Malorie and Valerie reached Sir Taylor's big bookshop in less than half an hour. The bookstore was close to their house which was a good thing. Inside, as always, was filled with people. Ranging from readers to writers, from humans to other races.
"Sir Taylor," Valerie greeted when they came face to face with Taylor. He was seated over the counter, a wooden table dividing them apart.
"Valerie, Malorie." Taylor smiled. He was an elderly human of age at most fifty. Valerie could testify that he was a married man, if the ring she had always seen on his ring finger was anything to go by. She had never seen his wife, though, nor asked if he had children.
"For a moment there, I thought my books wouldn't be returned." He gave them a cheeky smile and they chuckled.
"Of course not, we know how important your books are to you." Malorie said and Valerie nodded.
"We will return them now and check for new entries." Sir Taylor only acknowledged their words with a nod because another customer had come for attendance.
Valerie and Malorie walked around the huge bookstore, finding the shelf of the genre of the book in their hold.
"After getting books, we will go to the post office." Malorie whispered to her sister, so many people were around them, they knew not whose ears they should avoid.
"Yes definitely." Valerie nodded and then the ladies split up after returning the books to their specific shelves so they could look for new ones.
Valerie's fingers hovered over the spine of books. She had always loved books ever since she knew what they were. Their real mother always read to them before bed, after bed and whenever Ethan wasn't being the spawn of Satan to her. She had their time, she loved them like she had loved nada, yet that wasn't enough for Ethan.
He had to take the one thing his daughters held dear to them.
"Malorie?" Valerie paused her movements then whipped behind her to find an irresistibly handsome young vampire at most five feet away from her. His brows dipped and his eyes narrowed when she faced him properly. "Oh... No, not Malorie." He said then looked down at his shoes then back at Valerie.
Valerie instantly put two and two together. Her eyes widened, and before the handsome vampire could turn, she asked; "Are you Lorien?"
The handsome vampire widened his eyes then nodded. "How do you..." He trailed off when he realised himself. "You are Malorie's sister."
Valerie nodded with a chuckle. "I wonder how you were able to differentiate us." She poured out then nodded, "Ah, it's the dress colour,"
Lorien laughed. "It is indeed the dress colour, Malorie had told me about her sister, Valerie and her obsession with mauve." He took two steps before her and outstretched his hand. "Lorien, it's nice to meet you, Valerie."
Valerie wasted no time to accept the shake, "Valerie, nice to meet you as well, Lorien."
Lorien nodded and took his hand back. "Malorie, is she here?"
"She is. Let me take you to her." Valerie turned and started walking, hearing the sounds of footsteps behind her. They crossed a few shelves before they found Malorie, checking out the content of a brown coloured book. "Mal."
Malorie raised her head and her heart skipped a beat when her eyes landed on the figure behind her sister. "Lorien..."
"Malorie."
The two wasted no time to envelope each other in a tight hug. "I missed you." Malorie said against his neck.
Lorien was tall, but the girls were not short either, they reached neck level with him.
"I have missed you too, my love." He then pulled away and kissed her lips.
Valerie smiled and shifted, giving them space though she could hear their discussion from where she stood, admiring the spines of books.
"There's something I need to tell you, Lorien." Malorie breathed, even though Valerie wasn't looking at her, she could tell she was fingering her dress.
"I am all ears, my love." Lorien's tone was warm as he waited patiently for what his sweetheart would say.
"I... I wrote a letter, planning on delivering it to you today." Malorie pursed her lips. "D... Don't get angry at me, Lorien."
"I would never." Lorien said quickly, cupping her face and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
Oh to have a man like Lorien... Valerie thought.
"I... I am pregnant with your baby." Malorie broke the news, then silence.
Valerie allowed herself a peek at them. Malorie's back was to her so she couldn't see her expression, but she could decipher it was one of nervousness. Lorien, meanwhile, only stared with eyes wide like saucers.
"You are carrying my baby?" Disbelief crossed his features as he asked the question.
"Yes, " Malorie nodded. "And... And my father is trying to get rid of it." She added, blurting out. A sign she was overcome with fear.
Valerie wanted to go over there and hug her sister but she knew she needed to let them have this conversation, it was now or never.
"I... I don't know your stand. I mean... If you don't want it yes we can t--"
"What do you mean I don't want it?" Lorien growled. "Of course I want it, I want this. I want you, me, and our baby together."
Valerie swallowed and blinked the sign of tears, looking up at the ceiling.
"Your father will do nothing to you or our baby, my love." Lorien pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her. "I am here for you, I will marry you and make things proper, better, okay?" Then he pulled away to look into those moon bright eyes. "Nothing, and I mean nothing will happen to you or our baby, so take care of yourself, my love until then." Then he placed kisses everywhere his mouth could reach on her face.
"Yes," Malorie bobbed her head as tears rolled down her eyes. "Yes I will wait patiently for you!"
Valerie stared at the lovebirds with a smile on her face and her eyes shining bright as tears threatened to spill. Never in her nineteen years of living did she ever expect to see Malorie so completely in love with someone who in turn was completely in love with her.
While it made her happy for her other half, something in her ached, long for something Malorie had.
And she didn't know what, or she had rather not known.