TOUCHED BY A STAR (M/M)

0.05

~ VENUS~

It's half past seven pm.

My fingers lay intertwined on my lap, momentarily undone to be stroked on my thighs from how sweaty they become due to apprehension. Something about the silence feels off. The warmth and anticipation I had seen in their eyes and felt a few hours ago have been substituted with forced emotions. My little smiles here and there do nothing to soothe this eerie silence so I stick to minding my business, playing with the juicy steak, and trying hard to direct all my attention to how the light illuminated by the three chandeliers reflects on the fork between my fingers.

The dining table, though lined up with varieties of delicious foods and the best wines, feels sparse in a way. The foods are just there with one thing missing- warmth.

I notice the way Father unconsciously brushes away Mother's little caresses as if the action was his second skin. Zendaya treats her phone as the center of her attention while an empty place sits in front of her. Carl is focused on treating his fiancée - whom I do not recall her name - to every available dish.

And Daniel…

He has this odd look like he has something uncomfortable shoved right up his behind. As if we're all mere peasants tainting his majestic presence and this is the last place on Earth he'd rather be.

Thinking about it, I'm questioning my decision to think this could have been my haven to restore my broken heart before returning home. Everything about this - this dinner- and obviously my family seems like a pretense. I feel as if my presence isn't welcome.

"What's wrong, Venus? Are you all right?"

"Huh?"

I might have blushed for no apparent reason because no sooner than my sudden blurt and faint chuckles could be heard, driving away the previous uneasiness.

Mom elegantly wipes her painted lips with a napkin before answering, "You looked like you'd wrench any moment from now with how you play with your dish." Her smile never reaches her eyes and she seems displeased.

"Oh ugh…" My words get stuck in my throat from their waiting stares. A breath of relief slips from my lips when Carl interrupts before my anxiousness leads me to prattle.

"Let's cut the guy some slack and you-" His finger addresses me, teasingly, "You have to get used to this. Prying into other's business is the next thing running in this blood, aside from wealth. That's pretty obvious." Carl laughs at the end despite his words holding no sense of humor. And the glint in his eyes when he gazed at me proved me right.

The sudden pinch on my arm excites a yelp from me.

"Such a soft skin" Zendaya chuckles, pinching my nose like I'm a doll on display before serving herself some rice. Taking the seat next to her was not a good idea.

"Maybe if you stick to being feminine like you are supposed to be, you would have such a texture." There's a bite in Mother's voice that expands to her eyes as she sips her wine, eyes later sparkling in complementation to the taste like she didn't just throw a bomb.

A bomb for me, at least.

"Not again Olivia" There's a warning in Father's tone.

"I speak of only the truth -"

"The truth?"

Mother is cut off by Father's deliberate ridicule question.

"Yes." Mother throws back in a similar manner. " Your daughter's life would have been more promising if you had trained her properly... as a lady "

"You keep forgetting she's your daughter too."

"And you keep forgetting you might be the reason she turned out to be…" With her face scowled into disgust, she spits out, "This", gesturing to Zendaya.

"Don't you - "

"Cut it, both of you. At least be considerate of Venus's presence and save the quarrel for later." Daniel silences the place. Carl sends a thumbs up his way and Zendaya snickers at Mother when the latter's eyes land on hers.

I never expected this. Headlines and news are indeed full of trash and rumors about the Vasech. I'm not one to fall for what the media and front lines have to say about affluent families or individuals but I never projected that towards my family. I was wrong.

A home of love and warmth was what I had been expecting to be welcomed at. And what do I get instead?

Everyone looks endearing for a moment but turns cold as if they cannot hold onto the façade anymore.

"So Venus..."

With a mouth filled with steak, I lift my head at the mention of my name.

"Tell us something about yourself"

Mother has her hands clasped together with a calm look.

I dab the corners of my lip with a napkin and pull a strand of loose hair from my face, tucking it behind an ear. Their waiting looks makes me squirm in my seat.

"Ugh, I - I-"

Stop looking at me!

My anxiety threatens to kick in from the attention.

"I own an art industry." It comes out barely above a whisper.

"I see," Mom says with a neutral smile.

My chest tightened in discomfort when I saw the look in her eyes that she barely managed to cover up. The look that tells me I could do better than that.

"What's the name? I've not seen it in the news or anywhere" Mother chuckles, settling her gaze on me as she takes a sip of her wine before returning to her food.

"I bought it last year and I - erm- It's all new. I don’t plan on getting it all over the covers." My answer brings forth a tense atmosphere.

"I keep wondering why nobody knows about you." Mother continues, " That has to change at some point." That's all it takes to make my stomach twist and churn. I swallow the bile in my throat as the meaning of what she said sinks in my head.

I won't be able to stray from the spotlight anymore. My hold on my fork tightens and I avoid their prying gazes.

"He doesn’t need your pressure, Mom." Daniel's words come out gently but his hard eyes tell another tale. " He's the child of the family after all."

"He's a - "

" Vasech, yes." Daniel cuts Mother off, indifferent to her unimpressed look. " And before you say anything to trigger his anxiety attack - which you did not care to notice, be mindful of your next words. "

His voice is softer, smoother, with a pinch of throaty vocals, and filled with a feeling I can't pinpoint. I soak in the silence, perplexed by how Daniel managed to read me.

I've always been hard to read unless I give myself away to be read by others and that happens often.

Mom clears her throat with eyes fixed on me, " I apologize for that, Venus. We'll discuss this at an appropriate time but for now - " Her eyes lit and the corners of her lips stretched upward, " Anyone special in your life at the moment?"

Carl whistles at the change of topic and Zendaya ruffles my hair a bit.

"No." Answered, I stuffed my mouth with rice, ignoring how hot my face felt.

Daniel sends a blank stare my way before diverting his attention to his food.

The uncomfortable atmosphere disappears like it never existed as time flies into the night with conversation after conversation. I got to know more about Carl's shipping business and his wedding with Ciara three months away. Zendaya's three-year relationship with Jupita, a university student majoring in finance. Daniel's work as a prominent model and other jobs he refused to share with me. Mother's Homophobia and authoritative behavior and Father's nonchalant behavior.

Only one person left…

Amid laughter and dinner, a deep vocal interrupts from a distance,

"How thoughtful of everyone to start dinner without me."

The roughness of the voice brings forth goosebumps all over my skin, abruptly. The more the steps get closer, the more I shrink within myself from whom my thoughts just wandered to

"Son"

"Mom."

Instinctively, my eyes follow his every movement. He kisses Mother on the cheeks and then Zendaya. A 'hey' is sent Carl's way before settling beside the seat next to mine.

A musky cologne invades my nostrils and I hold myself from cussing from the familiarity. The sudden change in the atmosphere is evident. And for the worse.

"It's half past eight … again." Stated Mom.

"I was caught up in work."

Hell!

Is this some sort of punishment for a past deed?

How on Earth can he remind me so much of Alex?

His voice …

"An old tale." Carl snickers enticing a little laugh from the new person.

"You're well aware of what tonight means."

" And I'm here. Aren't I, Mom?" He turns to me, sharp hazel eyes settled on me.

"Hey there," His arms go around my seat to wrap around me as he adds, "Fraternal twin."

"Hi." is all I master to say, too engrossed in his handsome face.

Looking at his hazel eyes that sit beneath high arch eyebrows and long eyelashes, full rosy lips complimented with his neatly shaped stubble and chiseled jawline which exposes his prominent pointed nose leaves me dazzled by the charm he carries. My eyes linger on how his thick dark hair is styled to the left and backward before I focus on my food.

He ticks me in the wrong yet right places from the masculinity he exudes by being everything I desire to be.

Someone I know I can never be.

And I loathe that truth.

********

There's a vast difference between our height and … everything else. He isn't trying to be subtle about his thoughts towards me and I blame Mother for insisting he showed me my room. The stairs felt as long as the walk through the hallway of the second floor when my entire being itches to walk faster to cut the journey short. I can't do so for he's just an inch behind me and I'm entirely clueless as to where my room might be.

So I succumb to silence, trying hard to disregard his intense stare.

"Venus"

Must have been the wind.

"Venus"

"Huh?"

When did he move beside me?

"It's discourteous to dismiss others when you're being addressed."

I don't dare to meet his eyes.

"Sorry," I force out, swallowing the bile in my throat and hoping my rapidly beating heart is not heard by the man beside me.

He tsked and moved ahead of me in small steps.

"Mom said you own an Art Industry?"

"I do." My answer is rushed and whispered.

Finding my sneakers as therapeutic, I bump into his hard body and mutter an apology for my carelessness when I realize he had come to a halt in front of what I supposed to be my room.

He unlocks the door with a key, hands it to me and I hurry inside, "Thanks." I proceed to shut the door but a blockage prevents so,

I need to get inside.

I need my pills,

Something I rarely take.

"Venus" His voice is impassive. My door is forced open.

"Do you need s-something else?" I cringe from how shaky my voice sounds and continue to avoid his eyes, thoughtlessly staring at his broad chest.

"Mom says to see Fernando tomorrow."

I nod, hoping he gets my intention and goes away.

Leave me alone!

He stays silent and I do likewise. His body does not give anything away. My skin tingles like being prickled with pins from the need to read him. For that to happen, I have to meet his eyes. Something I'm unable to do without a logical reason.

Am I scared? No

Envious? Kinda

Hate? That's a strong word.

Why then?

You can never be like him. And you admire and despise him for that, you selfish brat. My subconscious snickers, causing a shudder to run down my spine.

That's not true.

He's - He's my brother. My twin.

" Do you need something?" Loose strands of hair shield a good portion of my face just in time to hide the welling tears.

Patiently, I wait for an answer.

He says nothing, turns and takes long strides away. My eyes follow his retreating form till he's out of sight, That familiar ugly pang in my chest makes me loathe myself the more.

My shower felt longer than usual and I took no pleasure in admiring my massive room which I saw no reason for its flamboyancy. The comfy bed and Cherry's warmth were all that mattered to ease my attack. I didn't need to take the pill. The night passed away with Leo's call just as it should have.