We all sit at the table, and Hazel grabs August’s hand as he tries to clean up the glass. “Dejalo.” She shakes her head, and he looks like he feels horrible, but I hear Lisette laughing from beside me.
“Why do you look like you didn’t know the cups would break?”
August turns to the table like a child in trouble. “Honestly… I didn’t think they would shatter likethat.”
We tell him it’sglass,and I can’t help but laugh now. Sire shakes his head silently, and I’m certain he tried to warn him before we came out here.
“It’sfine,” Hazel whispers to August, and I feel myself smiling when she kisses his hand. “They’re just dumb cups, who cares?”
“Yeah, but I feel bad…” August whispers back.
“It was an accident. We’ll buy them a hundred more. They were ugly anyway; you did them a favor.” She shakes her head, and I can tell her words make my brother feel better.
August tells her something I can’t hear, and Hazel rolls her eyes like she’s bored of the conversation. Her attitude reminds me of Liam’s grumpy mood. I shake my mind of him and smile to myself when Hazel reassures my brother again. “I’ll tell them I broke it.”
August’s smile is back, and I shake my head at them silently with a smile. They’re so freaking cute. They’ve been dating foryearsnow but still seem so in love. They’re always in their own world, and I love their relationship, especially because I know my brother is obsessed with her.
“Were you crying?”
I glance over at Sire, and when his eyes scan my face, I remember I didn’t fix my makeup. I pull out my mirror and beauty blender, touching up my tear treks.
“What happened?” Sire glances around the table, and when my eyes land on Vidia beside him, she smiles encouragingly.
I take a deep breath and swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m going to tell you guys something, but I don’t want you to overreact, and you have to swear on Mom's life that you won’t tell another soul, especially not my agent.”
I keep my eyes on the table, but I can feel everyone watching me.
“I swear.” August quickly agrees, and I feel a smile grow on my face. He didn’t need to swear it. It’s our twin rule that we’re on each other's side no matter what, so I knew he wouldn’t say anything. The twin rule trumps everything.
I was talking about Sire because he’soverlyprotective, and if he thinks Angie needs to know about this, he’ll tell her.
When I look over at him, he’s watching me carefully. “What is it?”
“Swear–”
“Sage–”
Vidia nudges his arm before shaking her head. “Swear it.”
He looks between her eyes and it’s as if he’s in a trance because he simply nods his head in agreement. “Fine. I swear not to tell a soul. Why were you crying?”
I nod my head and work up the nerve to spit it out. I start with how I’ve been following Helena’s meal plan, and my brothers immediately tell me how much smaller she is than me and how bad that is, but Vidia tells them to let me finish, and I’m glad I told her first.
“And sometimes…” My vision blurs, and I look down the road, past all of the concerned eyes on me. “Sometimes I go a few days without eating,butI make sure to eat a big meal after I do that…”
No one says anything, and I wipe my tears, forcing my voice to stay strong. “And sometimes-” My voice breaks, but I clear my throat and get the last of it out. “Only before my fittings or runway shows do I need to make myself throw up, but Idon’tdo that often, I swear.”
I drag my eyes to August, and I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I’m surprised when he nods like this isn’t bad news at all. “Okay,” he starts, “So what do we need to do now? How do we help you? What doyouneed?”
I let out a laugh, and it turns into a quiet cry.
I feel a hand come over mine, and when I look up, Sire is holding me softly. “We got you,” he nods softly. “We don’t need to figure it out right now, but we will.”
I give him a soft nod, and both boys come around the table to hug me. It feels like thisisn’tthe end of the world. Like, I’ll be fine.
“What time is your flight to Italy?” I let them know it’s in a few hours, and I can see the worry on my twin's face. “Maybe I should go with you–”
“August–”
