CHAPTER 4

Celeste plonked herself down on the couch next to me with a large bowl of popcorn. She tucked herself into the blanket that I had already nestled into, waiting for her to gather the snacks while I searched for a movie to watch.

Her long dark brown hair flowed over her shoulder. If I looked similar to mum, my younger sister was basically her twin. We were both around the same height, with her being slightly taller, but she had the same brown doe eyes, golden skin and petite features as mum. We both had her full lips and long thick hair but Celeste's was a lighter shade and naturally curlier than mine, making her identical to mum when she was that age.

My sister was only two years younger than me and we were always quite close. But she'd been going through those independent young adult years and was living her life right now in her first few years of college. She was a driven young thing, studying business with a major in economics. If she didn't have her nose in her books studying these days, she was hanging out with her friends.

I, on the other hand, didn't have the same sense of direction or purpose as she did. I was an artistic soul and knew I wanted to do something creative so I studied an art degree with a major in photography. Since then, I'd been working casually in a coffee shop and taking up photography gigs whenever I could, but most of my time was spent in the pack house.

In typical sister style, it took us about forty minutes of talking before we even picked a movie. Finishing all the popcorn and refilling it before we even began. We spoke about her classes and friends, the cute boys and her new job at one of the only bars in town. I was grateful that she didn't live in the dorms at college and instead commuted from our home, so I at least ran into her at breakfast or dinner.

Celeste stared at me with her big brown eyes. "So, you seem quiet. How is everything with Mr Perfect?" She was quite perceptive when she gave us the time of day, and always pretty straight to the point. Unlike me, who was usually more reserved and withdrawn, often too caught up in my own head and too scared to speak out.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Yep." She smiled at me. "Spill."

I put my empty glass of coco down on the coffee table and turned to her. "I just feel like sometimes River doesn't confide in me about things that trouble him. And I just want to help, you know? I want to be there for him but I can't if he doesn't tell me what's wrong." I couldn't tell her the specifics of what was going on so it was always difficult trying to have these conversations with her. But at the same time so nice having a sister to lean on.

Celeste looked at me with an expression that showed she was deep in thought, analysing the situation and going through every possible solution. "And do you think what he's hiding has something to do with you? Will it affect you?" she finally said.

"No, I really don't think it has anything to do with me, or our relationship. He's not treating me any differently and is still his amazing self. It's something that he's always done, kept quiet about things he was dealing with, at least to some degree. It just never seemed like anything this big before."

She took a long sip of her hot chocolate before setting it down next to mine. Her face serious, ready to dive into it all with me. "Do you think he hides things from you because he doesn't want you to worry? He has known you forever and knows just as well as I do how you get." She raised her brow in question.

"Shut up!" I laughed as I threw the nearest couch cushion at her.

The pillow flew right into her face and then tumbled to the floor. She gave me a death stare and I knew she'd get me back for that one later.

I sighed. "Yes, I think that's exactly why he isn't telling me. He thinks he's doing me a favour. He doesn't want to worry me. He's literally told me that. But whatever it is, I can handle it." I looked to the ground before I continued, my voice just above a whisper. "It makes me feel small. Insignificant. Like he thinks I'm not strong enough or something." My eyes slowly trailed up until I met her sympathetic gaze.

"Did you tell him that's how you feel?" She asked.

"I told him that he can talk to me about anything and reminded him that we've always told each other everything since we were kids."

She contemplated me. "Maybe he hasn't always told you everything."

I hoped she was wrong. I obviously had information that she didn't, so I hoped that was all this was, and not that she was seeing something I wasn't.

After a few quiet moments, Celeste spoke up again. "Look Vee, I'm no pro when it comes to relationships. But I know you and I know you don't always say what you're feeling. You try to help everyone around you and put yourself second. You feel guilty to share your own emotions. River has always been great and I've always liked him. I may be wrong, and maybe there's a great reason why he's not confiding in you right now. Maybe he'll open up when the time is right or maybe he won't. I really hope it's nothing bad and I'll kill him if he hurts you. But what I do know is that you need to speak up. You're an amazing, caring person who will always be there for everyone you love and you're more than capable of handling anything that is thrown at you. You've always been open with him before, but right now you're also hiding this from him. He doesn't have to tell you what's going on right now, but eventually I think you do deserve to know. And he deserves to know how you're feeling." She let out a deep breath at the end, like she tried to get that all out in one go.

I nodded, leaning in to give her a hug. She held me tight, rubbing my back. Then she stopped and before I knew it I was hit across the back of my head with a soft thud, the shock jerking me forward onto her.

We burst into giggles. I knew she would never miss an opportunity to get back at me. No matter how wise she may sometimes seem, she was always my little sister, and she was a fiery little thing.

When we could no longer breathe and our abs were sore from laughter, Celeste pushed me off her, grabbing the remote. "Okay, let's get this movie started!" She pressed play as I made myself comfortable on her lap, picking up the cushion from the floor and laying it under my head.

I was grateful for the few rare moments like this we got to share every now and again.

???

Before I went to sleep that night my phone lit up with a goodnight message from River:

Goodnight my angel, I miss you. The bed feels empty. I hope you had a fun night with Celeste but I can't wait to have you back tomorrow. I love you.

I went to bed with a smile on my face, reminded of the thoughtful and caring nature of the guy I was with. Reminded that he loved me and was always thinking about me. Reminded that I was lucky. And my fears and doubts momentarily faded away like shooting stars in the night sky.