Chapter 22 Twilight
Veronica's POV:
“Is everything alright, Veronica?” Theo’s voice startled me.
I nearly jumped into my seat, my pulse racing far more than it should.
“Yeah… I’m totally fine,” I replied, forcing a smile that didn’t quite make it to my eyes.
Because how could it? How could I possibly look him in the eye when I’d kissed his brother — when I was still replaying the warmth of that moment with guiltiness in my chest?
Theo tilted his head slightly, studying me the way he did a line of code... quiet, patient, and perceptive. “You don’t seem fine,” he said gently.
Before I could protest, he leaned over and closed the tabs on my screen.
His clean, cool scent brushed against me, making it hard to focus on anything but the nearness of him. My God! He was smelling so good, I just wanted to hug pull him towards me, and feel him; it all made me feel even more guilt.
“Why are you closing that?” I asked.
“Because I think I’m overworking you. We have just started this project... I don't want to get you burnt out..." He gave me a sweet smile that always disarmed me. You’ve already been dealing with my brother’s chaos. You deserve a break.”
I turned in my chair to face him... and for a moment, I just looked into his bright green eyes.
“Care for a walk on the beach?” he asked, nodding toward the twilight sky outside.
The fading light cast long streaks of gold across the ocean waves, painting the sand in shades of pink and amber.
“Yeah… sure,” I said, smiling for real this time.
We stepped outside, our bare feet sinking into the cool sand.
The wind brushed against my skin, carrying the salt and sweetness of the sea.
Beside me, Theo walked with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed yet elegant... the kind of man who didn’t need to demand attention because it followed him naturally.
He glanced sideways at me, his expression softening. “Thank you, Veronica,” he said suddenly.
“For what?”
“For handling my brother,” he replied. “I know he can be… a lot. But it means something that you didn’t give up on him. Max isn’t as tough as he pretends to be.”
Guilt stabbed through me at the sound of his name again.
My throat tightened, and I looked away toward the ocean, where the sun was slowly melting into the horizon.
Theo’s voice was gentle as he went on. “He hides behind jokes and recklessness. People see arrogance, but I see someone still fighting the ghosts of his past.”
I swallowed hard, my mind flashing back to the moment in Max’s room... the glint of his tattoos, the story about his mother, the hidden scars beneath his skin.
“You care so much about him,” I said before I could stop myself.
Theo chuckled softly, his pretty eyes glinting in the orange glow of the sunset. “You have no idea.”
There was no bitterness in his tone... only a quiet sadness that came from years of carrying the weight of someone else’s mistakes.
I could tell, in that moment, that Theo didn’t just love his brother... he protected him, even from himself.
I watched him as we walked, the breeze tugging lightly at his blond hair, his face calm and contemplative.
His profile looked almost golden under the dying light... too graceful to look at.
God, how could someone be this good-looking? I could just look at him all day, and be in his calm presence, without even food or water.
“I wish I too had a sibling,” I said softly. “Someone who could’ve saved me from… everything.”
Theo turned toward me, his expression unreadable for a moment.
Then he smiled... that warm, reassuring smile that could melt every wall I’d built. “You don’t need saving anymore, Veronica. You’re stronger than you think. You are already doing very well."
The words sank deep inside me, like touching my heart very gently... making me flutter.
For a few moments, we just walked in silence, listening to the hush of the waves and the distant cry of sea-gulls.
I didn’t want the moment to end.
Then Theo’s voice broke through again, softer this time. “So,” he said, glancing at me, “what do you think of my brother?”
I froze mid-step, the question catching me completely off guard.
My heart skipped.
What do I think of Max?
The image of his blue eyes flashed in my mind... the way he’d looked at me like with firey-passion and intensity. The heat of his touch. The pain behind his arrogance.
“I…” I faltered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “He’s… complicated.”
Theo laughed lightly. “That’s one way to put it.”
But there was something knowing in his tone, as if he sensed there was more to my hesitation than I let on.
Did he actually know something? Or was he just asking casually?
I smiled weakly and looked out at the horizon again, pretending to admire the waves... pretending I wasn’t standing between two brothers who both saw me in ways I didn’t yet understand.
The sea breeze brushed my cheek, and I let myself to be embraced by Theo’s calm presence beside me… I felt heavenly.
I knew it in my heart that it was him... this must be what love feels like... calmness, stability and sweetness.
But somewhere deep down, I could still feel the fire that Max had left behind while he had touched me.
There it was again! That damn confusion.
Then Theo started explaining to me about the significance of sunset, in astronomical terms, and my mind was focused on him again.
Admiring the way he was explaining very complex topics about planetary alignments and galaxies in very simple terms... that even I was able to understand.
And as the twilight, I couldn’t help but wonder. Who will be my sunrise out of these two brothers? And which one would be the storm?!