warm the food up in the oven, as well as cook food that she wasn’t able to get to on Christmas Eve. Charlotte and I were cuddling on the love seat, Tyler and Amy were on the couch to my right with Amy sitting on Tyler’s lap, and of course, my Dad was in his office. Finally, the blasted game came to the end, and of course, Amy won, considering she was great at every single game.
Sometime after the game, Charlotte and I had disappeared upstairs to just be by ourselves for a while Amy and mom were cooking. Tyler and Dad had disappeared, Dad muttering something about showing him his ‘collection of train sets’, whatever the hell that was. The twins were out playing with one of the maids, so everybody was doing something.
“Alec.” Charlotte muttered, aimlessly tracing patterns on my chest, her eyes drifted closed. “A-Are you happy?” She self-consciously asked. Even after all these years, Charlotte was so self-conscious and shy, not quite understanding what I could possibly like in her, no matter how many times I tried to tell her that I was so in love with her, it hurt.
“I’m more than happy.” I assured, kissing her forehead, lingering only the slightest. “I love you, so, so, so much, and don’t ever doubt it. Okay? All the way to the moon and all the way back, you’re the one and only for me, sweetheart.” She giggled at the memory of Amy’s 15th birthday, the day that seemed so far away now that I thought about it. It pained me to think that Charlotte was still so insecure, considering she was literally my definition of perfect, but I knew it would take time. How much, I don’t know.
She sighed, leaning deeper into my arms, and I didn’t hesitate to hold her tighter, loving the feeling of her in my arms. “God, we’re so cliché.”
“Cliché’s our thing, and don’t forget it.” I smirked, and she threw her head back, letting out the beautiful sound of her laughter, and I couldn’t help but to chuckle along with her.
“You’re going to make a great father, you know that right?” Charlotte breathed into my neck, and her breath on my skin was honestly making me dizzy.
“And you too.” I exhaled, not being able to think straight. She burst out with laughter, and since she pulled away, I as allowed to think, just now realizing what I said, and then I was laughing along with her.
“Wow, thanks.” She drawled sarcastically before her eyes zeroed on my lips, and before I could even blink, we were kissing.
Every time Charlotte and I kissed, it felt like I was floating on Cloud 10-Because Cloud 9 was too mainstream. When our lips worked together, it was like an art-An art I would love to perfect any time. Kissing Charlotte always gave me that feeling in my gut; Like when you’re on a rollercoaster, and then you hit that big dip, and your stomach flips-It was sort of like that, just intensified, and it sometimes gave me a boner…Yeah, so it wasn’t really like a rollercoaster, but that’s the closest thing I could relate it to, because Charlotte’s kisses was that foreign and surreal.
She playfully bit my bottom lip, and I groaned, grabbing the back of her head and deepening the kiss further. She clutched fistfuls of my shirt to bring me closer, until we were flush against each other, and I loved it just as much as her.
“Alec, dinner- Woah.” Amy’s voice made Charlotte and I jump away from each other in surprise, innocently turning to the shocked blonde in the doorway, her eyes wide. “Yeah, you’re supposed to celebrate due to it being Christmas, but damn.” She snickered, and I threw the closest thing that I could at her, which was an alarm clock, which didn’t go far considering it was still plugged up to the wall.
“Alright, alright.” She laughed, turning to walk out. “Dinner’s ready.” And with that, she closed the door, leaving Charlotte and I sitting there with equally red faces. 786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjH19jVsrmB
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“Mercury, stop eating your sister’s hair! Mikayla, why would you let him eat your pigtail? Stop it!” Mom scolded sternly, pointing at the twins who were gathered at the table with us. Mercury reluctantly released Mikayla’s hair before turning to his plate of mash potatoes and gravy, apparently the only thing he agreed to eat. Dinner was…off. Dad kept sending Tyler looks that Tyler made sure he didn’t meet, Amy seemed dejected, and mom just looked as exhausted at Charlotte, and she wasn’t even pregnant.
“Ma, can I have some more orange juice?” I asked, holding up my glass and gesturing to the pitcher that was to her right.
“I’m sorry, honey, we’re out of orange juice, but we do have-“
“WILL YOU MARRY ME?” Tyler awkwardly burst out all of a sudden, and everybody was silent. For a second, I thought he was talking to me, but after I realized that was completely fucking stupid, I turned to Amy, who was staring at him, her eyes as wide as saucers. Suddenly, it all clicked: Dad showing Tyler his ‘train collection’ which I realized he didn’t even have, was just to get Tyler away so he could give him his blessing and giving him that ‘if you ever hurt my little girl, I’ll castrate you’ speech, and that also explained the wary looks that dad was sending him.
Tyler had stood up so fast, his chair knocked over, and he had a ring box opened, and practically shoved in Amy’s face.
“W-What?” Was all Amy could manage to say, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at the impressive ring that practically shined in the chandelier light.
“AWW, OHEMGEE!” Charlotte squealed, throwing her hands up to her face, her own tears dripping down her cheeks.
“Er…Will you marry me?” Tyler repeated, this time, not screaming it so even the neighbors could hear. I then burst out with laughter, laughing so hard I was bent over, clutching my stomach as I tried to breathe, but I couldn’t. Even though the air was still fragile and more than awkward, I couldn’t help it. Tyler was just so awkward, practically screaming it in Amy’s ear, letting me know that he wasn’t used to this kind of stuff.
“Alec!” Charlotte scolded, swatting my arm in an effort to shut me up, but I was still going at it, tears rolling down my cheek as I was now laughing so hard, no sound was coming out. Since everybody was still deathly silent, my laugh echoed throughout the house, making Tyler turn pink in embarrassment, making me laugh harder. Finally, little Amy realized that she wasn’t quite getting ‘Punk’d’, and she literally made a mixture between a scream and a squeal, and threw her arms around an awkward Tyler, shouting ‘YES! YES! YES!’, bouncing up and down.
As I calmed down, wiping my face from stray tears, I watched as Amy slid the ring on the right finger, tears now fluently rolling down her cheeks like an avalanche, and if it wasn’t for the ear-to-ear smile on her face, I would’ve thought she was sad.
Soon, the dining room was livid with noise: Mom was also crying, and all the girls were squeezing each other, all bouncing up and down like hormonal teens, Dad just looked downright uncomfortable, and Tyler was standing up with his hands in his trouser, a goofy grin on his face. Sighing, I stood up, walking around the table until I was in front of him, and then I placed my hand down hard on his shoulder, making him wince.
“Hurt my little sister in any sort of way, shape, or form, and I will personally cut your balls off and feed them to Mercury’s pet tarantula, capisce?” I said, my voice firm, a deep frown etched on my face. I watched him visibly gulp, nodding with widened eyes in fear of having his balls chopped off with a meat cleaver. Forcing a smile, I sighed.
“Good. Nice to meet you, brother-in-law.” I exhaled.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEAP7bj3PI
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OHEMGEE, it’s over! 786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvU2bUiH2HH
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