Chapter Seven

Nicolae

After I had cleaned my room and Aria's, I sat on the couch while Charmaine sat in the chair. The television in the background was just that, background noise, a faint hum of whatever Charmaine had turned the station too, I closed my eyes relaxing it felt good to just sit and relax, my work was done after Charmaine had done the dishes, it had given me something to mark off of my mental to-do list. Charmaine was an interesting woman. She knew what to say to get someone motivated to continue. Perhaps Aria is the twin of her mother. The two of them know just what to say to get me motivated to continue to work. Charmaine was identical to Aria. Both of them loved to carry on a conversation. Neither of them seemed to have the words silent or boring in their mind vocabulary. Speaking of the woman that sat beside me, a sigh parted from her lips, as I opened my eyes, and looked at her. "Something wrong?"

She looked at me. "No, I'm just bored, I guess. I've never been to a place this quiet. Leonard was right about you; you don't talk much do you?"

"Sorry, was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Nothing in particular." She looked around the room, then at me. "Where do you stand on the violence and world peace debate?"

"I never thought about it much, honestly. I would say I prefer peaceful times, but if I have to fight to get that time for those I love, I wouldn't have a problem doing that." I looked at her. "Once it comes to those I love, I suppose I throw my safety out the window to see that I met their needs."

"You need to worry about yourself, too. You matter as much as they do, Nicolae. Do you think we want to lose you?" I looked at the young woman beside me, her face gentle. The genuine sincerity of her words showed through her soft green eyes. She stood up, walked to the cushion beside me, sat down, and placed a gentle hand on my lap. "Aria doesn't want to lose you, and neither do I. From what I get you are a caring person, overprotective of your feelings, but I kind of get that with that girl Aria talked about, but just because she hurt you, doesn't mean you should turn those of us away who would never hurt you intentionally."

"You think Yuffie stopped me from finding someone? She's too young for me, Charmaine. I have my issues due to witnessing others' pain from letting others in. My barrier has nothing to do with Yuffie. She's more of a pest to me than anything."

"Nicolae, you can't judge everyone's intentions based on a few people who are bad. Not everyone is out to get people and hurt them."

I looked at her. "It has nothing to do with you, Charmaine. You seem genuine in your feelings. You also loved Rufus, someone I can't bring myself to forgive. And if there was something to spark between the two of us, Rufus would become the family that I could never bring myself to welcome into this family. I love Aria, but I can't forgive the man that helped bring her into this world for his crimes towards me in my younger days."

"I understand that, Nicolae. I do wholeheartedly understand, though I don't know what he has done to you, and you can tell me whenever you feel comfortable, but my feelings towards Rufus. I was young, dumb, and I thought I was in love. I regret those feelings now, and I promise you, I would never do anything to you that would make you feel hurt. I would try my best to be the perfect girlfriend. I would never hurt you or make you feel bad. I tried to be all this to Rufus, but I felt that relationship was out the window when Aria came into the world, if you wouldn't want to welcome him into the family, I wouldn't say anything to change your mind, I would respect that choice because honestly, I probably would be feeling the same way as you."

"Seems like you would agree with whatever I had to say." I sighed. "You would have a free will to disagree, you know. I do like a challenge. Not someone who is going to be a cheerleader or robot kind of girlfriend."

"I know, Nicolae. I'm not a robot, you've not said anything that I disagree with. I know how to be sweet and how to be challenging. I just figured you have enough to deal with and would enjoy a break every once in a while, from all the craziness that you have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. You probably live a rough life. Even you and Leonard deserve to be happy, without people trying to bully you, and one of you going past your limits."

She looked at the ground. "How do you know about my struggles with people? Did Leonard also say something about that to you?"

"He didn't have to. I witness it firsthand with him, with the TURKS, as well as with Rufus. And seeing as you two are brothers and twins at that, I just put the pieces to the puzzle together."

I leaned back thinking of the conversation Leonard and I had last night over the phone, the way he seemed irritated by the actions he had heard from Tifa, his struggles at work, and him doing his best to fight the temptations that our father was throwing his way, and it comes a little my way, and I want to run away like a child. I sighed as the feelings of shame hovered through the small living room. Thinking of it now, I felt irritated, my life seemed easy compared to his, hearing his origins and being teased because of something he couldn't control by those he worked for, while the only two people who give me the trouble is a bratty child and a loud sailor mouthed pilot. I sighed. "Something wrong?"

I heard Charmaine say from her unmoved position beside me. I looked at her. "I need to go call Leonard. I'll be back in a little while. You'll be alright down here, right?"

She looked at me. "Yeah, I'll be right here when you get done."

"If you get hungry."

"Don't worry, Nicolae. I'll be fine. You go ahead, do what you need to do."

I nodded my head with a smile, leaving her to go call my brother.