"Something bothering you, sweetheart?" Asher asked, tapping my knee with his index finger to stop my leg from bouncing.

I looked away from the window to look at him. He was facing forward, focussing on the road with a small twitch in his lips that gave away the small smile he had.

The words flowed out spontaneously.

"When you asked me what was wrong and I said nothing, I tried to smile but I couldn't." Asher glanced at me at this before turning his head back to face the road.

"It was like a force was pulling the corners of my lips down. So I asked Nico about it and he said you had the answer." I looked at him expectantly. The expectant look on my face changed into a frown when I saw he was struggling to keep a straight face.

"That's because you lied." He said. My frown deepened. "That means, I'm about to reach your heart. I'm almost there. Since our hearts are now friends, every time you lie, the forces of your heart will fight against you. They will look for a way to tell the other heart that you're not being honest."

He gave me a pointed look at the end, making me look away immediately. There was silence after that as I pondered over his words.

"Are you really almost there?" I asked, turning to him. My hand rested on my chest, feeling the heart thumping inside.

Hearing those words felt like I was being ripped of the only defense I had.

"Yes, my love," he said, softly. "I can see your heart through the walls but not as clearly as I should."

"Does that mean I'm weak now?" I found myself asking.

"No. Not at all. That means you're strong. My heart will help your baby heart through everything and we will be strong together." He smiled softly.

I knitted my eyebrows together and looked out.

"But I didn't let Lucas see through the walls. How did he hurt my heart then?" I mumbled, keeping my hand on my heart and my other hand on my knee, which was bouncing.

"The question is, did he hurt your heart?" Asher countered. I stopped tapping my foot and listened closely.

"Yes, I think." I answered.

The car stopped before the huge building. The school library.

I saw him finally turn towards me in my periphery.

"Lucas never reached your heart. Because if he did, he wouldn't have dared to try and remove the bright light shining inside," Asher said. I turned to look at him with the frown still prominent on my face.

"Then why did everything affect me so much? Why did it make my heart go..." I stopped not knowing the right word that fit here.

I felt heartless. Like a robot just going through each day with the same routine. Misbehave in school, so they complain to the guardian. Accept the bitter consequences silently, so Rose stays out of the fire.

I didn't feel the warmth anywhere. I didn't feel the warmth I feel in my chest, every time Asher looks at me like his whole world revolves around me.

Instead, I pushed everything away. Every single bit of happiness, so I didn't jinx my twin's happiness again.

"It affected you because when he tried to attack your baby heart, he actually hit the walls around it. The baby heart got scared and built the walls stronger, so its only protection doesn't break and fall," he said, reaching out to grab my hand in his. "That's why you're the strongest person I know."

"Since the walls were stronger, there was nothing that could pass those walls. That resulted in the heart feeling lonely," he finished.

"But you did," I mumbled. I think he can see my heart clearly.

"I did?" He asked. I looked at him to find a smile on his face and a shocked look in his eyes.

"I think. Yes," I whispered. "You always know what's wrong or if I lied."

"So you're confirming that I can see your heart clearly now?" He asked, his smile getting wider. I nodded my head.

"I think you've reached there," I mumbled, watching him rub circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. "There's no almost now."

The 'I love you' this morning came out on its own. The words flowed out on their own. He's catching my lies faster than I could blink.

What more was left?

If Dad saw my heart clearly, then Asher must too. Because these happened when the walls went transparent for Dad.

"So you have the superpower now?" I asked, when I suddenly remembered.

"Maybe." Asher chuckled. "But I will need to practice to use it properly, right?"

"Right," I said, smiling a little myself. I stared out the windshield, waiting for Rose. But a thought suddenly struck me hard and I whipped my head towards Asher.

"Another question?" He asked, his smile appearing again. I nodded my head vigorously.

"Does that mean, we can communicate through heartbeats? Now that your heart has reached mine, we should be able to, right? That means I don't have to convert the heart language into human language anymore." I bounced in my seat excitedly when I came to that conclusion.

He might have to practice to use his superpower of telling what's wrong by just looking at me. But he can't deny this. I know the walls are transparent for him now, so our hearts should be able to have proper communication and his ears should be able to decipher everything. He has the superpower now!

"As I said, I need practice to use the superpower properly." He let out a hearty chuckle.

"I don't think you need practice," I retorted, smiling wide.

"We'll see that now, won't we, sweetheart?" He said, leaning forward to place a loving kiss on my forehead. "Till then, we will continue to talk in human language. Trust me, I'll know once I start understanding what your heart says without you speaking."

I nodded my head, as he continued to shower kisses on my face, setting the warmth in my chest and tummy again.

"My heart already loves your little heart," he said.

'I love my little heart. My big heart was sad because it missed my little heart today but we're okay now because we got enough cuddles and kisses.'

Asher lifted his hand to put on his chest.

"And my big heart says that's the most adorable little heart it's ever seen."

I smiled and looked down at my hand that rested on my heart.

"My little heart says the big heart is pretty and filled with love."

Again the words flowed on their own.

"I can't give you enough hugs and kisses for how adorable you are," Asher cooed, booping my nose.

My fingers skimmed over the spines of the books, my eyes following, reading every title, trying to decide what I should start now.

I stepped away from the shelf and stared at it. I didn't know what I wanted to start.

With my hands on my hips, I stood there, squinting my eyes as I focussed on finding something eye catching.

About three minutes later, I was finally seated in the most secluded place I could find.

There weren't many people around anyways.

I picked up one of the books and read the title. A thriller.

The second one was a little bit heavier and thicker. Better. That means a longer time to indulge myself. It was a Romance.

The third one was more on the cool side. The cover was cool. It was a science fiction.

"This is so difficult," I whispered to myself. My voice was barely audible, even to myself.

My eyes drifted to my phone that laid to a side on the desk. I reached out to open it and text Levi but stopped.

No! No. Start relying on yourself, Aurora Rose! Levi needs time to herself.

Nodding to myself, I sighed. I slumped down in my seat and pouted at the three books.

Can't you read three books at once?

But it's just a small choice. Levi wouldn't mind.

I shook my head.

Baby steps. Start with small choices.

I checked the time. She must be in session at this time. I don't want her to panic, if I call her.

Okay. Let's number the books first. Book one: The Romance. Book two: Thriller. Book three: Science fiction.

I picked up my phone and opened the contact.

'Choose one: 1, 2 or 3.'

My thumb hovered over the phone, before I clenched my eyes shut and sent the message. I sighed as I slowly opened my eyes again to see the sent message.

I put the phone back on the table, regretting this even more.

"Oh no!" Came out a whisper after a while.

I was supposed to decide myself! Why am I such a baby? I'm useless and-

The screen of my phone lit up, causing me to clench my eyes shut and bang my head on the desk noiselessly.

I lifted my head after a few deep breaths and peeked one eye open to look at the screen.

'One.'

Came the reply. That made me pout and giving a sad look to the phone.

I was supposed to choose yet I decided to text Josiah. I opened up the chat to say thanks when I saw he was typing.

'You made the choice yourself, Love. You said choose one.'

A

nd two laughing emojis.

That's what he sent next.

One it is then. I'll start the Romance. Nodding to myself, I sent a thanks with a heart emoji.

Josiah was quick to reply with a 'That's my job but I demand the salary in the form of hugs and cuddles.'

'Thank you hug on its way.'

I texted.

'Will reach by dinner time.'

He completed for me.

I giggled quietly and sent hearts again.

Putting my phone down, I picked up the book placed in the middle and opened it.

Twenty minutes into reading, I was distracted by a cold breeze sweeping through the area I was sitting in. I looked around, still in a daze, because my mind was engrossed in the story completely.

I blinked and my eyes landed on a raven mop of hair, showing from above the shelves just before me. They swiftly moved, so did my gaze with them.

I love how they looked, soft and fluffy. But I was more appalled by the fact that whoever had those soft looking, perfectly taken care of hair, was so tall, I could see their hair peeking from above the shelves.

I barely reached the height of those shelves.

I blinked and my gaze lowered back down onto the page I was reading. I busied myself with reading again.

I was so lost in the book, that I barely suppressed a squeak when the table shook a little. My gaze snapped up, with my hand resting on my heart and a shocked look on my face.

From above my book, I saw the same raven hair. This time attached to a head and a face.

The tall guy that stood on the other side, with one hand on the back of the chair he pulled out, looked at me apologetically.

His brown, almost black eyes clashing with my gray ones. Those looked pretty despite being nothing but a void.

"I'm sorry. I put too much force, I guess." Came the apology, through a deep voice that was forced to sound gentle.

I looked down at the book, watching the busy city and the main character standing by the lamp post, waiting for me to continue his story.

My eyebrows knitted together and a pout appeared on my face, feeling sad that this raven guy snapped me out of my dreamland. It's hard to completely fall into the story.

The main character raised an eyebrow when I did nothing but stare at the page. He was waiting for me to go on with the story, so he could move away from the lamp post and away from the noisy road.

I looked up to look at the tall raven. He raised an eyebrow, the piercing on it shining as it reflected the light falling on it right into my eyes. He tilted his head downward, looking at me closely, maybe thinking about the lack of acknowledgement.

"It's okay." I managed to squeak out softly, before returning to the book. Hence, the movie began again in my mind.

I was lost again into the story when my phone screen lit up again. I pouted and with great difficulty tore my gaze away from the book.

An alarm. It's been an hour since I've been here.

I picked up the phone quickly, not wanting to be late and get told off by Lucian.

Quickly calling Josiah, I waited for him to pick up. After two rings, he picked up.

"Hey, Josiah. I called to tell you that I'm okay and where I'm supposed to be. Please tell Lucian that. Bye. I love you," I said as quick as I could, keeping my volume low.

A chuckle followed my words, but from the other end.

"Is the book that good?" He asked.

I nodded my head violently.

"Yes and Blaze is currently glaring at me because I'm taking too long and his arms hurt because I paused when he was reaching up to get something out of the shelves," I said, quickly sending an apologetic look towards Blaze.

"Alright." He chuckled. "Then I won't make you not read any longer and risk you two getting into a fight. Bye. I love you."

"I love you too," I mumbled, before quickly putting the phone down and returning to the book.

But before meeting Blaze's eyes, my eyes met the tall Raven's. He looked away immediately, with his hand curled into a fist and placed over his mouth. His thumb rested below his chin as he looked away with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

That's when I noticed the small heart on his little finger. A little heart tattoo.

He glanced at me again. I frowned, completely confused. I don't think there was anything funny in that.

"Has anyone ever told you you're adorable?" He asked. Just like that my frown vanished and my eyebrows shot up. "Like a baby is?"

My eyebrows lowered slowly as his words settled in.

"Yeah," I mumbled to myself, knitting my eyebrows together and a confused pout on my face.

Josiah says that all the time. But I don't think it's really true. I can't be compared to a baby.

I looked down to find the body of a teenager. Phew.

"My brother says it," I mumbled. I looked up to find an amused look on his face.

"As someone who has met you for the first time and has no particular reason to complement you, I can confirm he's right." He let out an amused chuckle.

"So you know you have no particular reason to complement me, yet you did," I stated, watching him do a double take. He recovered quickly though and stared at me with a dropped jaw for a while.

This guy is confusing.

"Wow." He chuckled. "That voice must save you a lot of trouble when the words are so sharp and straightforward."

"You ignored what I said." I shrugged, pretending I ignored what he said too.

Letting out another chuckle, he shook his head.

"I just pointed out the truth, dear," he stated.

I shook my head and directed my attention back to the book.

I got lost again and was pulled out when forty minutes later, the screen lit up on my phone.

I picked it up and saw the message was from Asher, saying they were on their way to pick me up and I had to meet them outside in ten.

Plenty of time.

I put the phone down again and rushed to finish this chapter.

When I finally snapped out of dreamland after finishing the chapter, I saw I was three minutes late.

Oh no. I closed the book and stood up. Putting my phone in my pocket, I swung my bag on my shoulder.

Unaware of the stare on me, which I got to know about as soon as I started gathering the stuff.

My eyes locked with tall raven's again.

"I hope to see you again, Miss..." he trailed off.

Picking up the second book, I placed it over the one I was reading.

"Rose." I shook my head, scolding myself for it. How normal is it that while telling someone your name, the first name that slips out is your middle name and the second is your first name. "Aurora."

His supposedly formal and polite expressions morphed into those of amusement. He struggled to keep a straight face and finally a quiet chuckle escaped his throat.

Doing the same with the third book, I waited for him to be done. It's not polite to leave while someone is saying something.

"Aurora or Rose? I like both. You have beautiful names," he said, looking more genuine than Damien did while expressing his love for tattoos.

"Aurora Rose Verlice," I said, finally going with the full name.

"Felix Petrov." He stood for a formal handshake, extending his hand forward.

Sounds like a wizard's name. Cool.

Holding the books on one arm, I extended my hand. My hand slipped into his slowly and vanished when his hand engulfed mine.

"Nice to meet you, Felix," I said, softly. He smiled.

"Nice to meet you too," he said, flashing a big smile, showing off his dimples.

I nodded and pulled my hand away. I'm late!

"I hope to see you again, Aurora," Felix called from behind me, keeping his volume library friendly.

"You too." I stopped to say while stacking the books back where I picked them up from.

I rushed out, holding the strap of my bag tightly in my clenched fists.

Once I reached outside, I took a deep breath. The tinted car was indeed parked there already.

I rushed towards the car. Climbing in quickly, I opened my mouth to apologize for being late but couldn't.

"Hey, Honey. Enjoyed time in the ocean of books?" Asher asked instead, putting me to ease a little.

"Yes." I smiled at him, then leaned to my side to catch Levi's eyes. Once I made eye contact, she smiled making me relax completely.

"Enjoyed time being a worm?" She scoffed. I giggled a little.

"Did you remember to call someone?" Asher asked, turning to look at me again.

Of course. Asher would ask that. He makes sure we're staying out of trouble, which we are.

"Yes. I called Josiah," I said, smiling reassuringly and putting my hand on my heart to tell him that I am indeed telling the truth.

He nodded and smiled back. The small was adoring. The look in his eyes changed to one of adoring as he looked at me and my smile for some time.

"That's good," he said. "We don't want Lucian to scold the babies now, do we?"

He chuckled when he saw the scowl on Levi's face.

"Lucian doesn't need a reason to scold us. He just needs to look at us, then scold us for not making eye contact when he looks like he's gonna murder us in our sleep all the time," she started ranting.

True true. I agree with my twin.

"That reminds me," I said, when it suddenly came to my mind. "Can Lucian ballet?"

Levi burst out laughing at that, while I fought to control my laughter.

"No?" Asher asked, looking at Levi questioningly. He looked back at me again. "Why don't you ask him?"

"Because that's Lucian," Levi deadpanned.

True true again.

We shuddered when Lucian's mad face came into our mind. He'll be mad if we make fun of him like that.

"Okay. I get it. You're terrified." Asher was looking forward but I could see his face in the rearview.

His eyes narrowed threateningly as an angry scowl settled on his face.

Levi gulped while looking at Asher. She looked at me and I understood what she was screaming. We shrugged at each other and she turned back around, avoiding looking at Asher at any cost.

Did we just get Lucian into trouble?