Chapter 23
AN: kinda have a goal, not really a goal ... More like something to look forward to, if it's possible. I'm waiting to see if the collections will reach at least 1k in a month. Watcha think? Is it possible? 🤔
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Time skip 1930
ROBIN'S POV
2 years have passed since the party, and things have been going great so far.
I've continued with training my gifts and fighting skills, I even forc- ehem convinced my brother to continue honing his gift with my words... I just told him that °I could do it, why can't you?°, °Do you want to continue mind-raping people? Because thats how it seems if you're not even trying°, °You can't keep using the excuse of not being able to control it, when there's a possibility to do so, but you're just too lazy to put an effort into granting people their privacy.°...
Was I being too harsh? Maybe... Uuuh... definitely, but he needs to do it, his gift will cause discord in the family in the future, and his gift, if left untrained, could distort his personality, and sense of entitlement in people's minds. I don't want our future family members to be uncomfortable being around him.
As for me... I still can't speak freely, no change in that department... My singing and music range however, since I can practice that however much I want, has had a bit of progress, I can somehow isolate them within a certain parameter (or bubble as call it) with me as the center, it's the bubble moves with me, but the bubble is still bog, I'm trying to make it smaller... I also think that I can perhaps use this for the compulsion range, I just don't have anyone to practice with, and I still refuse to use it on my family.
Oh, big change, kinda, with my Spotify premium skill! I can now watch videos that use the songs that I search for. It's not really useful right now, but it's free entertainment, and I can learn some dance moves and stuff.
My regeneration skill and durability did improve, but not by much. It improved because of my physical training and sparring with my brother, I did get hurt, but not so much... It's weird to say, but I wish he'd be more rough with me.
[AN: sweet home Alabama ~]
Not much changed with my parents, Dad is still a doctor but got promoted as the head surgeon for his specialty. Mom officially got hooked on home renovations, she's now learning through books like carpentry and a lot of other things that need to be learned to be able to renovate a house just by herself.
We got letters from our cousins from Alaska... They're still doing fine.
Leo is still Leo, he did grow a tiny bit, but barely. Mom built him his own place. My cute bibi boy. He must be the most spoiled tortoise in the world right now.
Rosalie, yep... We've become best of friends, she learned how to sign, it only took her like a little over a year, which is good for a human... we go to every party together, we hang out at either mine or her home, we've even met and added additional people to our friend group...
Vera Spencer, another blonde girl, sweet, soft-spoken, and very accepting... she knows I'm gay... She accidentally saw me in a compromising situation... Ehem I was too distracted and intoxicated to sense her coming near me.
Isaac Ellsworth is also a sweet but at the same time, sassy guy, very accepting, and also a closeted gay man. It's actually funny the way we came out to each other.
I was closing the door, about to go back to my brother and Rosalie from a short °bonding° with another new °friend°, and I bumped into a young man, just coming out from the adjacent room, fixing his pants in place, we locked eyes, and then I saw another young man come out from the room looking shy before walking away... And he saw a young woman coming out of the room where I came from, also looking shy and flushed before walking away...
We both followed the two with our gaze and when they were no longer in sight, we locked eyes again. And then exchanged grins. We instantly knew nothing needed to be said. After that we became close, he's not fluent yet, but he's learning sign language too along with Vera.
Isaac and I made an arrangement, we could be each other's beard (He loved this term), to avoid suitors/pursuers, whilst we still have our dalliances with other people out of people's gossiping eyes. At first, my family was just about ready to rip his head off from just being in close proximity of me, but I managed to calm them down, explain our deal, have Edward check Isaac's mind just to be careful, and then I scolded them for their behavior.
Uuh... Rosalie... She doesn't know... Out of the 4 people in our group, she's the only one who doesn't know about my and Isaac's sexual orientation. It's not because I didn't want to, ok a little bit because I didn't want to, but I would have if she didn't say that thing...
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FLASHBACK
The four of us were having a nice tea time at my family's gazebo, chatting and gossiping when Vera decided to be a mischievous little gremlin and do something I didn't ask for. She has been trying to convince me to tell Rosalie about myself because she felt guilty that we seemed to have been leaving her out of something big within our group. Rosalie, even tho she doesn't say it directly, doesn't like Isaac, she doesn't hate him, and they get along well, but she gets a bit weird when he and I act like a couple. This sprouted the ridiculous idea in Vera's head that Rosalie has feelings for either me or Isaac...
See, right? Ridiculous!
I saw her directing a grin at me, and subtly widened my eyes at her, warning her to not do something unnecessary, to which she just kept grinning.
"So, have any of you heard the rumor about this new book that has been circulating lately?" Vera asked, gauging our reaction.
I pretended to subconsciously hold Isaac's hand who was also eyeing Vera suspiciously, he also seemed to have caught on to what she was trying to do. He felt my hand and locked eyes with me for a second, he smiled sweetly at me like always, but if you look closely, a helpless look was there in his eyes. He also didn't know how to stop this nonsense, it would look weird if they suddenly stopped her to change the topic.
So we both decided to just let it happen and resignedly looked back at Vera. Rosalie was already looking at her intrigued.
"There's this book circulating, that has been causing quite a bit of a stir due to its main characters' preferences. The main character is a female who falls in love with another lady, and there are also men who fancy other men. I'm very curious about this really, I'd like to get a copy myself, but I've been unlucky with my search." She said while sending us a quick glance before focusing on Rosalie's reaction.
Rosalie was a bit taken aback, she had a frown on her face... Fuck, not a good sign... Not a good sign at all...
We 3 just awkwardly stared at her reaction, silently waiting... A pink drop could be heard if one dropped one at this moment. Then she opened her lips...
"I honestly don't know what to say to that, I can't say I'm not curious about the contents of the book, but I also can't say that I can understand or accept the characters you've mentioned, it goes against the what was taught to us, that love is between a man and a woman. I'm not really sure how I feel about it, if I ever meet such people, I won't hate them, I think, it's their life, they could even be lovely people... But I feel like I would be uncomfortable and at a loss as to how I would interact with their kind." Rosalie shared, with a conflicted look.
I could literally feel my heart break, I then realized that I still had this tiny hope that we could be something... But now it's, confirmed. She and I, never gonna happen...
Rosalie was still distracted with her own thoughts so luckily she didn't see my heartbroken expression, but our other companions did. They cast worried glances towards me, Vera mixed with regret and sorry...
FLASHBACK END
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Back to present
ROBIN'S POV
After that, Vera apologized to me over and over... She said that aside from not wanting to leave out Rosalie from the group's secret, she also noticed that I had a thing for Rosalie. Which I denied.
I told them that while I do in fact find Rosalie attractive, and had she not been a good friend of mine, I would've also made a move on her like my other lady friends discreetly. But she is my friend, my best friend, so that's a NO-GO for me. And also Rosalie is straight.
Both of them seemed unconvinced about my statement but chose to just not comment.
That event did lead me to have more trysts for a while, resulting in my sudden increase in popularity amongst the circle of women, not that I wasn't already popular before, but this was a bit different... In modern times, they would be called overly enthusiastic fans, admirers, or a more fitting word would be a groupie? They are pretty obedient and already made an agreement amongst themselves that I do not belong to anyone, conveniently forgetting my beard named Isaac. They even made a little club and had their little gatherings, which I attended now and then, ALONE... The scene there can be a bit raunchy for even the no longer pure.
I did take Rosalie and Vera there a few times, but whenever I did, I made sure to tell my lady friends to behave, and with a promise of something good later.
Rosalie was confused at the sudden shift in the social circle, and she seemed a bit discontent about all the women getting close to me, but I guess it should be a normal reaction, she does like having the attention on her, but I suddenly had a big chunk of it... she still did tho, men adored and flock to Rosalie, they tried doing it to me too, but I shut them down completely, my brother acted as a shield, and I'm also posing as being in a relationship.
~~
Cullen's Family living room
I was currently painting my dad's toenails pink while he read the newspaper, mom was brushing my hair, and my brother was looking at his own toenails that are now also painted pink. I saw him about to pick on them.
'Don't you dare, they're not dry yet.' I told him.
He just raised his hands in surrender and let out a bit of a chuckle.
Why am I painting their nails? Just because. Why pink? Because I want to teach them that stereotyping for genders is stupid. But as expected, the males in my family are built different, or they might have already accepted that they can't argue with me, and just resigned themselves to whatever whims I have. They were already gentlemen, but meeting me, going through my rigorous brain was- ehem- my teachings, they've become more positively progressive. Mom loves it, so she let me be.
Today was our weekly bonding time, it's a day where we just stay at home and do stuff together, last week we baked a lot, and we kept some for me and my friends, but the rest was given away to the orphanage.
"Oh, I almost forgot, Charles's sent an invitation for you sweetheart," Mom informed me.
I stopped painting Dad's nails to respond.
*another party? I just went with my little group 2 days ago, I'm not feeling like socializing for a while* I responded, and was about to continue painting nails.
"No hum, it's a wedding invitation, Claire Charles, their eldest daughter seems to be getting married next month," Mom said while double-checking the details in the invite.
"Claire Charles? As in one of your lady friends Claire?" Edward interjected with a raised eyebrow.
Dad who was previously reading the newspaper, had it down and was now listening to us, amused, and made an inaudible Oh.
I wanted to flip him off but held back because our parents were here so I just sent him a glare.
He was smirking, clearly having fun teasing me.
'Just wait when Mom and Dad leave you bitch.' I told him, gritting my teeth.
And the fucker just laughed at me.
Mom and Dad already know about my dalliances with multiple people... They don't exactly approve of it, and Eddie too doesn't... They tried dissuading me from it, but I'm just too darn stubborn, they knew that I might start lying and sneak around if they pushed me too hard, so for now they just let me be, making me promise to be extra careful. Out of respect, I try not to flaunt it in their faces.
"Will you be attending? Are you ok?" Mom asked concerned that I might be upset that one of my partners is getting married.
*Why wouldn't I be? I'm happy for her, she's just a friend* I responded, confused as to why she thinks I would feel differently.
"Yeah right, a friend. A friend who gets under each other's skirts" Edward interjected again with a smirk.
My eyes widened and my mouth agape, I was shocked, and then I felt both annoyed and proud at the same time. He has a different kind of punchable face now.
*Mommy! Edward is being nasty!* I signed exaggeratedly to our mother.
"Edward, stop teasing your sister. And please watch your mouths please, I know both of you are all grown, but none of that at least in front of me and your Dad, it is awkward and weird to hear." Mom said finishing brushing my hair, and now styling it.
Dad laughed at Mom's statement.
I just rolled my eyes at no one.
*whatever, I'll probably go, I'll check with Rosalie if she can be each others plus one*
This earned me a knowing look from all three of them.
*What? She and Claire are also friends, she probably also received an invite, Isaac won't be here next month because of family travel, and for some reason, Vera doesn't like Claire* I explained.
They had this mix of unconvinced look and amusement but did not say anything further.
Unbeknownst to me, this wedding will make me realize that no matter what era, bitches be crazy.
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AN: I wanted to skip a day of upload, but when I opened my library to check if there's
an update on the novel who had ended an a very annoying cliff hanger... So I decided to write and upload this now.
Regarding the review of that one person, they're becoming more annoying now, purposely coming just to argue. I decided to report them again, talked to the CS about it, hopefully, they can remove the review. Guys I'm so sorry, I can't remove it on my own. If you can just block him on your end so you wont see his post just do it.
Thanks again for all those who reviewed, comments, and gave power stones.
I'm still amazed that some gave more than 1, I guess being a higher level gives you more stones? I only get like 3 a day for free.