Chapter 39 Who's he?
"I came to see Nova," I said, squatting in front of him. The nearer I was to him, the more I felt familiar with him, like I had seen him somewhere. His tousled hair and lovely grey eyes made me want to reach out to touch him, and when I did, he avoided my touch by taking some steps back, still glaring at me.
"Who is she to you?"
Oh, my. What an elegant gentleman he is. I half expected him to run for the front door, not to challenge me with a gaze that looked so familiar, it was surreal. Shaking my head at the odd thought that had just crossed my mind, I held the young man's gaze.
"How old are you?" I demanded, not answering his questions. As much as the ludicrous thoughts in my head sounded as stupid as I tagged them, I couldn't shake off the impression that somehow, the boy was close to me, which was why I asked to know his age.
He raised a suspicious brow at me, his mouth in a pout as he took some steps back. Once again, his gaze went over to the front door, and I realized something. His plan wasn't to run to the door like I thought at first. He looked like he was trying to protect something.
"Who are you?" He asked again as if he weren't satisfied with the response I gave to him.
Smiling, I brought my hand out for a shake. "Hello, gentleman, I'm Mr Brion James. Nice to meet you."
He glared at my palm, the suspicion in his gaze getting deeper as he looked at me. Tilting my head to the side, I wondered what was going on with him.
"River," he said, at last, taking my hand in his. "Who are you to, my mum?"
"Her friend," I responded, smiling at him. "Why are you out here alone? Where is your mum?"
"She's making Willow's hair." He let go of my palm and climbed on the swing, holding both sides as he watched me. From the way he was acting, I realized he must have decided I wasn't a threat like
he thought I was initially.
"Willow? Who's that?"
"My sister." He gave me a dark glare, his gaze once more suspicious. "You said you are my mum's friend, right? Why do you look like you don't know I have a sister?"
"Mum?" I blinked, puzzled by that. "Nova is your mum???" Talk about being perplexed. Standing to my feet, I fixed my stare on the boy, realizing for the first time why I thought he was 188k familiar. The boy was a replica of Nova. He looked so much like her, down to his eyes and the way they sparkled as he watched me.
I took a step back from him, dumbstruck and unable to utter a word.
"Yes. Why do you look shocked?"
"It's nothing. I just..." I gulped, not knowing what to say. Different emotions went through me as my thoughts spiralled out of control.
"Are you okay?" He sounded concerned.
"Yeah." Nodding, I drew more steps back. "How old are you?" I asked again.
"I'm-"
"River!" A call from inside the house interrupted him. His head whipped towards the house at the sound of a girl's voice.
"I'm here!" Yelling his response, he turned to me. "Willow is calling. Seems mum is through with her hair. I will tell her you are waiting." Smiling, he ran back to the house, leaving me to watch his back
as more strange thoughts assaulted my mind.
It rooted me to the ground, unable to move. The possibility of the little boy and his twin being my kids was high; however, I couldn't afford to get my hopes up. Unless I confirm they are indeed mine.
"Dashiell?"
I turned at her call, my gaze drawn to the charming woman standing on her front porch. I realized, not for the first time, how charming my wife is. It was a pity I didn't notice it when we still lived together. Back then, my obsession with Lilith and my hatred for Nova blinded me. I blamed her for what happened after the night we spent together.
Had she not involved her parents after I asked her not to, I wouldn't have gotten married to her. My family wouldn't have known I slept with her, and wouldn't have forced me to settle down with her, to
avoid rumours.
"Nova," I whispered her name as I drew some steps towards her. Nova's beauty was almost blinding. Unlike most days at work, where she always kept her hair up in a bun, she left it to cascade down her back in beautiful waves. I fixed her grey eyes on mine as she watched me approach. The black gown she had on hugged her curves, leaving nothing to the imagination.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was clipped, and her stance defensive. With her back to the closed door, and her arms folded, you would have thought she was trying to fend off a trespasser.
Well, that's what I am. An intruder.
Smiling, I walked over to her, making certain to keep a respectable distance between us to avoid getting zapped by her dark stares. She looked like she might have my head should I do much as stand
in front of her.
"I came to visit you."
She lifted an eyebrow at my reply. "Why? Is there anything you need my help with? You could have called or emailed me," she stated, making it seem like I didn't know who the damned hell she was.
"As if you would have answered my calls."
Rolling her eyes at my response, she ran her right fingers through her hair, sighing exasperated. "What are you doing here?" She demanded once more.
"Who's that boy to you?" I asked, seeing no reason to beat about the bush. "He looks so much like you," I added before she could give a response to my initial question.