Beautiful Hearts

11

Emaline

I went home and fortunately did not meet anyone on the way to my room. I took my things and quickly went outside and got in Dec's car. I felt guilty in front of Aunt Sophie, even though I had done nothing wrong. I was mad at Lana because she had a problem seeing Declan because of her lie, not because she really liked him. Right?

I looked at him and saw that he was frowning. I could rarely see that look on his face.

"Dec, what is it?"

"Nothing." He glanced at me and I saw the curiosity in his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you're Lana's cousin? I mean, I know both of you. Why didn't you or she tell me anything?"

I looked ahead and sighed. Here's the thing at the end. I felt sad but I had to make this clear at least for Austin.

"Well, I'm going to explain but after the lesson, ok?" He looked at me confused but nodded. This time Austin seemed calmer. Maybe seeing me at his home helped him see me differently. Declan kept looking at me thoughtfully, but I completely ignored him. All my attention was on Austin.

When we finished I saw a change in Austin for the first time. There was indeed progress, not big but it was still there. Declan and I agreed to wait for him to bring Austin home and then to return to talk. I went to the cafe opposite the center and waited for him there. When he came, I started nervously.

"I know you like her."

He raised his brows.

"Am I that obvious?"

My heart sank. For some reason, I still hoped he would laugh at me and say that's not true.

"You are. You see, I and Lana don't get along well. Don't ask me the reason for that. I don't know. From the very first meeting till now her opinion hasn't changed."

He looked at me like I was crazy.

"Are you kidding me? How can she not like you..."

"You're very sweet. But I really don't know. You'll have to ask her."

"But why didn't you tell me about you two?" "Because I knew you wouldn't like this."

He looked at me confused again.

"Dec, I know what'll happen. You and Lana will eventually get together. She will set you against me, and as a loyal boyfriend you will stand by her side and our friendship will be over."

He kept looking at me seriously for a few more seconds and then started laughing.

When he finally calmed down, he put his hand over mine.

"That's bull. My friendship with you has nothing to do with her."

He withdrew his hand and smiled at me.

"These are different things. I won't have to choose, right?" He chuckled.

"Of course not. I mean, I'm sure she'd ask you to choose. But not me. I don't care If you're with her or not."

He frowned slightly as if he thought of something.

"If you are related and live together, it means that you are also rich..."

"No." I carefully picked up my words. At least that was true. My father was rich. I had yet to start making my living. "I'm not. I just live there." He smiled and took a sip of his soda.

"But does it matter to you? It seems to me it does..."

"Em, I'm not one of those people who spit on the rich. Anyone who earned their money with hard work deserves it... But I come from a poor family. I have a little brother to take care of, a sick mother who even If recovered fully and returns to work, will need my help in the future. Honestly, I would like to be with someone who will understand me. Who will be able to appreciate the little I do. And this can not happen to a person who is accustomed to much more from an early age. I would accept help, but only if we fought side by side and made our own money. I would not accept the money of a rich girl's family."

And I respected that.

"I can understand. But you should give anyone a chance. It's like a girl would be punished just because she's been born in her family…"

I won't lie. I could understand him but at the same time, I didn't like the fact I could also be a victim of his prejudices. Good thing I wasn't aiming to be his girlfriend.

"It just won't work. I know myself and I know those types of girls. Even my friends. They're spoiled like s**t. Don't get me wrong, they're nice people but I can't imagine building my life with someone like them. Can you imagine Hannah coping with everyday problems the normal people have?"

I chuckled. "I guess no."

"I know I can miss the perfect one by having those prejudices but I'm real. There's no room for mistakes in my life. It's not easy as it is."

"So what you're going to do with Lana?"

"Nothing. I haven't fallen that much. I just like her. I don't and I won't do anything, I won't allow myself to get into something more. So far it is harmless. She is a pretty girl who looks smart and just makes a good impression on me. That's it. And I plan to stay like this. You know, she's different. She's also rich like our friends but still different. And If I hadn't seen her affection for the money she has, I probably would have made a move on her."

For a second a crazy idea sped through my mind but I quickly dismissed it. I imagined for a moment how Declan turned out to be the prince on a white horse who would save Lana from her lies. If she liked him, she would have to understand that he would appreciate her as she was - from a normal family, without much money. But I knew that no matter how different she was, she still cared about money.

So far so good. I managed to tell him about my cousin without spilling her secret. And he didn't plan on avoiding me because of my lack of closeness with Lana.

We talked more and I didn't realize how late I was. I looked at my phone and I sighed. 10 pm. My father would kill me. My phone was silent because of the lesson with Austin. And then I forgot to put it on sound. I had three missed calls from my father and no calls from my aunt. She would have called at least 5 times before but I was coming to terms with the fact our bond was long gone.

I talked with my father on the way home.

When we arrived in front of my house, I could barely persuade Declan to leave. He wanted to come in with me and apologize to my family for keeping me out for longer. When I went inside, Dad and Aunt Sophie were sitting in the living room watching TV. When he saw me, my father turned down the volume and stood up.

"Why didn't you call? You always call when you're going to be late."

"Today was the lesson with Austin and I put my phone in silent mode. I'm sorry, I forgot to call you and didn't hear your call."

"Where have you been?"

I looked at aunt Sophie.

"I was with a friend. Declan. He's Austin's big brother and we talked so much that I didn't realized when it got so late." Aunt Sophie looked at my father waiting for his reaction.

"Ok, but you know you should call. Next time be more careful. I need to get up earlier tomorrow. Goodnight Sophie." As he passed me he kissed me on the forehead.

"Goodnight sweetheart!" I returned to my room, but not before I saw Aunt Sophie's displeased expression.