Finally, we're leaving.

A few minutes ago I got a text from Theo telling me to pack up and come to Maya's.

It didn't take long since I hadn't even unpacked. It was a good decision.

I stood in front of Maya's apartment with my travel bag and waited for someone to open the door for me.

"You're here quickly." Theo frowned as he finally opened the door and let me in.

"I'm excited to go back to New York. What else can I say?" I laughed and entered the apartment.

Theo slipped past me and headed for his room, I assume. I left my bag on the ground and followed him. I leaned against the doorframe and watched Theo pack.

"Where is your sister?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I don't know. She left and didn't say where." He said as if it was nothing, but something was obviously wrong.

"So you talked to her about Luna. She didn't take it well? Is that why we're leaving?" Not that I'm complaining.

"It didn't come to that." He went to the closet again and took out things from it, which he put in his bag.

"I don't understand. Isn't that why we're here in the first place?" The longer I'm here, the more confused I get.

"She was in the hospital, Sebastian." He stopped and turned to me. "She was in the hospital and I didn't know." For the first time in years, I see guilt in his eyes. "I screwed up. Big time."

"Come on, it's not your fault. How were you supposed to know?"

"Because she called me." Oops. "She called and I didn't pick up." He lowered his head and closed his eyes tightly. "It was a mistake to come here. I just made everything worse."

"Don't get me wrong, I still want to leave, but are you really leaving because you've given up?" This doesn't sound like Theo.

"She told me to get out. What should I do? It's obvious she wants nothing to do with me."

"So yeah, you're giving up." I acknowledged. "I didn't think I'd ever see this day." I laughed.

"You think this is funny? I just lost my sister."

"This is exactly your problem." I pushed myself away from the doorframe. "You still think of her as the little girl you once knew. Like it or not, she's not a child anymore. Why don't you try talking to her as your equal."

"And what should I do? Go out for a drink with her and talk about who I slept with last time?"

"Exactly. You understand her now." I smiled. "You do realize that the guy you found here when we first arrived wasn't the first, right? She's got four beers in the fridge, packs of cigarettes hidden in the drawers. You do realize that's not your seventeen-year-old little sister?"

"So she's basically a copy of you. Great."

"Don't you dare blame me." I pointed my finger at him. "She lives that way because it suits her. It's not my fault that it suits me too."

"When you're such an expert on her, what can I tell her to forgive me? Because right now, I'm sure there's nothing that's going to change her mind about me."

"I wouldn't be so sure." I smiled.



Theo: I really need your help. Maya please.

It took me a while to pull myself together and walk away from Julia. When I saw this message, I wanted to ignore it, but I couldn't. What if he accidentally set fire to my apartment?

But when I unlocked the door, I found only an empty apartment. So he left. Okay. That's exactly what I wanted from him.

"Maya?" Or not. "Can you help me in here?" I heard Theo again from the room.

I rolled my eyes and put my purse and keys on the kitchen counter. I headed straight for him.

I entered "his" room and found him leaning on the table.

"What are you doing?" I frowned. "I thought you needed help with something." I went a little further into the room and examined it. Nothing abnormal.

"He needed help, but not from you, Mimi." I heard behind me and turned around only to find Acker there.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

"Have a good chat." He winked at me before taking a step back, closing the door behind him and locking it.

He locked the door.

"Acker, what are you doing?" I went to the door and tried to open it. "Open the door." I said louder.

"Sorry, I can't hear you." I heard in his voice that he was smiling. Then only footsteps and silence.

I turned to Theo. "What are you trying to do here?"

"I wanted to talk and I knew you wouldn't stay."

"So you locked us in a room so I couldn't escape. You do realize I feel like throwing you out that window right now, right?" I raised an eyebrow.

Tired of his game, I wanted to take my cell phone out of my pocket, but I couldn't, as it remained in my purse, which is in the kitchen.

You have got to be kidding me.

"I've got a beer if it helps." He picked up two bottles from the table and walked over to me. He offered me one of them. "Please, Maya."

"Fine." I said through gritted teeth and snatched the bottle from his hand.

Theo took a few steps back and sat down on the floor at the foot of the bed. He opened a bottle of beer and took a sip "I have a girlfriend."

Without saying a word, I stood by the door with my eyes on him and the closed bottle in my hand.

"Her name is Luna. I want to propose to her, but before I do, I wanted to get in touch with you. Actually, I already proposed to her once, but something got in the way."

I don't know what I expected him to say or what would happen, but I walked into the room and slid to the floor by the wall, facing him.

"I work for Sebastian's brother in New York. I travel to Europe often, but I always miss New York. So I'm not sure why I don't miss it when I'm here. I haven't thought about you like I should over the years. But every time I saw tangerines, I thought of you." He smiled. "Do you still have a problem with the seeds inside?"

"No. I don't eat tangerines anymore." I tried to hold back a smile. How does he even remember it?

"That's one way." He laughed, but his smile quickly faded. "That's probably the only thing that hasn't changed, isn't it?" He looked up at me.

"You missed a lot." He can't even imagine.

"Mostly shooing away and threatening guys. Anyone who touched my little sister would have no fingers the next day."

"That would be a lot of fingers to cut off." I laughed and opened a beer. I took a sip and looked down at the bottle. "Guess something has rubbed off on me from your behavior. And our father's." I snorted. "Looks like it runs in the family."

"Was it hard? Their divorce." He elaborated.

"Mother spent most of her time at a bar drinking away her sorrows while trying to forget about her husband. And he was everywhere but home." I took a sip of my beer. "I didn't see them most of the time. And when they got divorced, I was of age and left here right away."

"Looks like you're doing well here. You deserve it."

"I can't imagine if I stayed there. The last time our mother called me was when she wanted to know if I was coming for Christmas. Which is pretty stupid, since two years before that she didn't even invite me. I'm pretty sure she was drunk. And father called to invite me to his wedding, which is taking place in about a month."

"I suppose you turned him down."

"I told him I'd think about it."

"So no." He laughed. "Got it."

"But there'd be a free meal." I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe I'll stop there. Make a scene, eat, wish them an unhappy marriage and leave." I thought about it. "Sounds like a good idea now that I think about it." I smiled.

"I'd like to see that." He laughed with me.

Maya, he hurt you. Why are you talking to him as if nothing happened?

"I understand you want me to leave and I was actually going to do it, but I'm not anymore. I'm not going anywhere. I've missed a lot and I don't plan on missing any more. We don't have to talk every day and ask how your day was, but I want to be here to be for you."

"Why did you change your mind?"

"Believe it or not, Sebastian talked me into staying."

"Sebastian?" I raised an eyebrow. "Acker?" Theo nodded with a laugh. "Why?"

"What do I know." He shrugged. "Also, it was his idea to lock us here. Only if you wanted revenge."

"Oh trust me, I will have." I smiled. "He won't know what hit him."

"I expected nothing less." He laughed.



"Looks like you're both on the same page. Did my idea help?" I smiled at Maya and Theo as I unlocked the room.

Maya slipped past me without saying a word and didn't forget to bump into me with her shoulder. Ouch.

"It helped." Theo laughed, grabbing my shoulder as he walked past me. "Thank you."

"Any time." I said as we walked into the living room behind Maya who was standing next to the kitchen counter with her cell phone in hand.

"Oh wait." Theo stopped. "Have you checked out of the hotel yet? Because we're staying here for some time."

"I thought we were going home, so of course I did."

"He can stay here." We both heard from the kitchen and shifted our gaze to Maya.

"What?" Theo and I said at once and looked at each other.

"Why such a sudden change of heart?" I frowned. She didn't even want to see me and suddenly she's offering me her couch? That sounds like a trap.

"I feel good-hearted today." She shrugged.

Something doesn't sit right with this one. There's something in her eyes and that devilish smile, but I don't know what exactly.

"Dude, say yes before she changes her mind." Theo spoke next to me before his cell phone rang. "Luna." He smiled at us and walked back into the room before picking up.

"Why did you change your mind?" I walked closer to her until I was one step away from her.

"Yes or no, Acker. Do you accept?" She crossed her arms over her breasts.

"Fine, I'll stay. Now what's the catch?" I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what she was up to.

"No catch." She was smiling innocently.

"I don't believe you." I walked up to her and trapped her with my arms between my body and the kitchen counter.

"That's not my problem." She said as if she didn't mind at all that there was no space between us.

I feel her body on mine and I have to say, I don't mind it as much as I should. Is this bad? Most likely. Will Theo kill me if he sees us like this? Definitely.

"But I have rules, Acker. This." She pointed between us. "Your attempt at intimidation or whatever this is, keep it to yourself. You're going to clean up after yourself, don't expect me to cook and do not, I repeat, do not touch my beers. My room is strictly off limits to you." She dug her finger into my chest. "And don't you dare bring a woman here. Go somewhere else. You'll destroy the couch and buy me a new one. Did you understand everything or should I write it down for you?"

A smile spread across my face. "Yes boss."

"Good." She pushed me away, which she wouldn't have been able to do if I hadn't let her, and walked past me. "And by the way." She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to me.

"Yes?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You locked me in my own apartment" She smiled. "Don't think I'll just forget about it. If I were you, I'd sleep with one eye open." She turned and walked to her room.

I didn't pay much attention to her threats because my attention was on her ass in those skinny black jeans.

Why do I feel like this is going to be harder than I thought?

Living with Maya under the same roof, I mean. It couldn't be worse than living with three brothers and Theo, right?

But the thing is, they don't have asses like hers. Maybe it will be a little bit of a problem.

Maybe slightly bigger.