i am not a replacement

Chap9(unexpected guest)

"So... How is it with Vic?" I asked taking a spoonful of ice cream before shoving it in my mouth

"Don't know anymore, mixed signals all over the place"

"How come? You said it was fine the last time we talked"

He rolled his eyes before filling me in "I thought so. But some jerk appeared out of nowhere" 

I held a smile when I noticed his grumpy face "Jealous?"

"Not really" he said and added a deep sigh for a more dramatic effect "He's just... Annoying"

"You mean. Good looking?"

"Ey! Amanda!"

"Just asking!... Is he?"

He thought for a second then grimaced "Yeah" he affirmed before he started poking his ice cream

"Successful? "

"He's... good in his field"

"Rich?"

"Just enough to take care of a family"

"I would totally go for him, so why wouldn't Vic do that?"

He looked at me. Well the appropriate term would be 'killed me with his eyes'

"WHAT?!"

"Ed would love to hear that, DEAR SIS."

"There is nothing going on with me and Edwin"

"Uou can fool yourself but not me. You two got to end up together at the end..What are the odds of meeting your teenage crush and him still being single, along with the fact that he had feelings for you all of these years?... No one is better than Edwin, he's your destiny "

"Josh. Can you, please, refrain from all of THIS talk"

"I know you hate it but you need to embrace it sweetheart, that way you won't have to be awkward and afraid of him. EMBRACE IT!!. EMBRACE YOUR DESTINY!!"

"Whatever.. You're way too dramatic today... Back to the subject, how is your sweetheart VIC acting towards each one of you?"

"Do you really have to ask? She's nice to him and mean to me obviously"

"How? Explain to me, what makes you think that way?"

"Well, for example, there was a time where she gave him water and I was ignored. Even though, I was the one standing in the blazing sun checking the venue" 

"a-"

"You know what?!" he interrupted me before I even managed to get the word out "I can't wait for these two people to get married, her stupid cousin and her fiancé keep celebrating the most ridiculous things I have ever seen!. Bought a house? let's celebrate! work is going smoothly? let's celebrate! her mother came from abroad? let's celebrate! Not constipated anymore? let's celebrate!"

"The last one is not true"

"BUT IT COULD BE ANYTIME SOON!"

I chuckled before I pulled myself together when I looked at his grumpy face "Ok. Sorry."

"Whatever"

"Okay, tell you what I think?"

"mm" well somebody's too grumpy to even answer properly!

Nevermind.

"I think you gave her mixed signals if not..then you gave her none... So she is trying to get a clear one out of you. You still didn't confess, so you two are going back and forth not knowing where to step, afraid of crossing the line, but at the same time, you don't know where that line is drawn"

"I would love to just tell her but..." he threw his hands in the air before they fell back to lay on his shaking knees "What if she doesn't like me?"

I knew how smart my brother is, and knew how stupid and blind love can make people but this level of stupidity and blindness is extreme 

"He probably doesn't like me. What if he likes someone else? or worse what if he can never like me because I am just a friend of his brother, maybe just a little girl?... Has it never crossed your mind that that could be what SHE is thinking"

His pleading eyes were asking me for an answer to his only evident question..."What do I do?"

I  laid my hand on the small round table between the two of us waiting for him to take a hint, and he did, when he placed his big hand onto mine "Josh, listen to me ..." I began with a serious tone, to which he gave me his full attention waiting for me to answer him, hoping for a miracle "You need to buy me new ice cream, this one melted"

"DAMN IT!" he pulled his hand and looked away "I will get you for this!" he pointed at my mocking face with a playful glare before he smiled at me unable to hold it

"You sure will"  I held his accusing finger in my hand and pulled it down to lay his hand on the table before I managed to open it and put my hand in his giving it a little squeeze  to which he understood as a sign of me averting this conversation to serious mode again "Just...talk to her. The same way you did with me, it's not that hard... Give her the right signal, so she can be at ease, and put you at ease"

He held a smile back refusing to let it out for me to see before he spoke, glancing at my melted ice cream "What flavor?.. The same?"

"I was kidding. Let's just go back, it's already late, and I need to cook us dinner"

"I already asked mom to, even though your food tastes better, to be honest, but, I miss mom's cooking. And you, my lady, you have something else to do"

"What thing?"

"Look behind you and you'll know"

I didn't bother to ask what he's got up his sleeve, I just turned around to find out myself... and to my surprise, I found an unexpected guest.. Someone I thought I would never in my life get to see again 

"Dad?" I looked at him, then at the small figure beside him. Not believing who I was seeing, my feet moved on their own record, getting up and getting closer cautiously afraid that the decreasing distance would make him run away

 "Louis?"