"Wow, your place is lovely, Eve!" Jade exclaimed, stepping inside with her little baby girl.

"Thank you, Jade." I smiled and led her into the living room. It was Saturday and I'd invited her over for lunch seeing as she wanted to meet to decide the name for her baby girl. However, I had serious doubts as how I would be able to help. I shuddered a little as I remembered Allie's cat that I named Creep.

To my defense, I never liked cats, especially the black ones with creepy green eyes. It was all I could do then to not kill Allie when she'd brought the feline in our apartment for the first time claiming it as a poor little cutie. The relief I'd felt when it was finally dumped into the hands of her ex-boyfriend was so immense that I would've partied all night long if only she wasn't moping about the creepy pet who had been gifted to her by her creepier boyfriend. So when she didn't like him anymore, she dumped both him and his cat on his apartment.

Back to the present, I tried to smile at the little bundle of a human in Jade's arm as they sat down in the couch. In response, she gave me a strange look one might give to an aimless fly.

Well, I tried, at least.

"So, Eve, how have you been?" Jade asked, settling her daughter securely on her lap. I eyed the infant once more before turning my attention back to her.

"I've been well, thank you. What about you?"

I cringed inwardly when I realized how formal I sounded. I couldn't help it. Despite what I was like in childhood, I really didn't know Jade well enough, and I didn't know how to act front of her. I wanted her to like me considering I liked her. Are you sure that's the only reason why? Does her being someone's elder sister not matter here? For permission and approvals- those kinds of stuffs, you know? My subconscious, Ms. S butted in from inside my head.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed my nerdy response. Jade raised one of her eyebrows at me- that made her look so much like her devil of a brother whom I was beginning to miss. Ha, look at our Juliet here. She's missing someone whom she just saw yesterday. Tsk tsk.

I willed my subconscious to shut up as Jade spoke. "Gosh! You don't need to be so formal, Eve! I'm not your school teacher! If you're worrying about making an impression on me, don't. I already love you and would love you more if you became my sister. For future, you know? And I know for sure that it's not just me who will be happy. I know a certain someone who might as well go mad with happiness if you decide to... um... change the dynamics of our relationship." She wiggled her brows suggestively at me, making me blush deeply.

Her little teasing comment made me wonder what it would be like to actually be married to- No, Eve! Stop right there! You are NOT a little girl to go on daydreaming. Wake up and get back to your senses now! For once, my subconscious was making an effort to bring me back to reality. I sighed a little.

"Well... I'll um... keep that in mind," I responded awkwardly, feeling embarrassed for no reason.

"Relax, Eve, I was just teasing you. Or... perhaps I wasn't." She winked at me and laughed out loud at my flabbergasted expression, causing the little bundle in her arms to let out a shrill cry.

Jade's eyes immediately turned from teasing to motherly concern as she gently lifted her daughter up and rocked her slowly, making cooing noises at her. It was like pure magic- the way she curled up to her mother and her crying stopped. I watched in awe as the baby gave a lovely smile to her mother and put her little finger in her mouth.

"Do you want to hold her?" Jade asked, noticing me staring at her daughter. I immediately started shaking my head to refuse but before that, the said bundle was thrust into my arms. I looked down at the tiny little girl, who now looked so small compared to my arms that I was afraid I'd break her into two if I picked her up a little roughly. I awkwardly brought my hand up and patted her gently while she gave me a curious look with her wide eyes.

I'd thought Jade's little girl was beautiful, but up close, she looked so lovely with her eyes so clear and vibrant. It was a strange color, somewhat in between green and blue, as if God couldn't decide what color to give to her eyes and settled in between.

"She's so beautiful." I said, still not taking my eyes off her.

"I know, right?" She murmured, her attention now equally focused on her daughter in my lap. "I find myself looking at her face for hours, not quite believing I gave birth to this beauty. Brandon teases me that he's jealous she's taking all my time. But then he takes one look at her and I have to be the jealous one instead."

I smiled softly, thinking how it might feel to be a parent of someone, to bear their responsibility, to love them unconditionally. I quickly pushed that thought aside the moment someone's face began to materialize in my mind's eye.

I thought about her birth complication. "From what I heard from Brandon and Adrian, you nearly died giving birth to Luke. Why take the risk again with her?"

Even as I asked this, I already knew the answer. Judging by the knowing smile on her face, Jade knew this too.

"She wasn't really planned, you see. Brandon was really scared after the doctors said it would be dangerous for me to conceive again. But I always wanted another baby- most preferably a girl. Since Brandon doesn't have any siblings, he, too, had wished for more than a baby. That was, of course, before we had Luke and I had to undergo surgery that nearly killed us both. After that, he had very clearly stated that we won't be having another baby. Luke was finally healthy and he couldn't risk anything else. That man had even slept in a different room for a whole month after I came home from the hospital. It wasn't until I physically pulled him into our bedroom and locked us both in, threatening to move to Australia with Luke that he finally realized what an idiot he was to ignore me."

Her words somehow didn't fit in the image of Brandon I had in my mind. Love, I realized, then, made us do anything, even if it meant being away from the very person you can't live without. I told her so.

"Indeed, you're right," she agreed, "Love makes us the strongest and the weakest person at the same time. I understand why Brandon did that- stay away me, I mean- however stupid it was. I can't imagine the terror he must've went through when his wife and his son were fighting for life at the same time, by something he had done, as he liked to put despite my frequent denial. I tell him there was no way we could've known about it before and he wasn't the only one responsible to put the baby in me. I find it strange that he is a doctor considering his dumb reasoning. But he'd always been the stronger one out of us. I don't think I might have been able to live had I been in his position then."

Her words gave me goosebumps all over. The mere thought of what Brandon had gone through was difficult to imagine. I found myself admiring the doctor more and more as Jade continued, "And then I got pregnant again. I didn't know whether to be happy or not. I was alone when I found out after my missed period. I was excited at the thought of having another baby. But at the same time, I didn't know how Brandon would react. That day, waiting for Brandon to get home was probably the most agonizing wait I have ever experienced. It was almost midnight when he finally returned, one of his patient hadn't made it after the surgery. I didn't know whether to tell him considering his sorrow. But I couldn't hold it in any longer. I told him just when he was about to sleep."

I leaned forward in interest. "And then?"

She chuckled at my expression. "And then... he panicked. Brandon has always been a calm person. It was the first time I'd seen him as such. He started blaming himself for 'not following his own plans to stay away from me'. Then he... he suggested terminating the pregnancy. But I immediately denied it. I had my child growing inside me and I wouldn't kill it at any cost. We had our first real argument that night. I can still feel the pain when I remember those days now. It was hard for the both of us, including my parents and Adrian, too. They didn't know what to do when Brandon and I stopped speaking at all.

But seeing as I wasn't about to let go of my child, he slowly started coming around, giving all his time and attention to us- including Luke. He never made our son feel alone despite him monitoring me closely. I am so proud to have him as the father of my children today. People say love grows starts fading as time passes by, but I find myself loving him more and more every day."

Both of us had tears in our eyes by the time she finished. I looked at the baby to find her sleeping peacefully in my lap, her long lashes fanning over her cheeks. She was so small that I'd almost forgotten about her. I slowly rubbed the back of my fingers over her cheeks, loving the way she turned to my hand in sleep. Both of us were silent for a moment until it was broken by our apartment door opening roughly followed by a shrill voice.

"Evie! I'm home!"

Eva hobbled inside, carrying a number of grocery bags in both of her hands. She walked towards the kitchen, not noticing our guest, nor the bundle of human in my arms. I immediately stood up to assist her, but she gave me a look that said not to interfere. My sister could do it by herself. I forced myself to be seated despite my strong urge to follow her and carry some of those bags.

It was more than two weeks after that day Eva announced she had been accepted to FIT. Since my approval, she had been preparing for college. That included her being independent, as she'd put it. So she had started walking around the neighborhood, getting groceries, shopping for her clothes, all by herself.

I would've accompanied her, but she didn't want anyone knowing she was my sister. She said she didn't want to go to college feeling as some sort of celebrity or a privileged student. I had to agree with that. I wanted her to have a normal college experience. If the media got a whiff of my living relative, they'd tear her world apart in no time with their continuous hounding, especially if I wasn't there to protect her. So now her shopping expeditions mostly included Allie, and sometimes Jake, too- much to his dismay since he'd be the one to carry everything the girls bought.

I let out a breath when Eva finally emerged from the kitchen, her gait steady. She stopped and looked curiously at Jade who was returning her gaze with a surprised one of her own. I nudged her. Jade blinked before turning to me. "Is she...?"

I smiled and nodded at the question in her eyes. I beckoned for Eva to come closer and when she did, I proceeded with the introductions. "Jade, meet my sister Evangeline- Eva in short. Eva, she's Jade Marshall. Brandon's wife and Adrian's elder sister."

I watched as recognition dawned in both of their eyes and both started squealing at the same time.

"OhmyGod! I was right! You really are Eva!"

"OhmyGod! I can't believe I'm finally meeting you! Brandy and Ruby have said a lot about you!"

They hugged each other as long lost friends and I shook my head at them. Jade frowned in thought as they pulled away. "Okay, I can deduct that you're referring to Brand as 'Brandy' but may I know about this Ruby girl? He better not be getting too familiar with any of the hospital girls if he wants his body intact!"

Eva's giggles turned into huge fits of laughter once she caught on to Jade's misunderstanding. The situation itself was so funny that I couldn't stop myself from joining her- much to Jade's annoyance. She narrowed her eyes between us and put her hands on her hips. "Is there anything you both know that I don't?" She huffed.

I smirked. "Of course. There's a lot that you don't know, Jade." I immediately put my hands up in surrender when her eyes narrowed more in my direction. "Alright, calm down, woman! Your husband is as devoted to you as... uh... I don't know, the most besotted husband in the world. It's just that my sister has terrible naming skills. Worse than me, I'm afraid. The Ruby girl we're talking about here is none other than... Adrian."

Jade opened her mouth in surprised but immediately snapped it shut. Then she blinked. "Ruby is Adrian? Adrian is Ruby? How?"

It was Eva's turn to answer. "Oh, it's because Ruby is my favorite Stone!" She exclaimed.

Both of us waited for Jade to figure it out. It wasn't long before she did. She took one look between the both of us and burst out laughing.

The one thing I learned about Jade that day was that she wasn't a quiet laugher. Oh, no. She threw her hands up in the air and threw her head back as she guffawed loudly- so loudly that her daughter startled awake in my arms and started crying with a shrill that rivalled her mother's laugh.

I panicked with the crying girl in my arms. I tried rocking her and patting her and bouncing her but she just wouldn't shut up. Her cries grew louder every passing second- so loud that I was seriously scared for the hearing of the people in the entire apartment.

Thankfully, Jade had abandoned her guffaws and her motherly instincts immediately took over as she noticed my helplessness. She gently took her daughter from my arms and started rocking her softly, making soft, cooing noises at her. In no time, our ears got our much needed relief as the baby slept peacefully in her mother's arms once again.

"Wow, how do you do that?" Eva asked the very question that had been on the tip of my tongue.

Jade noticed the look of pure amazement painted on both of our faces and laughed softly. "A mother's bond, I guess. It all comes with practice and instincts. Don't worry, you will know it when it's your turn." Once again, she wiggled her eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes despite the tingling feeling in my chest.

It wasn't long before Jade left. All three of us chatted like old friends over the pizza I'd ordered due to my lack of cooking skills. Before she went, she asked us if we could think of a good name for her baby girl. Eva pointed out a lot of names that made Jade agree to my earlier statement about my sister being worse in naming, an exception being Ruby, in her words.

"How about Grace?" I asked as I looked at the lovely girl now tucked safely in her baby blanket.

"Grace..." Jade rolled the name in her tongue, following my gaze. Her eyes lighted up in delight and she gave me a bright smile. "I think it's perfect, Eve. She has graced our life when we'd lost hope. I love this name."

Eva murmured in agreement, but not before stating she had thought of the name, too- even before I had.

Jade chuckled at her petulant expression. "Of course, Eva. I'm sure you have. Gosh, I love you both! Eve, you should bring her to our house before she leaves for college. Mom and dad would be delighted to meet her!"

"Sure thing!" I agreed.

***

Turns out, Eva didn't get to meet Adrian's parents before leaving for college. Adrian's parents had invited us for dinner once but they had to leave the state suddenly due to their distant relative passing away.

The weeks went away in a blur with preparations for Eva's departure and before I knew it, we were driving in Adrian's car to drop her off at college. Adrian had volunteered to drive us there and for once, I didn't protest seeing how happy Eva was at his offer. The girl adored Adrian so much that it was sometimes scary thinking of what might happen to her if things didn't work out between us someday. I quickly brushed off the little nagging in my brain and focused on my surroundings instead, Eva's loud chattering filling my senses once again.

"... can you believe it, Ruby? Over eight thousand enrollments every year! So many people from all around the world will be attending the same college as me." She was bouncing up and down on her passenger seat in excitement, her wide eyes devouring the surrounding hungrily while I sat on the back with her trunks. She frowned suddenly. The next time she spoke, her voice was small, barely a whisper and her words hit me to the core. "What if... what if I don't fit in? I don't have any experience about high school. What will they think of me? What if they make fun of me when I can't run as fast as them?"

I opened my mouth to contradict her but Adrian beat me to it. He pulled the car over to the side of the road and stopped the engine. "Bubbles," he called her sternly, making her turn to him, "listen to me. College life is nothing to be scared of. It's just a bunch of people meeting together. That's it. Some people like you and some don't. I'd say a lot of people out there are going to love you. Because it's part of your charm. And if they don't, it's their loss. You don't need to change yourself to make them like you. Just be who you are. You are quite lovable already. I'm somewhat considering assigning a couple of guards to fend off the boys that would no doubt be hovering around you."

I actually agreed with the idea of assigning the guards to watch over her but dared not say it aloud in front of my sister who immediately showed her displeasure. "Ruby! You can't be serious! I'll kill you," she turned to me, "and you, too if anyone even dares to appoint guards around me. I'll never have a normal college experience then!"

Both of us raised our hands in surrender and Adrian ruffled her hair before turning on the engine again. We were now approaching the university premises and I could see a rush of activities all around. Students were walking around with books in their hands, some were in groups, talking about this and that, and some were rolling their suitcase. Adrian pulled up in the parking lot while I fished out my phone to make a call.

No sooner had I finished my call, two men dressed in formal suits came running towards our car. We stepped out as they approached us with welcoming smiles. I could see a few curious glances being sent our way. I was thankful both me and Adrian had dressed casually and put on our sunglasses.

"Hello, Ms. White, Mr. Stone. Welcome to FIT. I'm Blake Grayson, the general manager and this is my assistant, Richard Mathews." The taller out of the two men spoke referring to his shorter companion. We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries as Eva stepped out of the car. They noticed her and introduced themselves, welcoming her to the college while she responded politely.

Mr. Grayson led us to Eva's dorm room, which she was to share with her roommate who hadn't arrived yet. We had only brought a couple of suitcases with us while the rest were to be delivered soon. He briefly ran over the rules and events of the college as Eva listened attentively, absorbing every word.

They left us alone to settle in after a while, once again reminding Eva about the orientation session to be held the next day. On their way out, they assured me that Eva's personal information would be kept confidential. I helped Eva unpack her things as more of her trunks came in, the people we'd hired having arrived. Soon, the empty room had been filled with her things. Eva voiced her concern about there not being enough room for her roommate and I suggested her to keep some of her suitcases unopened for now.

Adrian came inside the room as we'd finished clearing out the space. He had been on a call as soon as we'd arrived and I wondered briefly whom he was talking to, since he had excused himself to get the call.

"Seems like you've already settled in well, Bubbles. That's 55% of your college life well spent." He joked, making her giggle.

Just then, a knock sounded and both me and Eva looked at the door, assuming her roommate had arrived. But instead, two burly men came in, carrying a large thing wrapped in a colorful paper. The men nodded at Adrian and went away after placing it gently on the corner of the room.

"Ruby? What is this?" Eva asked as she started tearing the wrapping paper.

"A small gift for the world's best fashion designer." He winked at me as Eva finally tore it open to reveal his gift.

"OhmyGod! It's a mannequin!" She shrieked loudly. She ran and covered the small space, giving him a big hug, which he returned easily. His eyes found mine and I smiled at him, showing my appreciation at his gesture. "Thank you so much, Adrian!" Eva beamed at him.

I pretended to be offended. "Seriously, Adrian? You've made my gift seem insignificant now. I might not be able to give it to her."

Eva pulled away from Adrian and turned to me with wide eyes. "Your gift? You mean there's more?"

I chuckled at her shocked expression before pointing to a wrapped box sitting quietly in between her suitcases. She hurriedly tore it open to reveal a coffee machine. The girl was obsessed with coffee and I'd thought it would be easier if she could make one anytime.

In no time, I was engulfed in a tight hug. Eva was still squealing and bouncing as she hugged me thanking me over and again for bringing her heaven. Not one to be left out, Adrian joined us, making it a group hug. He squeezed my waist gently, planting a soft kiss on my hair.

Another knock was heard, making us pull away. Adrian and I shared confused frown asking each other if any more deliveries were arriving. When our answers came as negative, there was only one possibility.

It was time to meet Eva's roommate.

I felt funny putting on my shades inside the dorm room and judging by the slight uncomfortable grimace on his face, Adrian did too. But it was necessary since we had no idea what this new person was like and we didn't want anyone treating her any differently.

A small head peaked in and Adrian went to open the door wider. A short girl with thick glasses stepped in, dragging her suitcase with great difficulty. She seemed intimidated by our presence, especially Adrian's considering it was a girl's dorm but she relaxed a bit as he helped her with her trunks. But her nervousness still seemed apparent through her hesitant eyes as they settled on Eva.

"Hi, I'm Evangeline. You can call me Eva. You must be my roommate." Eva walked towards her with a lovely smile and offered her a hand.

She smiled back shakily. "H-hi. My name is Elizabeth. People call me Beth."

Eva beamed. "Can I call you Lizzie instead? It would be my own nickname for you. Please?"

Her tense posture relaxed immediately and I felt a surge of pride at my sister for not only adapting to the new environment so well, but for making the girl feel ease in her presence as well. The two girls started chatting about anything and everything while I took the moment to observe them.

The girl had honey blonde hair which was put up in a messy bun. She only came up to Eva's shoulders and wore a casual oversized t-shirt pair with boxer pants. She looked cute with her round glasses. Despite how different she and Eva were from appearances, I had a feeling they would be bonding quite well. Adrian came to stand beside me, his arm immediately going to the small of my back.

Eva then turned to us. Both of us could only give a tight smile to hide our grimaces as she introduced me as her sister Minnie and Adrian as my besotted boyfriend Ruby. It was clear that the girl found our names weird but did not comment on it, only smiling politely at us. I had a feeling Eva was going to change her quiet nature very soon.

Once everything was set up, we decided to leave them to know each other. I felt tears misting over my eyes but did not dare to let them fall as I bade farewell to my sister. But it was of no use when she hugged me tightly, crying all over my shirt about how I was going to miss her. I laughed despite my tears.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of hugging and crying and asking her to be careful, both me and Adrian left her there with her roommate who seemed uncomfortable at our display of affection. Adrian silently led me to his car, his arms over my waist while I walked feeling as if a part of my heart was still inside the dorm room.