(A/N) Copyright © TURTUREL, 2021.

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No sound could be heard inside the Black's couple's room, no movement either, for some several moments already.

The cold stone faced man... well he had become a true statue, not even a blink to moisten his eyes he made, no breathing could be heard either, he seemed incapable of reacting. And Aria could be said to be almost in the exact same state.

Her inner turmoil from her nightmare had momentarily broken her restraints, coupled with Zane's declaration of love, she had inadvertently done something out of character. Realizing the boldness she never knew she was capable of, the fleeting daringness to initiate a kiss herself, her pale expression from before immediately turned to a bright red hue. Her cheeks seemed to be inked in a bright crimson color, as she retracted her hands quickly from the frozen man's neck.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to..." She stuttered her hardly found words.

Hearing her apology and feeling the loss of warmth from around his neck, only then did Zane finally snap out of his dazed state.

"Tell me again!" He demanded quickly, brushing aside her denial. It was hard to distinguish reality for him as well, so he desperately wanted her confirmation, a declaration of love he would force out of her no matter what. A fact proven by the distance that instantly vanished between them, as the somber man became the one who was now wrapping his arms around her waist, bringing back the small body that had wanted to separate from him.

"T-tell you what? I-I didn't say anything." She immediately denied, ironically relieved and sad at the same time. For him to accept and love her, she could wish for nothing more, but as an eighteen year old girl, the embarrassment was too much... the awkwardness was already too difficult to handle.

From a dream in which he was harshly refusing her, to a reality in which he was holding her so close, not allowing her to move in the slightest...the transition was too abrupt.

"No retractions are allowed. I heard you loud and clear already. You love me." He stated confidently bringing his forehead close to hers, as a small smile cheekily appeared at the corner of his mouth. It was surely reality, she had really said it, he thought. The warmth of the small body in his arms and the lingering touch on his lips could not be a lie.

"You..." Aria was at a loss for words, as her erratic heart was having a hard time trying its best to calm itself, unsuccessfully though. He really wasn't giving her heart any chances to settle down.

"D-don't laugh, you said it first." She righteously accused, trying to separate herself from Zane, but the tall man unfortunately wouldn't budge, no matter how she pushed her hands against his chest.

"That I did, because I love you, so I had to say I love you. If you love someone naturally you will tell them you love them. So how could I not say I love..." He repeated as his smile grew wider. If he had said it first how she put it, then it meant she said it second. Aria wasn't realizing she was indirectly confirming it for him again.

"E-enough already." She tried to stop him. There were too many "I love you" in a single phrase. Her cheeks were incapable of getting any redder, but somehow her blush still increased with each word of love he said..

"I will stop, if you say it again. If you can't say it, then I can say I love you, until you can say it also." He confidently declared, his earlier stiffness was already long gone. As long as Aria loved him, everything else wouldn't matter.

"I love you, I love you, I love you..." He started to repeat, with a slow mesmerizing voice.

"I love you! So stop saying it, my heart can't take it..." She finally relented unwillingly with a much louder voice than she would normally use. This man would be the death of her.

With her love declaration, Zane did not need any more words as he kissed Aria deeply, barely allowing the small woman some time to breathe.

At his gesture, Aria realized that her course of action had worsened her situation rather than finally settle Zane down. She had fanned flames that she had no way of stopping, as the somber man kissed her until her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest.

But what was weird about it, ironic even... was the fact she felt her heart more settled in her current body than it had ever been. As though the feelings of it slowly exiting her chest had been only an illusion. The severed chains that were rusting away, were sealed into their place firmly again... not a single one of them missing.

The earlier fatigue from before was no longer present. No burdens where weighing on her mind anymore, replaced by a complete relaxation which numbed Aria's body, making her finally succumb to a real sleep this time, one unhinged by terrible nightmares.

Zane, on the other hand, was as wide awake as possible. He didn't dare to fall asleep, afraid it would all turn out to be a dream.

The vivid memories kept his mind active, and his heart even more so. He could hardly wait for morning to come, for the two of them to start a true loving relationship.

Staying up for a long time, naturally made Zane get up late also. It was already past 10am when he finally opened his eyes, an unexpected late hour for the man who never got up after 7am since he had started working.

With hazy eyes, still very much out of it, he searched for Aria, feeling strange at the lack of warmth inside his arms. Rubbing his eyes a bit, he opened them wider only to frown his eyebrows as he checked the bed and then the well lit room. No sign of Aria could be seen anywhere.

The small woman was an early bird as well, she would almost always get up at the same time as him, even more so because she would get hungry. Checking the phone that he had placed on the nightstand, and seeing the late hour, it could be that Aria had already gone down to eat.

Had she been too shy to see him bright and early in the morning because of the previous night? Was this why she hadn't woken him up as well? He pondered regretful he hadn't eaten breakfast together as he rose on his feet. Though a small smile still adorned the corner of his mouth pleased.

***

Pushing gently against the claps of the white grand piano, a clear but slow melody resounded inside the bright room, along with an equally tender womanly voice.

Joyful to touch her favorite musical instrument again, the small woman did not stop playing the song at all, although it was already the fifth time she had sung it. Even if it was not one of the famous melodies Zane had offered to teach her, the simple song was still enough to satisfy Aria's wish to play the piano.

In actual fact, if she were to admit, she had really wished to play the song Zane had started teaching her about some weeks ago. But how could she remember to play it, after only receiving lessons for a week?

Don't get her wrong, at first she had really tried to play it, but no matter how much she concentrated on her fingers and the right claps... the sound the piano made was nothing like the famous piece. Though Canon was quite a slow beginner accommodating song, it was still difficult one to play for a novice like her.

As such, for now "Twinkle, Twinkle little star" would still have to suffice. And fortunately the twins agreed with her a hundred percent. At least that was how Aria thought of their excited small kicks, a sure approval of her style of playing the piano.

With a genuine small smile on her lips, feeling giddy at knowing Zane's true feelings, happy at sensing the boys she had come to love with all her heart in her womb, and grateful because of no stillness episode occurring since she had woken up, she kept on playing tirelessly.

"Okay. Shall we play it one more time?" She asked looking down towards her protruding belly. During the last song the children seemed to have lost their enthusiasm a bit.

"Ehhh... have I already bored you with it?" No kicks in response to her question did she sense this time at all. Perhaps listening to the same song over and over again wasn't as agreeable to the boys as she had previously thought, she mulled over.

"Your father hasn't taught me enough yet... we'll have to make do with this... if not we'll have to listen to a song from a CD. But mind you guys, you'd be missing on a quality live performance." She seriously informed the two unborn babies. It was as though she was really talking to two people who could actually understand and really verbally reply to her questions.

"Let's decide by majority. Two kicks means I don't play anymore, and we'll use a CD player. If you don't kick, I'll keep playing." She cheekily decided, using a sure way to have her choice picked. She still wanted to play the piano for a bit. Staying at the apartment for several weeks, there had been one true thing she had really missed, beside the people she had really gotten along with of course, and this thing was the piano.

"Hey, what do those kick mean? You really prefer to listen to a CD rather than to your mom? That's not nice. You aren't even born yet, and you are already rebelling?" She continued scolding seemingly upset, though her hands were indicating otherwise, as she gently caressed the slightly deformed part where the twins were.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Zane asked the older woman who was standing in the hallway, looking a bit melancholic towards the ajar door of the music room.

The fragile cheerful woman who was happily playing the piano, although she didn't know complicated songs or had an elegant pose, she still very much resembled Eliza. The smile, the mischievous thinking, the teasing... everything was exactly the same.

It was as though she had gone back to the past, and got to see her long lost friend.

Zane had renovated the place, even the piano was another than the initial one, not even the person herself was someone closely related to her... but the current scene still reminded her of her adolescence, of the two girls from the old photo album... of her and especially of Eliza.

And the song, it was the one the true Aria learnt to sing... truly mysterious.

"Oh... I heard someone speaking and playing the piano in the music room." Victoria briskly turned around, feeling a bit guilty at being caught glancing unseen towards Aria.

Moving near his mother, Zane peeked inside the room and saw the small woman, who had already started playing the song again, ignoring the twins' "protest".

"Aria likes to play that song for the children. I'm currently teaching her others too, but that one is the one she knows best.

And you said you heard her speak to someone?" Zane asked looking from left to right, scanning the whole room. It didn't appear there was anyone beside her.

"Yes. I thought so, but she was actually speaking to the children." Victoria remarked with a slow amused tone, trying to not disturb the still unaware beauty.

"Ohh... She does that sometimes, when she thinks she's all alone. She also scolds them when she thinks they are answering opposite of what she wants their response to be. What's strange is that the children really appear to want to do the opposite. It's really funny." He chuckling explained the antics of his cute wife.

"She really seems to be happy with being a future mother. I didn't think Jillian would ever be capable of acting like this. She always seemed uninterested in anything and everything, especially regarding your marriage." Victoria stated sincerely, without a hint of a sarcastic or mocking tone, she was only describing facts, nothing more.

"She really is happy, mom. Ever since she woke up from the coma, she has truly been enthusiastic about the children." Zane affirmed honestly then looked towards the room again, only to see Aria who, having noticed their presence, had already stopped playing the piano.

"G-good morning!" She greeted quickly and rose up on her feet, while she clung to the piano for support.

How long were the two people in the hallway? She asked herself. Had they seen her talking to herself? Why was she always caught in such embarrassing situations? It wasn't enough that she was feeling nervous to see Zane's face after the previous night, now she had also made a fool of herself.

"Good morning, little one. You should have woken me up to assist you to go downstairs and eat breakfast together." Zane replied to her greeting in a good mood, even though his words were scolding her, while he was entering the room to hold her hand and help her walk towards the hallway.

"You were sleeping deeply, so I didn't want to wake you up. Also Anne helped me, I wasn't alone." Aria replied with a bit of a smile, though there was an obvious fluster to her tone.

First it was because she didn't know what they heard, and secondly it was because of Zane's closeness to her. She couldn't tell whether it was only an impression, or it was reality, but the man seemed even more glued to her than usual as he held her hand. There seemed to be a more intimate approach than in the past, Aria felt, with a small blush tinging her cheeks at the thought.

"You were worried about me? If you had given me a kiss I would have woken up in a second." Zane slowly probed her for answers, while he lowered his head a bit towards her face's level for a second, as though he was asking her in secret.

Aria's fluster grew even more because of the man, who besides twisting her words, also seemed to lack any sense of restraint and diplomacy at this moment. When had she said what he was asking her? And he was also telling her to give him a kiss??

Just because she dared do it once, it didn't mean she would always be that audacious. Though she did give him a feather like kiss when she had woken up. But the man who claimed he would have sensed her in a second, just didn't wake up. Not that she would inform him of this.

Not knowing how to reply to his words as they had already reached in front of Victoria, making her even more unsettled and awkward, she felt saved as Anne appeared on top of the stairs.

"Madame, there's an hour and a half left until your doctor's appointment. You should start getting ready for it." The maid informed respectfully. The ride to the hospital from the mansion took about an hour, so Aria only had half an hour left to dress and wash up.

"Okay." Aria replied relieved, feeling thankful for the doctor's appointment that she usually was not really keen about. Although she really liked seeing the twins during the doctor's visits, the echograph wasn't done on her every single time, so the usual talks with the doctor still reminded her about the past, when she was a patient.

She wasn't feeling that bad about going to the OBGYN department, especially since the doctor was checking on the state of the twins, but she still had felt the visits were a hassle. She felt like this every time she went, but now... now she welcomed it with opened arms.

"Mom, do u you want to come with us and see your grandchildren?" Zane asked Victoria, who for some reason appeared a bit lonely in his eyes. If she were to see with her own eyes the monitor that showed the boys, hear with her own ears their tiny but strong heartbeats... it should take her out of her sadness.

"No, forget it. You guys go by yourselves." Victoria denied dismissively. She could see Jillian and Zane were getting along quite well now, she didn't want to intrude on their time together.

"You really will be missing out if you don't come. Aren't you curious to meet the twins?" Zane tried to convince her further. He could tell she wasn't refusing because she really didn't want to come.

"Yes, please come." Aria also strengthened Zane's offer. To be with one more person, rather than alone with Zane, her shyness and nervousness should be lessened... she hoped.

At their insistence, and because of the convincing reason of seeing the children, Victoria refused no longer, and tagged along to the doctor's appointment.

And just as Zane expected, the older woman's mood really did improve when the children appeared on the monitor. Being her son, naturally no matter how expressionless his mother was, he could notice the warmth and love in her eyes, when the two peanuts kept moving around mischievously inside Aria's belly, barely allowing the doctor get a clear image of their faces.

***

"Should we also have lunch while we are in the city? For a change in scenery." Zane asked the two ladies who were in the backseat, while he slowly drove on the road.

To spend some quality time with the two most important women in his life, as he felt at the peak of happiness, he had even refused the driver's help and had decided to let the man have the day off, preferring to drive himself.

"You can decide, I have no problem with it." Victoria replied disinterested in the matter. She had only drunk a coffee in the mansion's office in the morning, but wasn't really feeling hungry. The image of the two little babies moving around occupied her whole mind. Just like Zane before, she was only now really feeling she was going to become a grandmother.

"Yes, you can decide it." Aria also added affirmatively. She had never been to the restaurant before, so the idea picked her interest, but she wasn't a person who would outwardly express her inner wishes.

"Alright. Then let's go to our usual one." Zane suggested and had already changed the direction of the car towards its location. Of course the usual one meant the restaurant where he would once in a while have a meal with his mother, not his and Aria's. If he was to think about it, perhaps this would be the first time he was eating with Aria at a restaurant.

Because of the unanimous agreement, Aria's enthusiasm grew more, and it transformed to wonder when she saw the "usual place".

Led by a professional dressed man in a black suit towards an all glasses wall room, surrounded by a dazzling setting completed by an intricate and even more sparkling chandelier, vases of fresh flowers on every table, vintage designed wood tables and seats, delicate embroiled table cloth... she had never seen anything like it.

"Would you like your usual private room, sir?" The man asked as polite as possible. The Blacks family was a regular client of the restaurant and also well-known businessmen, as such his manner were on point perfectly.

"Mom, would it bother you if we stay in the common room today?" Zane asked, looking to his right side. He hadn't missed Aria's delight at the sight of the current room, and knowing that the private room was an enclosed space with not as much light, he didn't think it would hurt to dine with everyone else in one place for once.

Malcom had also told him that it would do Aria good, to be out in public more. If they would eat in private, than it really wouldn't be any different from having their meal at home.

"The common room is really