Chapter 22

After lunch, Lulu snatched some time alone with me from the twins, insisting on walking me home. The air after the rain was always exceptionally fresh; it seemed the raindrops had soothed the dust, leaving the air clean and clear, the scents no longer murky. I enjoyed the inner peace and the feeling of the sunshine on my skin as Lulu and I walked side by side. A few minutes later, she spoke. "So, about the twins." My heart skipped a beat. This was the first time someone had asked me so directly. "I don't know," I shook my head. Lulu tilted her head, blinking her clear blue eyes at me. "I'm not asking you to decide anything. I'm just… curious. And worried. About you." I slowly exhaled. "They're both different," I said. "That's the problem." Ariel's image flashed through my mind first, for some reason, perhaps because he was the older brother. Thinking of him, my shoulders involuntarily relaxed, without me even realizing it. “When he’s standing next to me, the world doesn’t seem so sharp