How We Are Meant to Be

“I can’t believe how much money he has made in the past three years and the two of you still live in a dump like that,” Aires, the brunette beauty in our family, comments as her massage begins. They came all the way from New York City to take me to a spa. They wanted a Girls’ Day and apparently, this torture is their idea of fun. Don’t get me wrong, I like to be pretty and noticeable, but I don’t have to overpay to look that way. I usually use my “natural” beauty to get me through the week or month.

“And you make more money now too, Sydney. That job with the Slasher’s has really increased your income,” my blonde, oldest sister adds in. Truthfully, the job I have taken to become the photographer for the hockey team has really increased my personal budget. Micah’s has increased as well because he became Captain. But none of that matters, not to us.

But it does to my sisters. They live in New York City where an address can define your lifestyle and friends. Paris never would have gotten anywhere if her address wasn’t in the Upper East Side and Aires lives in Soho, the artist’s haven of NYC.

Personally, I am still young enough that it doesn’t matter where I live as long as I have a good roof over my head and my best friend as my roommate. Since I have both, I see no reason to move from our perfectly good apartment, well, unless we can buy a house. I much prefer a house to an apartment, but until then, I love the place I live. I know all of our neighbors and I can easily ask for a couple eggs or something if I’m in a bind which is super convenient.

I know Paris only knows her next door neighbor because it’s Drew Stevens, and obviously our younger brother Dallas who lives with her as well. Aires knows no one besides her live-in boyfriend, Daniel Stevens. And Micah doesn’t care as long as he has a bed to crash in after a game. Therefore, the apartment is great for us.

“Do not diss my apartment, I pay half of everything. Can you say the same about your place in NYC, Aires? We both know that Paris pays everything herself, but can you say that, A?” I give her grief. I am very proud that I help pay for things instead of letting my professional athlete-best friend pay for everything. It would be so easy to just let him pay, but I can’t. It isn’t fair to either of us.

“No, but I have a great, personal relationship with my roomie. It’s a relationship that is far from whatever you call that platonic thing you and Micah have going on. I don’t even think you two know what a non-platonic relationship is.” She complains in attempt to make us believe in different things than we already do.

“Maybe we are in a relationship you don’t know about,” I mumble under my breath but loud enough that Paris’s super ears pick up on it.

“Are you and Micah in a relationship we should know about, baby sister?” Paris questions and looks at me from her spot on my left. I can also feel Aires eyes boggling at the idea of a non-platonic relationship between Micah and me. I internally groan, silently hating myself.

“No, but something did happen that I have been dreaming of for a while now.” I sigh, knowing that they are going to be relentless now. Why, why did I have to open my big fat mouth?

“What happened?” my eldest sister pushes for an answer with a weird gleam in her eyes. Aires leans in towards me as well to hear the hopefully juicy gossip I am preparing to spill from my mouth.

“He gave me my birthday gift – thank you, Paris – and I cried when I saw Mom and Dad’s pages. He held me close and then we kissed right before the two of you showed up. Great timing, by the way,” I tell them more enthusiastically at the ending. I’m not one to talk about boys with my sisters usually, but it wasn’t just any boy, it was Micah, my best friend, who kissed me.

“Now you are wondering where it is going to go, aren’t you? It’s reasonable to want to know, Syd, but we can’t tell you because everyone is different, even the Stevens’ boys. Drew and Daniel are completely different in their romantic lives. Aires and I have shared stories and nothing really compares between them,” Paris shares and Aires nods in agreement.

“Danny was also adopted at nine years old,” I point out that could be the reason for their romantic differences.

“Oh, but everything else about them is very similar. Even how they have sex,” I cough up a fake hair ball and our massage therapists’ chuckle softly. Apparently I’m too innocent for where this conversation is headed - down the toilet.

“Miss Worth, your massage is complete. They are waiting for you in facials down the hall,” Paris’s massagist says. Aires and I are told the same thing and so we pull on our robes before slipping into the slippers and heading down the hallway.

“How can they be so similar? They are completely different men,” I throw out there as I reveal my innocence on the topic. The girls turn to stare at me and I feel myself blush. Yes, I am a virgin, and yes, I read things, but I still don’t get it.

“It’s how they were taught. Either Mr. Stevens told them all the same things or they watched the same movies,” Aires explains as if it was the simplest subject in the world. Maybe it is to her and Paris, but I really am too innocent for this talk.

We make it to the facials room and take our seats in the same order as before, one of them on either side of me. The facialists introduce themselves to us before they get start. Our conversations end until we have green gunk masks covering our faces and are left alone for them to set.

“So, how do you want this thing with Micah to go, Sydney? Do you want a relationship with him? The two of you are the closest out of all of us; would you want to risk your friendship?” Paris asks in a calm, almost loving voice. I would never say my sisters don’t love me, they do. But sometimes it’s not as prominent.

“I have never wanted anything like I want a relationship with Micah. Is that bad?” I am confident, but worried when I answer Paris’s question.

“No, it will just mean that much more when the two of you do enter a non-platonic relationship. Just be careful. You know how the Stevens’ are integrated into our lives. We wouldn’t want a bad breakup to tear apart our family. We would choose you over him, but we won’t give up the entire Stevens family, do you understand that?” Paris warns. I just nod and let my mind wander to all the possibilities that could lie in my future with Micah at my side. Things like getting married and having a family top the charts at the best things I dream about.