"Are you sure?" Rose asked, from behind me.

I clenched my jaw to hold back the tears, while looking out of the huge sliding doors to the balcony of our room.

"Yes. I'm sure." I shrugged. "Why'd you ask?"

"Because I don't want to leave you alone," she said. I heard her little footsteps moving closer. "I can still stay if you want."

"You're worrying too much, Rosie Posie," I said, letting out a chuckle, despite my pathetic teary self.

She sighed.

"Levi-"

"Dinner!" Josiah sang, knocking on our door while walking by.

Blinking the tears away, I turned around and grabbed her hand quickly.

Pulling her with me to the kitchen while trying not to tear up again was a hard task. This had left me more emotional than I had imagined.

I went to sit at my usual seat beside Asher and Rose took her seat between Josiah and Damien.

"Thanks," I muttered when the food was put before me.

"Josiah and I are going on a little trip. We'll be back by Wednesday," Jayden said, looking at Lucian for approval.

"Leaving tomorrow?" Lucian asked, to which the twins nodded together.

My grip on the fork tightened. It's friday so Rose is going on that camp tomorrow. The twins are going on a trip.

Worst of all, Asher is going on a business trip to Russia.

"Why are you all going somewhere at the same time?" I looked up at Josiah. His gaze flicked to my left for a millisecond, before returning back to me.

"Just felt like going now." He shrugged.

"Hm," I said, stabbing my food rather harshly. "That's good. Aren't you going anywhere, Dex?"

Damien didn't answer, instead Asher spoke.

Asher cleared his throat.

"He's leaving day after tomorrow for-" I cut him off.

"Work," I said, quietly. "I get it."

"Lucian will be here, sweetheart," Asher said, soothingly.

"Okay," I said. I shrugged and started eating again, acting as unbothered as I could.

It was silent. Completely silent except for the clinking of forks on the plates.

'Everyone needs a break from you.'

They just have work.

'All of them at once?'

I slowed down my chewing.

Rose leaving was something I could deal with. She loved these camps and was really happy about it.

But Asher leaving for so long made me shudder. I don't know. Maybe it's separation anxiety. But I was getting a little too anxious about him being away.

And when I thought it'd be okay because the others would be here, to make me not feel Asher's absence, the twins decided to leave for a trip.

I don't know why they're all leaving together.

It'll just be Lucian and I for three days.

I was honestly dreading this. Like really really dreading. I don't want to be here in an almost empty mansion. The feeling of loneliness was creeping inside slowly, clawing at me from the inside.

And none of them had even left yet.

"Bunny?"

"Yes?" I asked, turning my head to face Asher.

"Don't be so gloomy." He smiled, bending down to my level a little. "These days will go by quick. Lucian is taking days off. He'll take good care of you, right Lucian?"

By the end, he turned towards Lucian with a pointed look on his face. Lucian's eyes widened a fraction and he nodded.

"I will. That's the whole-" He was cut off when Asher cleared his throat a little too loudly.

Point. I think he wanted to say that.

A royal fuck up.

"So that's what's happening," I muttered, a scowl prominent on my face.

I looked at everyone and all of them were looking at one another. Rose shook her head, looking at the guys.

Asher struggled to form an answer but came up with nothing.

My hand curled around the glass of water tightly, which shook when I lifted it to my mouth.

Putting it down, I nodded to myself and started stabbing my food and shoving it down my throat again.

This is NOT going to work.

Leaving me and Lucian alone just so we could bond? Great idea, Asher. Real fucking great.

He knows how I feel about staying away from him. He knows what happened on my first day to school.

'You shouldn't have gotten attached.'

Maybe. Then it wouldn't affect me this much. Emotions are so stressful.

Quickly finishing everything on my plate, I stood up. Without another word, I walked out, ignoring all the gazes that were following me.

Slamming the door to my room shut, I strode straight to the wall and put my forehead against it softly. The cool surface did nothing to ease my anger and anxiety.

"I don't care. Let all of them go. I don't care if Lucian goes too. I will not feel alone. I'll just-" I stopped muttering.

What will I do to keep myself busy? Hobbies? Maybe.

I nodded to myself. Time will pass pretty quickly then they will be back-

I groaned.

"I. Dont. Care!" I gritted, punching the wall lightly to emphasize each word.

I moved away from the wall after that and moved towards the balcony. I needed to calm myself down before the bitch decided to make it worse by saying shit.

The fresh air hitting me as I entered the balcony was a big contrast to the warmth of my room.

I stood near the railing and took a deep breath. The inhale went smoothly but the exhale was shaky.

The silence was scary. Being alone was scary. Just the thought of how the next few days would go was scary.

Lucian works his ass off. How will he manage to spend enough time at home? I'll be basically home alone.

I flinched when the almost inaudible sound of the sliding doors opening invaded the silence. I didn't need anyone right now.

I turned my head to the side to glance towards the door, but turned it back to face forward when the familiar warmth entered the balcony and the smell of that cologne invaded my nose.

Asher shut the door softly. His footsteps started approaching and the sound of his footsteps was heard until he was standing right before me. I kept my gaze lowered, staring at my feet. I didn't want to face him now.

Waiting for two seconds and being met with nothing but silence, I turned around swiftly when my vision blurred.

"Don't be like that, Bunny," Asher said. He reached out and grabbed my arm to pull me back. His tone was pleading. So were his expressions as he raised my head by his hand under my chin to make me look at him.

"You and Lucian need this time, whether you admit it or not. I just don't want anyone interfering with the process," he said, softly.

A soft sniffle was heard as a tear escaped my eye, trailing down my cheek. My hands twitched to raise them and put them on my heart but I stayed put, looking pathetic while holding back any more tears that threatened to escape.

Asher put both his hands on the sides of my face and wiped the tear with his thumb. The expressions on his face made me want to curl up and sob like a baby. He was looking at me so pleadingly with visible hints of sadness in his eyes.

A lump formed in my throat as I bit the inside of my cheek, taking deep shaky breaths to calm myself down. But that didn't work as my mind raced with all kinds of things I wanted to say right now.

"Why do you have to go?" I said, finally. My voice came out weak and cracked, turning to a small whine at the end. "I promise I'll glue to Lucian's side, but you can't go for so long."

A muffled sob escaped next as another set of tears flowed down my cheeks.

Asher visibly panicked as he rushed forward to pick me up into his arm.

My arms immediately wrapped around his neck and my hands clenched the back of his shirt in fists. My face buried into his neck as I sniffled again.

I felt him move somewhere. That somewhere was my room, because I heard the sound of the sliding doors being closed a moment later.

"Calm down now, sweetheart," he cooed, rubbing his hand on my head. He sat down and adjusted me so my head now rested sideways on his chest instead.

His other hand held mine and lifted it up to rest on his chest.

I didn't lift my head once to face him and kept crying like there was no tomorrow. I didn't want him to be away for so long. It's scary.

He waited for a moment before he started speaking in a calm quiet voice.

"There really is an urgent work in Russia. It's usually Lucian who goes, but I'm going instead. That is my choice. I just want you and Lucian to spend some days together without anyone interrupting your bonding time," he said in a smooth voice. He pushed my puffy-eyed, red-faced, snotty-nosed self away a little to look at my face.

"It breaks my heart to put you through this," He said, tucking my hair behind my ears and giving me a sad smile. "I know how you're feeling and I'm feeling that panic too. Ever since I told you."

He moved forward to kiss my forehead. I sniffled again.

"Are you?" I asked, in the same 'I'm crying and I'm a baby' voice.

He smiled and placed another kiss on my forehead. Asher kept his hands on the sides of my face and rubbed his thumbs on my cheeks soothingly.

"Yes. Our hearts are connected and I can feel everything you're feeling. That's why I want you to be happy for these days, so your poor old brother's heart is happy too."

I blinked which caused some more tears to fall.

'No matter what keeps us apart, our hearts are connected and they beat together.'

"But it'll be so empty," I mumbled. "And silent."

He shook his head and put my hand on my heart. Smiling softly, he started speaking in his gentle voice.

"Here is the company and the voices you're looking for. My heart beats here. You don't need any other sound, do you, sweetheart?"

I shook my head slowly.

'When all the voices fade away, it will just be the sound of this heartbeat comforting you. And if I'm ever away, my heart will still beat inside you reminding you of my presence that our love created.'

My lower lip trembled as I kept staring at his smiling face. I still don't want him to go.

"There's something big bothering you," he stated, running his fingers through my hair. "Your little heart can't handle that much, so please tell my big heart what exactly is bothering you."

I bit my lip and looked away.

"You'll be going by plane," I mumbled. I was hoping he didn't hear it. It's stupid.

"Yes and?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion.

I opened my mouth and closed it again. Damn his superpower. I want to lie my way out of it so bad now

After a few seconds, his eyes widened as something seemed to click.

"And you're afraid something might happen," he said, catching onto what I was saying.

"I don't think luck is that cruel, sweetheart," he said, softly, making me look up at him. "I don't think I will meet a plane crash. I know I will come back to you, to get my heart if not for anything else and I know you won't simply give me my heart and let me leave."

He moved forward to kiss my nose.

"Destiny is really not that cruel, my adorable little love," he said, in almost a whisper.

Destiny is cruel. It proved it as soon as Dad met that plane crash. If it weren't cruel, it wouldn't keep ripping me of happiness.

I looked away, feeling another tear roll down my cheek. Asher clicked his tongue and wiped it away.

"Okay. No more tears," he said. "If Rose doesn't mind, I'd like to take my little Bunny to my room so I could have enough cuddles to last me for four days."

"She won't," I said, softly.

He smiled and stood up, walking to the bathroom with me in his arms. Placing me on the counter gently, he bent down to grab a washcloth from the drawer under the sink.

I watched as he ran the washcloth under warm water, then tested if it felt warm enough on his skin, then ran it under water again.

Moving to stand between my knees, he cleaned my face with it gently, all the while smiling like he usually does.

Like his whole world revolved around me.

I tilted my head to the side, making him stop his movements for a while, then continue after a second.

"Why do you believe destiny is not that cruel?" I asked. Probably he sensed I would ask something, because his grin widened. He shook his head. "After all it did?"

"That's exactly where the answer starts. After all it did, all the times you suffered, all the time you felt lonely, all the time you took to change yourself, Destiny compensated for it. It's returning the happiness it owes you."

"How so?" I asked.

"Lucas was drunk when he met Jayden on a street during the day. He got into an argument and tried hurting Jayden, nearly shooting him and ran away. It was a matter of minutes. If destiny didn't make those few minutes happen, Jayden wouldn't have found you in that house when he went there seeking revenge."

"That day changed everything. It keeps getting better and better after that," he said, to which I nodded when he waited for my response.

"Destiny is not cruel, especially to those who have good hearts. You have a good heart and I'm sure there are good things coming your way," he said, placing a kiss on my head.

He tapped the spot where he placed the kiss.

"This is a part of those good things."

'Good things don't last long.'

I blinked and my smile dropped. Asher's smile faltered as he noticed my change in expressions.

Here comes scary Asher with an order.

But none came, surprisingly. He didn't ask what the voice said. Could it be he didn't notice? That's not possible.

When he didn't say anything, I asked,

"Do you ever run out of love?"

"Are you reciprocating my love back to me?" He asked. Answering with a question.

"Of course, I am," I said, quickly.

He smiled.

"When we give out our love to the other loving person who reciprocates it, it comes back multiplied. That's how the cycle goes and the love keeps on increasing. So you can never run out of love as long as you're reciprocating it."

I can never wrap my head around the fact that him and Dad have so much power. I don't know how they come up with such fairytale theories that actually make sense.

"Why'd you ask?" He asked, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Good things don't last long," I said.

"That's what it said," Asher concluded, shocking me again at how he knew so well. "See? That wasn't so hard. You just have to say it like that as soon as you hear it, so we can talk through it."

"I thought you didn't notice," I mumbled, looking down into my lap. Asher grabbed the towel and started patting my face dry with it.

"I did. I just took a page out of any parent's book and let you be. The more you urge a child to do it, the more they refuse. Same with you. The more we ask you, the more you cover up," he said. "Now you know, communicating is not that hard."

Embarrassing how 'not asking' worked.

Putting the towel away, he pouted.

"Aww. Cleaned all the kisses off your face," he said, before leaning forward to kiss me all over the face again.

With a mixture of chuckles and giggles echoing in the bathroom, he picked me up again and started moving towards his room.

"I still don't want you to go," I mumbled when he kicked the door to his room shut.

"But I have to. This is a great chance for you two to bond and I'm not going to lose it." He nudged me a little to make me pull away. "Trust me on this too, Bunny. You've put your trust in me for various things. I want you to do the same now. Do it for me please."

He stroked my hair and sighed.

"I don't want to be away for so long either. But you need this. I want to see the change when I come back from this trip."

He raised an eyebrow at the end, awaiting my response. I nodded slowly, looking at the various emotions in his eyes.

"I'll try my best," I mumbled. A smile spread across his face and he tilted his head to the side.

"You're adorable!" He cooed. I matched his movements and tilted my head to the side too. How is that adorable?

He put me down gently and walked towards his desk, picking up stuff and putting it away. I sat on the bed, waiting for him to tuck me in.

"We forgot Bunny Junior," Asher said, suddenly. My eyes widened.

"Oh yes!" I gasped, jumping up quickly. But I stopped as soon as I started walking and turned to Asher with a sheepish smile. "He's actually missing."

"Again." Asher stated, raising an eyebrow. I nodded.

"I didn't put him in timeout, I swear!" I rushed out when he crossed his arms and a little bit of disapproval started showing on his face.

"We were just watching TV yesterday, after bedtime and Lucian entered and was like, 'Bed now!' and while rushing to our room, I forgot Bunny Junior there. I haven't seen him since," I said. My hand lifted to rub the back of my neck as I watched Asher's expressions go from clear disapproval to amused when I mimicked Lucian while saying the order.

"So you and your twin decided to break the bedtime rule yesterday," he said, putting his hands on his thighs and bending down to my level. "Intentionally."

I nodded and looked down quickly.

"But Lucian already scolded us for it. You don't have to," I muttered, when I felt scary Asher about to make his appearance known.

"Lucian did?" He asked. I looked up again. This is my chance to snitch.

"Yes and he was so mean. I politely asked for five more minutes and he said, 'You have two options and ten seconds to choose, bed or the step? Because I'm willing to stay up to deal with two rulebreakers.' in a really scary voice." I made my voice heavy and scary and made a show of shuddering. "So scary."

"Good," Asher said, booping my nose. "Kids need enough sleep. You shouldn't be messing with the bedtime rule."

"I'm sorry," I said, looking away from his eyes.

Asher changed the topic thankfully.

"It's still twenty minutes till bedtime. Do you want me to read a bedtime story?" He said the question in an exaggerated baby voice.

"Can we just talk?" I muttered, scowling at him.

"Alrighty, little Bunny," he cheered, standing back up. He pulled the covers and lifted them up, motioning for me to get in.

"What do you want to talk about?" He said, watching me get under the covers. His hand brushed my hair back, away from my face gently as he tucked me in.

"How does your heart beat somewhere that is not your body?"

Asher chuckled and climbed in on the other side. Propping himself up using his elbow, he grinned at me.

"Why don't you take a guess?" He said.

I thought for a moment before I slowly started speaking, piecing it together.

"A heart creates the way to the other heart as the bond grows." Asher kept nodding slowly as I started. The smile resting on his face did not waver once. "When the walls go transparent, the hearts befriend each other and-" I was cut off.

"Are together. My big heart is there to comfort your little heart and to give it enough love to deal with all the problems."

"No matter what keeps us apart, our hearts are connected and they beat together." I said. My eyes widened when it all clicked. "They use that path to visit each other!"

A chuckle rang through the room as Asher moved closer to wrap his arms around me. He placed a kiss on my temple and chuckled again.

"That's a really nice way to put it and I love you more for it," he said. "That's why my heart is beating there. Our hearts beat together."

He grabbed my hand and placed it on my heart.

"Since you're reciprocating the love, it's increasing. Our hearts beat here." He pulled my hand away from my heart and put it on his. "And here. That's how it's connected."