Promised To The Alpha Twins
Chapter 45

Somehow, I had managed to get through the week.

Not only was I baking things on my own, but Sara let me experiment with some recipes and create new desserts. I experimented with puff pastry, powdered sugar, and fresh fruit. Some things turned out better than others, but Sara had a gift for selling.

John supported me, as always, with his sarcastic comment, but the moment he tried the chocolate croissants I prepared, he was fascinated. While Sara knew my real name throughout that week, she never pressured me to tell her more.

John took my abrupt name change with little more than a shrug, flashing his crooked smile as he told me he liked the name Sussan more than Melany. While at first, I listened to the two of them joking and arguing, now I joined them. Every night I left the store, it smelled like toasted cinnamon and freshly baked puff pastry. I couldn’t imagine a better smell, well, I could name one, but I refused to think about my life before this small town.”

Countless nights I had dreamed of the twins, both of them searching for me impatiently. Every morning, I woke up with a new pain in my chest. True to their promise, I hadn’t heard anything from Gea since the day I left. Not that I ever admitted that, but I was starting to miss the annoying voice in my head. It felt like an extension of myself.

Some days, when I felt particularly down, I tried to reach out to her. I would let my fingers grope in the dark corners of my mind, searching for any trace of Gea. It felt like she was beyond my reach, avoiding my outstretched hand as I searched for her.”

On my last day at the motel, Sara had managed to replace me a small house to rent. She knew the owner, a burly guy named Ned. The house was practically falling apart, but I couldn’t argue with him about the rent price. Three hundred dollars a month for a house on its last legs, with withered boards, cobwebs in every corner, and a kitchen big enough for one person. The house had minimal furniture, a bed, and a couch older than my grandmother, but it was mine to do as I pleased. Even with the terrible condition of the house, I loved being able to come and go as I pleased, without fear. I didn’t have to worry about drunken stepfathers or crazy ex-girlfriends.

The bakery was open from Monday to Friday, as Sara and John were in college. Sara had just turned nineteen, while John had turned twenty-one a couple of months ago. Their parents had many stores in town and gave Sara her own bakery as a birthday gift. While their parents were often busy, they treated John and Sara with kindness. I didn’t know them, but Sara had told me enough.

“s**t, Sussan, I need a big favor,” Sara said one day, throwing the cannoli filling bag onto the prep table. Her phone was pressed against her ear, her white apron was covered with a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.

“What’s going on?” I shouted, pulling a tray of mini cherry pastries out of the oven and placing them on a table to cool.

“I just received a last-minute order for the nursing home,” Sara smiled, taking off her apron and throwing it onto an empty prep table. “I won’t be back to close. If you need help, John can tell you what to do.”

It wasn’t unusual for the nursing home manager to place last-minute orders, ones that Sara and I had to work hard to complete.

“I don’t mind,” I shrugged, giving her a genuine smile.

“Just don’t turn off the freezer,” Sara sighed, dusting off the flour from her dark jeans. “The last time John closed, we had to come at 2 a.m. to replace all the melted pastries.”

“It happened once, Sara!” John shouted from the cash register. “Once!”

“Yes, and I learned my lesson,” Sara replied, then muttered to herself, “I can’t trust him with anything important.”

“Don’t worry,” I chuckled, grabbing the piping bag from the table to continue filling the cannoli shells. “Everything will be fine.”

“Okay,” Sara sighed, giving me a reassuring smile.

I continued where Sara left off, stacking an assortment of pastries into a large box.

“Take Sussan home tonight, John!” Sara shouted as the door jingled shut.

John and I spent the next hour dealing with the dwindling crowd. As soon as the sun began to set, the people walking the streets thinned out. After placing many trays of pies, cookies, and cupcakes in the refrigerator, I tossed my apron onto an empty prep table. While John counted the cash register, I cleaned the tables and booths.

Just ten minutes before John and I were about to leave, a girl walked through the door. John had changed the sign from open to closed long ago, but he seemed to recognize the girl. With long chocolate-colored hair and honey highlights, she appeared to be his age and Sara’s. The smile on her face was light and contagious, and her hazel eyes were surrounded by intense green.

“John!” The girl smiled widely when she caught John’s gaze. “Did you already forget about me?”

“Actually, I did,” John chuckled. “Let me finish counting the register. Anna, this is Sussan, Sara’s new pastry chef.”

I rolled my eyes at John and gave Anna a small smile. Once John finished counting the register, he put on his jacket and approached Anna and me.

“You forgot about our date, didn’t you?” Anna raised an eyebrow at John but didn’t seem surprised by his forgetfulness.

“It slipped my mind, yeah,” John sheepishly smiled, making Anna laugh. “I just have to take Sussan home first.”

“Our movie starts in ten minutes,” Anna frowned.

“Don’t worry about it,” I shook my head and gave both of them a reassuring smile. “It’s a ten-minute walk at best, nothing I haven’t done before.”

“Are you sure?” John furrowed his brow.

“I’m sure. You don’t have to worry,” I smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Don’t tell Sara,” John shouted, a pleading smile on his face. “She’ll kill me if she replaces out I let you walk alone.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” I smiled. “Just don’t forget to lock the door.”

“You’re as bad as she is!”

I left the bakery with a smile on my face, wondering how Sara managed to be younger but more mature than John. I had always found John attractive, with his sun-kissed hair and dimples that appeared whenever he smiled. There were many customers who caught my attention, but none seemed to evoke a response within me. My hands no longer sweat, and my stomach no longer burst with butterflies. The street was almost deserted as I passed by the darkened shops. A few stragglers remained on the streets, likely walking back to one of the motels at the end of the block. This town seemed like a tourist attraction during the day but lacked nightlife. The air was cool and heavy with humidity, causing small beads of sweat to form at the back of my neck.

I walked past the darkened shops; the bright colors faded into the darkness. I hadn’t noticed the heavy footsteps behind me until I turned the corner and took a few more steps. Without fully turning around, I tilted my head and glanced out of the corner of my eye. Two figures, too large to be women, walked behind me. I told myself not to worry, that there were still a few stragglers walking along the path, and they could be heading anywhere.

There were a couple of motels and gas stations next to the small shack I lived in; they could be heading there. My stomach dropped when another dark figure turned the corner further ahead, walking in my direction. Normally, this wouldn’t have fazed me, but all three were dressed exactly the same. Each one wore dark jeans and thick boots. A dark hoodie covered their torsos, the hood pulled up around their heads. They walked with determination, unlike the tourists who wandered from shop to shop.

Not only were they dressed alike, but their scents were almost identical. Masculine musk combined with something… different.

“s**t, Sussan, run!” Gea’s voice echoed in my head for the first time since my escape.