"Let baser things devise to die in dust,

But you shall live by fame.

My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,

And in the heavens write your glorious name.

And when death shall all the world subdue,

Our love shall live, and later life renew."

- Edmund Spenser, Amoretti. (Sonnet 75)
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That night, even as I laid placid in the warmth of a comfortable lodging, sleep refused to engulf my restless self. The eyes which I'd stared into a few hours earlier, flashed before my closed lids time and again, causing me to defiantly pry them open, afraid of risking his face being the last thought before I went to sleep. And yet, in vain did I struggle, for there were those dark orbs, peering right into the depths of my even darker soul.

Sighing, I picked up my phone from the table across the bed post, and opened his contact, debating whether or not to call him, and give him a piece of my mind; realising only too late, that my hand must've accidentally brushed against the call option, sending a ring to other end. Cursing myself, I immediately cut the call, and pushed my face into the pillow, letting out a screech filled with equal proportions of irritation and embarrassment.

Oh God, please let him be asleep, please let him..

My cellphone vibrated against my stomach, and I groaned.

"Johnathan."

"Hera.", I heard his worried voice over the call. "Are you alright, love? Why aren't you asleep yet. It's two in the morning."

I squeezed my eyes shut, and blurted out the first words which came to my mind.

"Why did you have to call me? You promised you wouldn't!"

I didn't miss the smile in his voice as he replied, "I didn't, remember. It was your future sister in law."

I glared into the dark night, and shouted,
"Why have you been deluding the poor kid, John. You know we aren't really getting married."

"Oh, is that how you've been humouring yourself? The only way we won't tie the knot will be if you don't fall in love with me, by the time you reach the altar. But we both know that's not going to happen, right? You already can't get me out of your mind.", He teased, and I snorted.

"Yeah, sure. I had you in mind when I was about to kiss another kid in school."

"You what??", He scremed over the other end.

"Like you weren't already making babies when I was barely out of diapers." I rolled my eyes. "Ofcourse I am going to go out with boys my own age, John. I have already lost too much in life, to lose a chance at love as well."

"What's wrong with me? Why can't you love me?"

Because you could easily break me, I thought.

"Because it would distract us from attaining our actual motive.", I said.

"I haven't forgotten anything, Hera. I'll send you the updates shortly.", He sighed, before adding, "You kissed someone.", as if still trying to get a hang of what had transpired.

"Uh, no. I would have. If the boy hadn't pulled back.", I muttered, as my cheeks flushed in embarassment. I couldn't even get a guy to kiss me, and he probably must've sailed his way through the bed chambers of atleast half the women in town.

"He, what? He held back from being with you?", Johnathan whispered in bewilderment."What sane man could possibly do that?" I could picture him shaking his head, as he took a small pause, and continued, "That being said, I am indebted to this gentleman, and, it would serve you well, my darling, to not put him in harm's way by fraternizing with him."

"I won't." I nodded. "It's true that I want to find love, but I'm not going to consciously look for it. What's meant to happen will happen. Besides, I have other things to focus on."

"Hera.", He called out after a while. "Everything will be alright. I won't rest until it isn't."

I smiled. "Thank you, John. Good night."

"Good night."

Seconds later, I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face, picturing the tender look of the man I'd fallen in love with, years ago.
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The next morning, I awoke with the noise of someone knocking at my door. Prying myself out of the bed, I allowed my guest inside, and went to prepare coffee for the two of us. He followed me to the kitchen.

"Are you alright, Hera?", He touched my shoulder lightly, to get my attention.

"Thanks to you I am.", I laughed, recollecting how he'd pulled me out of the devil's clutches yesterday, and offered refuge at his flat, some two odd kilometers from the school.

Lucas smiled affectionately at me, and pulled me towards the drawing room, once I'd poured us both some caffeine.

"So I see you've settled well.", He said looking around.

"Speeking of which..", I began, but was cut short by him. "I don't need rent."

I let out a light laugh. "How fond are you of this property?"

He frowned. "I don't think I understand what you mean."

"I want to purchase this place from you."

His eyes widened. "Excuse me? Why would you want to do that? Also, not that I mean to offend you, but how can you even afford this apartment? Aren't you on a scholarship?"

"Doesn't mean I don't have money.", I teased. "I've got a reasonable sum of money, Lucas. I just don't like spending it, if i can help it. But now that I've seen your place, I think it'll be excellent for what I have in mind. If you don't mind, ofcourse."

Lucas thought for a moment, before telling me that he would have to ask his father about it. I sighed in relief.

"So.", I drawled in a careful tone, "What's the deal with Ethan and Theo? Why are they always at each other's throat?"

"They usually aren't.", Lucas muttered. "But the moment I saw you, I knew it would cause trouble between those two. Hell, I had a difficult time, looking at you."

"Wait, what?", I was terrified at his admission. He had problem looking at me? Seeing confusion clouding my face, he sympathetically showed me a picture in his cell phone, which had the blood in my veins turning cold.

"Who's she?", I forced the words out, as my eyes remained stuck at the image in front of my eyes. An image of my doppelganger.

"My sister.", He forced a smile, turning his face to the other side, making a miserable attempt at hiding his glistening eyes.

And I felt, as if I'd suddenly been suspended into a state of free fall.