Chapter Thirteen
Carlo
Dinner felt different tonight.
It wasn't simply because there were more people around the table or because the house had been louder than usual.
It was something deeper, something that had been missing for years and had finally been placed back where it belonged.
Even though no one had said it aloud, I think everyone had felt it.
My eyes kept drifting towards her throughout dinner.
My twin.
Even now, hours later, the word didn't sit quite right in my head. It felt too big, too heavy for something I hadn't known existed in my life until recently. I'd seen photographs of us as babies, small and identical, lying side by side. Proof that once, we'd started in the same place.
Yet at dinner, she'd sat across from me like a stranger. Close enough for me to see every similarity between us, but still completely out of reach.
I hadn't spoken to her, not because I didn't want to, but because I hadn't known how. Every time I'd thought about saying something, the words had fallen apart before they could leave my mouth, so I'd stayed quiet and watched.
I'd noticed the way she barely relaxed in her seat, always ready to leave at a moment's notice. Her attention constantly shifted, taking in everything around her. Most of all, I'd noticed the way she looked at Dario.
Like he was the only thing keeping her grounded.
He'd been the complete opposite of her. Loud, unfiltered and completely at ease in a room full of strangers who had suddenly become his family. He'd talked about his room, his bed and the "movie house" upstairs, his excitement filling the room in a way none of us could.
“And I don't have to share it with anyone!” he'd announced proudly.
Then, after a second, he'd added, “But I'm still sleeping with Bina.”
Like that was the most important detail.
That was when I'd understood something. Dario wasn't just important to her. He was everything.
Somehow, in the middle of all that tension, he'd managed to fit in effortlessly. Luca had talked to him as though they'd known each other forever, Matteo had joked with him, and even Enzo had seemed more relaxed than usual.
By the time dinner ended, I still hadn't said a single word to Sabrina.
Now I stood outside her bedroom, my hand hovering near the door. On the other side was the person who was supposed to be half of me.
I exhaled slowly and ran a hand through my hair.
What was I even supposed to say? That I was glad she was here? That seeing her felt like looking into a mirror reflecting a life I'd never lived?
None of it sounded right. None of it felt like enough.
And yet, I couldn't move. For the first time in my life, I didn't know how to face someone who mattered this much.
I was still staring at the door when I heard movement from inside.
Oh no.
The footsteps grew closer, each one louder than the last, and suddenly staying there felt like the worst possible decision I'd made all night. I had maybe three seconds before the door opened and I was forced into an actual conversation like a normal human being.
I aborted.
I turned sharply, fully committing to walking away in what I hoped would look casual and not at all like I was fleeing the scene of a crime.
Right as I turned, the door swung open.
I froze mid-step, one foot slightly off the ground and my body angled awkwardly, like I'd just been caught sneaking out of somewhere I absolutely shouldn't have been. For a second, I considered continuing and pretending this was completely normal.
It wasn't.
Slowly, I turned my head and looked at the small figure standing in the doorway.
He blinked once, then his eyes dropped to my raised foot before travelling back up to my face.
“...What are you doing?” he asked.
I immediately lowered my foot and stood straight, clearing my throat as though that would somehow fix everything that had just happened.
“Nothing.”
He narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced.
“You were running.”
“I was not running.”
“You looked like you were running.”
“I was walking.”
“Well, you were walking weird.”
I opened my mouth to respond, then closed it again. There was no winning this argument.
Dario crossed his arms, still staring at me as though I were deeply suspicious. Then he leaned slightly to the side, peering down the hallway behind me as if he expected to find something.
“Are you hiding from someone?”
“No.”
“Are you hiding from Bina?”
“No.”
He looked back at me, completely unconvinced.
“You're weird.”
I exhaled slowly and dragged a hand down my face. Of all the people to judge me, it had to be the four-year-old.
Dario, however, had already moved on. He looked up at me again as though the previous interaction hadn't happened.
“Did you need her?” he asked casually.
I hesitated before nodding.
“Yeah.”
He accepted that immediately and turned back into the room.
“Bina!” he called loudly. “Your twinnie is being weird outside the door!”
I closed my eyes briefly, resisting the urge to turn around and run this time.
So much for making a good first impression.
I followed Dario into the room, the awkwardness creeping back in before I'd even stepped inside.
Within seconds, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor as though he'd lived here his entire life. His action figures were scattered everywhere, some missing limbs and others locked in the middle of a battle only he seemed to understand.
Sabrina sat on the bed, watching him for a moment before lifting her eyes to mine.
And just like that, I froze.
Every word I'd prepared outside the door disappeared.
Thankfully, she saved me.
She patted the space beside her on the bed. I took the offer immediately and sat down, probably a little too quickly, but at that point I was simply glad I didn't have to stand there any longer.
Then came the silence, pure and painful.
Dario noticed almost immediately. He paused mid-battle, looked up at us and squinted as though analysing the situation before muttering, very clearly, “Awkward.”
Then he went straight back to playing as though nothing had happened.
Sabrina let out a quiet laugh and shook her head slightly.
Thank God someone had broken it.
“So... what do you like doing for fun?” she asked, glancing at me.
My brain immediately betrayed me.
I wanted to tell her everything. About training and all the ridiculous things my brothers and I got up to. But no. Absolutely not. That conversation would end with her running for the hills.
So I went with the safest option.
“I prank our older brothers,” I said, leaning back slightly. “That's mostly what I do.”
She raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that.
“I get away with it all the time,” I continued. “Being the youngest and all...”
I glanced down at Dario.
“...but I guess that position's been taken now.”
Dario's head snapped up instantly.
“Hey!” he said, pointing at me as though I'd personally offended him. “You better not be jealous of me.”
I snorted. “I'm not jealous.”
“You sound jealous,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “And I'm not sorry for being the youngest.”
I held my hands up in surrender.
“Relax. I'm actually happy you took it from me.”
He blinked.
“...You are?”
“Yeah.” I nodded seriously. “Because now I know you're going to use it to your full advantage and cause chaos.”
“Good,” he said, completely satisfied, before returning to his toys as though he'd just won something important.
I shook my head, then looked back at Sabrina.
“I'm really happy you're back,” I said, more honestly this time. “Even if... you didn't know I existed.”
She looked at me for a moment, something soft flickering across her face.
“I mean... yeah, I didn't know I had a twin,” she said, almost awkwardly. “But I always felt like something was missing. I just didn't know what it was.”
My chest tightened.
“And now you do?” I asked.
She nodded slightly.
“Yeah.”
That was all it took.
I tried – really tried – not to cry. I swallowed, looked away for a second and even threatened the tears in my head like that would somehow stop them.
It didn't.
They came anyway.
Brilliant.
I laughed under my breath and dragged a hand over my face.
“Wow. Great. First real conversation and I'm already crying. Amazing first impression.”
Sabrina stared at me like she didn't know what to do.
Which, honestly, was fair.
Then she opened her arms.
I didn't even think about it. I just leaned into her.
Her arms wrapped around me, a little stiff at first, before she started patting my back, like I was a dog she wasn't entirely sure about.
I huffed out a laugh against her shoulder.
“Have you ever comforted anyone before?”
She paused.
“Yeah.”
I pulled back slightly, raising an eyebrow.
“...Really?”
“My best friends,” she said, completely serious. Then she nodded towards the floor. “And him.”
Dario didn't even look up.
“She's not very good at it,” he added helpfully.
I laughed and shook my head.
“Yeah, I noticed.”
She nudged me lightly.
“Hey. You're getting comforted. Don't complain.”
I grinned.
“I'm just saying... the technique could use some work.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You're lucky you're getting anything at all.”
I leaned back slightly, still smiling despite the tears that hadn't fully dried yet.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “I think I am.”