WIDOW IN MY BED

Who knows what happened in Lily’s room after coming home from the police station?

The girl sat on the room’s balcony wearing a light blue sweater-last year’s Christmas gift from Alex-covered her tiny feet in a blanket, daydreaming and quietly crying noiselessly.

Every name Alexander Kendrick Wallace appears, and she can only answer with prayers to make the universe happy for her younger brother. Alex was a teenager with a long life ahead of him. He would achieve many things and meet many new people. He would meet his true soul mate and love, and it wasn’t her.

Lily went to church diligently to pray, but tonight, she prayed earnestly. Lord, if the feelings in her heart are forbidden, then please give one hope to the desperate remnants that will never come true.

Who knew that there were tears that fell to the touch behind her cheerful demeanour, role as a sister, and prayer?

And who knows that when she says ‘Amen,’ there is a sound restrained from her?

Lily cries, and this child of God falls in love with a man she calls ‘Brother’.

It fell inside.

Same pain. I’m just as desperate.

Incredibly, this fall in love had to end because of a wall that stretched high, named ‘family’.

We’re family, Alex… Brother and sister.

That fact can never be changed.

To every feeling, Lily cultivates fondness for Alexander, the man who is always by her side, always hugging her, and always she can count on. For all Alexander’s flaws and millions of advantages, Lily is just as much in love with him.

But she can’t.

Lily can’t fight. Lily can’t say it and won’t let Alex know either.

“Alex, your feelings are reciprocated-just as big as you told me. But I don’t dare Alex. I’m scared. I need to know myself. I know the rules and punishments. I don’t want to be hated by Daddy and Mommy, who’s been so good at giving me home and love. I can’t afford Alex. Sorry… I’m sorry.”

Lily Alieena Wallace surrendered, letting her feelings be buried in silence. Let her, the night, and God knows.

….

Lily’s been swimming in her house’s pool end to end, and now she’s running out of steam. The building, which has eight floors, is more suitable to be called a building than a house. There are cinemas, salons, gyms, restaurants, bowling areas, shooting areas, golf courses, and others inside.

After a while, the girl rose above the surface and walked up to Alex, who watched from the poolside bench.

“Are you tired yet?” Alex handed Lily a light blue towel.

“Yeah. Are you done packing? Have you prepared passports, visas and documents?” Lily asked, drying her wet hair.

“yeah,” Alex replied.

“Living abroad must be self-aware. Must be independent. Remember Mommy’s message yesterday: don’t cross the line, don’t use drugs, don’t impregnate a girl; a lot at the department store have a condom-because I feel sorry for the girl who’s going to die floating down the Thames. All right?”

“Okay, you think I’m the bad guy.” Lily rolled her eyes, almost cursing her brother, so frustrated she was. Doesn’t he realize how bad he’s doing?

“Ha? You don’t believe me? Who blinds his opponent in a fight? Remember you even got your gang’s enemies into the ICU just for snatching the parking lot? Oh, and who set fire to my ex-boyfriend’s apartment? You are the worst, Alexander!” Alex grinned as if he were proud. What he heard was true. There’s no denying it.

“Oh, my God, yes, yes, I will. There’s no Daddy there to settle my mischief.”

“Good,” Lily said slowly. “Anyway, why go all the way to Oxford?”

“Because Oxford is one of the best colleges in the world.”

Lily sighs, “Ck. You’re lying.”

Alex squeaks and changes his tone while tidying up Lily’s baby hair, which bothers his eyes. “Don’t provoke me. You know the reason better than anyone.

The girl lost her words to get even so much Alex’s aura of domination around Lily, especially with that boy growing up.

“Sorry…”

“I’m also sorry, you must be uncomfortable after I mislead my feelings. We’ve been awkward for two months, remember?” Alex smiles a little.

“I-I was busy in college, and I had a lot of college assignments. Don’t act smart!” she snapped fast.

Alex just chuckled. “Yes, yes, I’m a smartass. Tomorrow my plane is at 10 a. m., don’t forget.”

“I’ve promised to take you to the airport and Daddy and Mommy, who want to go on a honeymoon in Japan. It’s a quiet home.” Alex patted Lily on the head twice, and he knew this sweet sister didn’t like being alone, let alone lonely. Even though there were workers everywhere at home, it felt different if it was not his family.

“Night drive with me. Let’s go, sis?”

“Ha? When?” Lily looked at him with an innocent look.

“Now. It’s my last day in Australia.” Alex reaches out her right hand to hold Lily’s hand. They’re walking towards the elevator to get ready.

Elevator’s closed.

“I was still in shock last month, and you said you wanted to go to Prince William’s country. I thought, Is this my brother who’s always making a fuss about leaving Australia?”

Alex smiles thinly. “People come and go. If we talk about destiny, it’s not necessarily what we love that we can have-” Look at the other side seriously, and Lily deliberately avoids it.

“-even what is destined for us will one day leave us. The critical thing to remember is that it’s a memory of togetherness. And also the happiness that ever lived through it together, all the happiness that lingers even after those people left. After all, despite the contest as brother and sister, we were meant to be together. Try to be a couple; if we break up, we’ll lose contact and hate each other. Hating My biggest fear was that I hated what else was left behind by Lily Alieene Wallace.” Lily was silent. It’s quiet.

Alex sighed, never expecting that the topic of their conversation in the elevator would get heavy so soon.

“That’s not going to happen. Even if we’re going to share each other’s lives with someone else, I swear, you’re always my priority, Lily.”

…

Lily and Alex are now going on a nice long trip.

One Fine Night, Alex said.

Before tomorrow morning, she has to leave for the airport to deliver her brother. At first, Lily wanted to refuse because she thought Alex would be too tired later, but Alex insisted.

That’s it. They set off in that blue Bugatti’s boy at nine o’clock in the evening to Little Manly Beach. Alex does like things that are pretty against the laws of nature. He should have been sleeping in bed, but he chose to drive a car and enjoy Sydney’s streets with the dark sky as it is now. Lily, who used to stay up late because of her college assignment, was fine. She sat quietly next door, hugging her Mike Wazowski plusie.

“You want a McD, Lily?” asked Alex. Lily nodded enthusiastically, and the boy immediately turned towards the fast-food restaurant. He mentioned the order over the microphone and waited a while.

“Here, Happy Meal.” Alex placed an order on Lily’s lap while laughing.

“College girl, the greatest pretender and a lot of college assignments. But when it gets to McD, it’s still a Happy Meal.” Lily grumbled, opening the Happy Meal box and taking the big burger.

“It’s up to people’s tastes, right.”

“Yes.” Alex smiled, reaching out to scrape Lily’s hair.

The girl then opened a cup of ice cream and was about to eat it with French fries. “Umhhh… It’s so good, it’s a combination of heaven! Thank you so much, Alex.”

Alex just nodded and started driving back. The brother and sister then conversed on various topics, trying to make time while driving. A few songs from Justin accompanied tonight’s night drive, and they sang together.

“I’ve always wondered about you. Is it okay to dip fries into ice cream?”

Lily’s nodding her spirits.

“You’d be less edgy if you never tried to eat French fries dipped in ice cream.” She snuck another one and deliberately extended it to Alex.

“Here, try it.” Alex frowned disgustedly but then opened his mouth and received a bribe from Lily for those ice cream-clad fries.

“Isn’t it good, Lex?” Alex clenched his approval.

“It’s good, it’s good.” Lily nodded, returned to feed Alex and was received with pleasure.

Almost an hour’s drive, they finally got to where they were headed.

Little Manly Beach.

Alex parked his Bugatti by the beach when Lily ran along the shoreline. She jumps around like a rabbit, and her sneakers are taken off and carried away. Her innocent feet dance around to feel the grains of sand that enter between her tiny toes, just like a child. Remember to take a phone to take a selfie. That’s ridiculous, Alex thinks.

While Alex is looking for a comfortable place to sit on the dry sand, keeping an eye on Lily, he intentionally moves away by playing a lighter, smoking cigarettes, and staring at the sky. No one knows what the boy is thinking. He stares straight at the girl in the red hoodie.

A few moments passed until the beauty shouted, “ALEX SEE THE CRABB! That’s cute!”

“Where?!” Alex shouted back.

Lily immediately runs towards the boy whose black shirt buttons are intentionally unzipped, exhaling relaxed cigarette smoke-while carrying the crab fearlessly.

“Look,” Lily asks Alex to watch the little animal walking sideways. A second later, she laughs when she sees nothing funny but a crab back in the sea getting carried away by a crack.

“Yes, cute.” Alex laughed for whatever reason, just because the packed girl, who was none other than his sister, was happy.

Suddenly, Alex’s thoughts about the future disappear when he sees Lily’s smiling face staring at the stars-making the night look amazing.

Now that he knows why Lily Alieene’s name is appropriate for this beautiful figure, Alex gets curious: What’s God’s secret recipe for putting a girl next to him?

Alex forgot all his problems and the burden he had to bear, sucked into the beauty he always got every look at his stepsister.

“I heard Raphael’s going to England too. Did you two promise to go there?” Ask Lily to suspect that her brother and cousin had a secret plan.

“He’s the only one who’s following me. Our college is different, after all. He’s at Cambridge; I’m at Oxford,” Alex said, unconcerned.

“I didn’t want to go to college at first, but there are many prestigious campuses in Australia. But, you know, the older man wants me off the gang for a while and to focus on education. Daddy’s constantly pushing to be the perfect leader, not to have any weaknesses. And I’ve concluded that when we spoke yesterday, the older man was determined to relinquish his post immediately.” Lily sometimes thinks Alex’s burden is heavy enough for a child his age. Still, she can’t do anything and only encourages her brother to pat his back gently, like right now.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“But you enjoy, don’t you?” Alex nodded at Lily’s question.

“Well done, then. Everything’s going to be okay. You’re quite enjoying the process right now, and the world will be under your feet. Besides, Daddy gave you a lot of lessons and practice before you changed your position. So, while you’re away from home, sometimes you can be a free wild bird. But don’t use alcohol, especially drugs, as a habit, you know, liver–,”

— I’ve got you waiting here. Stupid. Lily almost said that. But the sentence was closed to avoid a misunderstanding, “And remember to have a family waiting for you to return to Australia, Alex.

“I’m not that stupid, Lily,” Alex said, turning off his cigarette in the white sand.

Lily laughed while hugging her brother’s shoulder. “Pingky promise first?” Lily’s words made Alex out of it.

“When you return later, be the cool guy leading Daddy’s business. I’m going to be a cool vet, too, and I’m going to save a lot of sick, endangered animals. Promise, huh, Alexander?”

“Promise.” Then the young man hooked their pinkie.

Suddenly, Lily gets up and tells Alex to squat before her. “I want to go up,” the girl says. She immediately climbs onto Alex’s broad back, hugging his neck.

“Bend me a piggyback. Today, let’s forget everything that bothers us when we grow up. If we go back to 5 years old, I want to spoil you one fine night. At least tonight should be the best goodbye!” Alex is a little surprised by his sister’s words and actions. Upon realizing it, Lily Alieena’s white and clean cheeks suddenly flush to the neck. In a frantic heartbeat, she curses what she is doing.

But Alex hugged the thigh with a single snap, holding Lily in his arms. “Right now, you are the captain, Miss Wallace.” Alex saluted with two fingers.

But one thing Lily knew: Alex’s warm back and the smell of perfume mixed with the young man’s sweat felt very comfortable.

Alex and Lily, running with laughter along the white sand, seem to forget they are very close. They hug tightly but feel claustrophobic, and perhaps they feel the same but are reluctant to admit the truth.

“The plane! Captain Lily’s hungry. Want some more, so let’s go get some seafood!”

“On board, captain!”

Alex’s only hope is one. If there’s another universe, let’s meet again by then, Lily. Let’s meet again, not as brother and sister, but as someone who falls in love is allowed.

…