His lips are soft; just from his kisses, I can feel his desire for me. His hand rests on my hair, then slowly moves down to my chest, while the other lingers on my hips. His mouth leaves my lips and begins to trail down to my neck, then up to my ear. Just as I think he's about to say something, I hear the ringing of my cell phone.

I open my eyes and realize it was only a dream. A very pleasant dream...

I stretch to grab my phone from the nightstand, turn off the alarm, and get out of bed to head to the bathroom. On my way, I pass by the twins' room to check if they're still asleep. They're soundly asleep in their beds: Mary in her princess bed and Thomas in his firetruck bed.

This room used to be my father and his wife. After their death, I had it converted to accommodate the twins.

I was twenty-two years old when, following the death of my father and his second wife, I inherited the family home and custody of my seventeen-year-old younger brother, Jeremy. However, at the time, social services deemed me too young and my income insufficient to qualify for custody of the five-year-old twins, the children from my father's second marriage. As a result, they were placed in foster care for six months, until the day I secured a job that allowed me to prove I was capable of providing for their needs. Now, our whole family is reunited under the same roof.

I watch them sleep for another moment before gently closing the door and tiptoeing to the bathroom.

I tie my hair up with a band above my head and step into the shower. As I wash, my thoughts drift to my busy workday ahead. As the assistant to the CEO of Johnson Construction, I have significant responsibilities. This company, specialized in the design of high-end commercial, residential, and industrial buildings, is worth billions and renowned in several countries for its quality work. Many have held this position before me, but none managed to last more than a week. I must admit, I feel especially proud working for Mr. Johnson for several months now, and everything is going smoothly.

Today, Mr. Johnson is attending very important meetings—one this morning with the shareholders and another this afternoon with the department heads for the quarterly review. The Johnson Construction tower is divided into several branches: architecture, accounting, marketing, etc. Every three months, the heads of each sector meet to ensure the company is doing well. I have to arrive earlier than usual to help him prepare for these meetings.

After showering, I wrap a towel around myself and leave the bathroom, only to come face-to-face with my brother Jeremy, leaning against the wall opposite the door. We greet each other with a nod before he steps into the bathroom, and I head back to my bedroom.

I open my wardrobe, searching for my pantsuit and a matching shirt, and start getting dressed. When it's time to fix my hair, two little blond tornadoes burst into my room and start jumping on my bed. The twins inherited their mother's blonde hair and blue eyes, which give them an angelic appearance.

— Allison, we're hungry! Can we have pancakes?

I glance at the clock—it's already 6:20 a.m. I need to leave as soon as possible if I want any chance of arriving at work before 8 o'clock.

I shake my head.
— Not this morning, Thomas.
— We want pancakes! We want pancakes!

The twins shout in unison while continuing to jump on my bed.

Realizing that I won't be able to convince them to eat anything else, I finally give in.
— Fine, but if you want pancakes, you need to get dressed first.
— OK! they reply in unison.

They climb off my bed and leave my room, shouting in victory. I glance at my bed, now a mess. Taking a moment to make it, I then head to the kitchen.

I take out everything I need to make pancakes. As I flip the first pancake, Thomas enters the kitchen. He's wearing green jogging pants and a red shirt that belongs to Mary. I don't have time to argue with him about changing clothes, so I let it go and hand him his plate.

My little brother thanks me with a wide smile.
— You're welcome, Thomas. It's my pleasure.

As I pour more batter into the pan, Mary comes
—You look very pretty today, Mary.
— Thank you, Allison.

Then, she starts twirling around. I notice that she forgot to fasten a few buttons on the back of her dress. I take care of fastening them and realize that her dress is a bit too tight... I think this might be the last time she can wear it.

— You'll need a new dress; this one is starting to get too small.
— Does that mean I won't be able to wear it anymore?

I nod, and she bursts into tears.

— What's wrong? Don't you want a new dress?

She shakes her head and keeps crying.

— I don't understand, I thought you'd be happy to have a brand-new dress.
— Mom was the one who bought it for her, Thomas explains, his mouth full.

I get it. I kneel down to her level, lift her chin, and say:

— It's okay, don't cry. I have an idea. If you want, I can go see a seamstress to have it made bigger so you can wear it longer. Does that sound good? Would that make you happy?

In response, she gives me a hug. I stand up and place a kiss on the top of her little head. Suddenly, the smell of something burning reaches my nose, pulling me out of this tender moment.
— Damn!

I forgot the crepe on the stove. I have no choice but to throw it in the trash and quickly make another one.

— Does it smell like something's burning? Jeremy asks as he walks into the kitchen.
— Yeah, I burned a crepe, I reply.

He grabs a bottle of orange juice from the refrigerator and drinks straight from it.

— Jeremy, couldn't you use a glass?

He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
— What? You're always telling me I need to help out with chores. Think about it—by not using a glass, I'm saving you from having to wash one.

The twins burst out laughing, but I'm not amused in the slightest. Jeremy is supposed to set a good example for the younger ones; they adore their big brother and his jokes. If I let this go, one day all three of them will be drinking straight from the bottle.

He walks up to me and kisses me on the cheek.
— Love you too, big sis. And don't thank me for the favor I just did you.

I start cleaning the kitchen while Jeremy grabs a bowl to serve himself some cereal.
— Ah! Allison, I forgot to tell you: the twins' grandmother won't be able to pick them up after school tonight. She'll come get them tomorrow morning.
The twins' grandmother, Diana, had gotten into the habit of picking them up every other Friday for the weekend.

— Alright, so can you go pick them up, please?
— No, I can't, I have an appointment with the school counselor for my university scholarship application.
It's true, I had completely forgotten. Even though I earn a good living, I can't afford to send Jeremy to university; he needs a scholarship.

— And can't you finish earlier? he asks me.
— No, there's a quarterly meeting this afternoon, and then I need to finish preparing for the charity dinner in two weeks.

— In that case, I see only one solution, he says.
I turn to him, and he points to the stairs at the back of the room. I let out a long sigh. But Jeremy is right, I don't have another option.

— Allison, I'm done with my crepe.
I take the plate that Mary hands me, then Thomas runs toward me to give me his, but his foot gets caught in the kitchen rug. He trips and falls. His plate flies through the air and lands on my thigh. My pants are now covered in syrup. I need to go change.

— Jeremy, can you go ask her...?
He stops me with a wave of his hand.

— No way I'm going upstairs. You know what she's like in the morning. Go change, then go see her yourself. I'll finish cleaning the kitchen.

I follow his advice, run to my room, undress, and grab my last clean outfit from the wardrobe. A dark grey skirt that reaches just below my knees, paired with a matching jacket I bought at a thrift store. I toss my dirty clothes into the laundry basket and leave my room to head for the foot of the stairs. I take a deep breath and slowly climb the steps, trying not to make any noise. When I reach the top, I knock on the second door on the left and wait for a response. When I get no answer, I decide to knock louder.

— What?!
— Rebecca, can I come in?
Silence. I take that as an affirmative response. I enter her room. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. I take a moment to adjust to the dim light in the room. I can make out her bleached hair scattered on her pillow. Like Jeremy and me, Rebecca inherited our father's brown hair. However, she dyed it platinum blonde when she decided to become a model...

— Rebecca, I don't want to disturb you too long, I know you stayed up late, I didn't even hear you come in at...
— Shut up! Just tell me what you want, she interrupts me.

I take a deep breath and go for it:
— Can you pick up the twins after school, please? I'll leave you my car because the car seats are inside, and I don't have time to take them out, I'm a little...
— If I say yes, will you let me sleep?

Relieved, I let out a long sigh.

— Thank you, Rebecca. I'll leave my keys on the kitchen table, you need to pick up the twins between 3:15 PM and 5 PM, whenever you want.
She grumbles an "OK, great." I'm about to leave when I realize I don't know where her car keys are.

— Rebecca, I need your car keys.
— Purse, she says, pointing to a corner of the room.

I notice her purse on top of a pile of clothes stacked on her desk. I quietly approach it, and while searching for the keys in her bag, I come across a cannabis pipe. I start to open my mouth to question her, since I clearly told her when she came back to live with us that I didn't want these kinds of items in the house. But I don't want us to argue this morning. I'll talk to her about it tonight. I put the object back in her bag, grab the keys, and leave her room. I pass by my old room, now turned into Rebecca's private lounge. I push the door open and notice the mess. There's even a smell of rot. It's going to need cleaning—if the social worker's daughter sees this room, I'll probably get a bad review.

Back in the kitchen, I notice that Jeremy has washed the dishes and is now finishing dressing Thomas.

— There! With your new red shirt and jeans, you look sharp.

Thomas thanks him with a big smile, then grabs his lunchbox, which I prepared the night before, from the fridge and joins Mary by the front door. I walk up to my brother and hug him.

— Thank you, Jeremy. I don't know how I'll manage without you when you're at university.

He takes my face in his hands and looks at me with a teasing glance. In that moment, I think to myself that it's It's crazy how much he's grown in just one year. He's gained at least ten centimeters, because now he has to lean down to look me in the eyes.

— You've got three months to find a husband who can help support you.

I give him a playful tap on the shoulder.

— You're not funny!

As if I had time to meet anyone... I grab my purse and take out my keys to drop them on the table. Then, we all leave the house together. I help Jeremy get the twins settled in his car. He drives past their school to get to high school, so it makes more sense for him to drop them off.

— Did you manage to convince Rebecca to pick up the twins? Jeremy asks.
— Yes.

But I'll still send her a text around 2 PM just to remind her, to make sure she doesn't forget.

— Can you let the daycare supervisor know that our sister will be picking up the twins?
— Of course.

I wave goodbye to the kids through the car window, blowing them kisses.

— Are they going to need car seats for much longer? It's not easy to impress girls when you've got two child seats in your car.

I reply, laughing:
— Three more months!

He rolls his eyes, then gets into his car. I hear the twins shouting "Have a good day!" I wave one last time as the car leaves the driveway. I'm about to get into my sister's car when I hear someone shout my name. I turn around and see my neighbor running toward me.

— Hi, Ben.

I discreetly check my watch, it's 7:08. I need to be at the office before 8 AM. If I'm too late, I'll get stuck in traffic.

— I don't want to hold you up, Allison. But I noticed your lawn is starting to get tall. Do you want me to take care of it?

Ben is a good friend, we went to school together. He's now a writer, and when his mother got sick, he moved back in with her to take care of her.

— No, it's fine. I'll find time to mow it this weekend.

— It's my pleasure.
— You already did it last week!

He steps a little closer to me. He's very tall, so I have to tilt my head up to look him in the eyes, and then he places his hand on his chest.

— It's my pleasure.

He looks at me with his blue eyes, and a smile forms on his lips.

— Since you won't need to mow the lawn this weekend, you'll have time to come to a barbecue at my place tomorrow and make us a great apple pie.

I hesitate for a moment, then finally accept his offer.

— Alright.

A huge smile appears on his handsome face, and he seems delighted by my response.

— Great! My mom will be thrilled. And you can invite your siblings.

— The twins won't be here this weekend, they're going to their grandmother's. But, yes, I'll talk to Jeremy and Rebecca.

— Awesome, we'll be expecting you around 4:30 PM.

— Sounds good. Now, I need to go, or I'll be late.

He takes a step back.

— Of course, I don't want to hold you up.

He raises his hand in a wave, then heads back to his house. I glance over at the house and catch sight of my sister's bedroom window.

— Ben.

He comes back toward me almost running.

— Yes?

— Can you wait until this afternoon to mow the lawn, please? My sister is still sleeping.

— Oh, no problem.

I smile at him, then get into the car. I start the engine and leave the driveway, about fifteen minutes behind schedule.