30 | ≠ beginning

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Rainbows come out after dark rainy storms. Rainbows shine like a little secret, shining when no one expects them. Nathan walked into my life like a rainbow disguised as a storm and turned my whole world around.

Rainbows are what I've been experiencing ever since we both told each other that we were in love. Not in the sense that it's always colourful, but in the sense that we know that our silly little fights, which sometimes escalate into more, are quite pointless.

It's been about two months since that day. It was my final exam today, officially finishing last among Mia, Eli and Nathan. Our junior years got over today, marking the beginning of summer. I've bagged an internship close to home, whereas Nathan has plans of going to New York to do a quick course in Ethical Hacking. We're going to be apart for a few months, but that is okay. Because much to my Dad's chagrin, we've decided to move in together for the senior year.

Nathan had asked me, quite nervously, about how I felt about living with someone who wasn't Mia or my parents. I had pondered over it as I poured the tomato basil sauce into the chicken I was making for the lasagna and answered that I didn't mind it as long as I was comfortable with that person. What I hadn't consciously noticed then was the fact that I wasn't even living with Mia at this point, Nathan at our apartment and Mia always at his.

Almost all his stuff was here, and all her stuff was there. Sure, on most days, we four just hung around in one apartment, sometimes talking about nothing in particular, other times doing our work in comfortable silence.

So when he casually asked me if I wanted to live with him, it went something like this.

"Maybe I should permanently move here," he said, half-joking and half-serious.

"Do it," I nodded with a piece of lasagna in my mouth.

His jaw fell open as he stared at me, "You're kidding."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Nay, when was the last time you went back to your apartment?"

"Last week?" he said, but it came out more like a question. He saw my smug smile and shook his head, "No, but you're not getting it. I'm supposed to ask, and you're supposed to scream your head out and say yes."

"You're not asking for my hand in marriage, Wright."

And then he had muttered something under his breath which sounded an awful lot like 'yet', but before I could point it out, I was picked up in his arms and smothered with kisses.

Needless to say, our lasagna was long forgotten that night.

Ma took a little convincing, but seeing how happy it made us, she agreed. Dad gave Nathan another of his infamous glares, which didn't see any signs of wavering until Ma said, "Just don't give us grandchildren yet, thank you."

One sentence is all it took to mortify us and break Dad's glare, making him laugh quite loudly with Ma.

My parents have the weirdest sense of humour.

That brings me back to the present day when I'm done with my exams, and it's my last day at the Bakery before I rejoin a couple of months later. Shaye looks crestfallen, knowing that Mia and I won't be there alongside her during the summer.

"Why does Mia have to go too?" Shaye wails, grabbing the attention of a few customers.

"Ya, I'll just stay here and forget about my life-changing opportunity to intern as the assistant of the assistant of the assistant of Adelaide Wiley," Mia says, walking out with a tray full of cupcakes in her hand.

Oh, did I mention Mia was going to New York too? One of her favourite directors of all time is shooting a movie in New York for the next couple of months, and she has struggled and worked hard to get this internship. Eli, on the other hand, has decided to stay in town and train with Coach Patel, because with Nathan giving up his quarterback position for the final year, Eli's first in line to get it.

"Yes, please stay here," Shaye begs her, and Mia rolls her eyes.

"You're gonna go to ICE in two months. You're gonna be in New York for a while," Mia remarks while walking back into the kitchen.

I look at Shaye and find uncontrollable excitement all over her face, "Sometimes I can't believe it. Culinary school is a big deal right?"

"It is. We should be mad at you. We're at least coming back for another year. Who knows when you'll be back."

She giggles in excitement like a small girl when Mrs Warren walks out of the backroom and calls out for me. I look at Shaye, and she gives me a small smile before getting back to her work, and I follow Mrs Warren into the backroom. I enter it, and she closes the door just enough that no one outside can hear us.

"Would you work overtime today?" she asks, but unlike all the other times, there's no real snark behind her tone.

I take a look at the lady in front of me, the light from the gap in the door shining on her face in a straight line, the same lady who used to have some sort of power over me, but not anymore.

Because I forgot to mention, I did say a couple of no's in these months.

"No, ma'am. It's my last day today, and I wanna enjoy it with my friends," I say politely, yet I feel my heart beating erratically inside my chest, scared that she might force me to, and I would have no other option but to agree.

Surprisingly enough, I see her face stretch into a small smile, and she nods, turning away from me for a brief moment. She retrieves something from a box, and she turns back around to face me.

"I'm sorry," she says, grabbing my hand from my side and placing a thick envelope into my palm. I watch with wide eyes as she beckons me to open it, and upon doing so, a loud gasp leaves my mouth.

"I always meant to give it to you, but I never really felt like you were confident enough to receive it," she says, and I furrow my eyebrows.

"What does that even mean?" I ask, confused.

She sighs, "I believe in tough love. You have to work hard for something. Whenever I asked you to work overtime, you just agreed like you had no voice. I hated that. So I decided to keep your overtime money with me till the day you asked me for it."

I let out a low, huh, and she rolls her eyes, "Break out of your shock and get back to work. Have a great summer Aliana," and walks right out, passing by me.

"Huh," I repeat and nod to myself, walking out in a daze like state.

"Earth to Grasshopper," Nathan beside me, makes me jump in surprise.

"Okay, why do you look so confused?" Nathan asks, and I wordlessly pass the envelope to him.

"Woah, that's a bunch of money," he says, confused as to why I handed him the money.

Finally finding my voice, I say, "It's all my overtime money."

His eyes widen, and I laugh, "Apparently I was supposed to ask for it."

He furrows his eyebrows in the same confusion I'm feeling and we both just shrug it off.

The overhead bell rings, signalling someone's arrival in the shop, and I take my position behind the cash counter, Nathan walking over to his regular place.

"Welcome to The Bakery. What can I-" I start before looking at my customer.

And when I see her, all the air from my lungs disappears.

"Hey Ali," Evelyn Rivers smiles from her wheelchair and my jaw drops. I find myself speechless for the second time in ten minutes as I see the girl I couldn't save looking absolutely beautiful in front of me.

"Evelyn," I breathe out, and her eyes get a little watery.

"Surprise!" she manages to choke out before I rush out from behind the counter and pull her into the tightest hug I can muster.

She laughs, and when I pull back, I find her looking at me with the widest smile I've ever seen on her face.

"What are you doing here?" I exclaim and hearing my excitement, Mia walks out from the kitchen, pausing in her steps when she notices who I'm talking to. Evelyn's eyes dart to her, and I see recognition within them as she smiles at her.

"Hi, Mia!"

Mia chuckles, "Evelyn Rivers. It's been a long time since I've seen you."

"It has!" Evelyn says before turning back to me, "Ali, you've got a minute? I gotta talk to you."

I look back at Shaye, and she nods wordlessly, making me look at Nathan, who I notice is clenching his jaw in defence, knowing that she's Elliot's sister. I nod at him reassuringly, making him relax and nod back.

Leading Evelyn to the corner table right next to Nathan's, I pull out a chair and find her looking at Nathan in nervousness.

"Evelyn, meet my boyfriend Nathan. Nathan, you know Evelyn," I introduce them both, and she visibly relaxes and shakes his hand.

"I can step away if you want," he says, and she shakes her head.

"I know about you. I would like you to also stay here please," she says, and he looks at me to confirm. I smile and pat the chair next to me, telling him to take a seat.

She takes a few deep breaths before starting, "I came here because I came to know what Elliot did."

We both stay silent as she pauses to look at the Bakery and back at us, "I met him today. Right before coming here actually. He has received two years sentence as your boss filed a pretty strong report against him.

He wanted us to bail him out, but my Aunt refused to do that, wanting him to learn a lesson, even if it meant for him to lose two years of his life behind bars.

I've also read the Twitter thread. It made me incredibly sad, but I've accepted that I don't have a brother anymore."

I look at Nathan, and we both communicate our shock silently, not knowing what to respond. She takes our silence as her window to continue, "When I met him, I couldn't recognise the man I used to call my brother. He has harboured a great deal of hatred for you ever since that day, which has stemmed from his inability to accept any repercussions for his wrongdoings."

Her maturity pierces my heart when I realise that she was forced to grow up quickly. She didn't have a chance to be a child after her parents passed away, and now she has seen more pain than most people her age have.

She places her hand on top of mine on the table and looks me in the eye, "I wanna apologise for everything he has done to you, to your friends."

"You don't need to apologise on his behalf. You've done nothing wrong," I say, smiling at her. I want to reassure her that now she's gonna be alright, now no one can hurt her, but I keep quiet, letting her let it all out.

She looks away and casts her eyes downwards, "But he's blood. I need to apologise."

"Evelyn," Nathan starts, and I look at him to find him smiling, "If there's one thing I've learnt this year, it's to not hold yourself accountable for someone else's actions. And family doesn't end with blood."

He looks at me and back at her, "And regarding the earlier statement about not having a brother, from now on you have me. And with me comes my elder brother and Eli, my best friend. So you have three brothers already!"

She chuckles, looking back at us, and after a few seconds of trying to gauge our expressions, she lets out a breath and smiles again.

"Thank you," she says, and we both smile back.

"Anyways, where's Aunty now?" I ask her about her Aunt's whereabouts, and she looks around.

"She was right here," she says, confused. She looks off in the distance and smiles as if she's realising something personal, and shakes her head, looking at us with a new glow over her.

We hear the overhead bell ring, and in walk Noah and Oliver, looking around to find us. When they both spot us, they walk towards us, "Come on, Ali's shift is over."

I look at Evelyn, only to find her staring at Noah, who's greeting Shaye, and I see a small blush forming on her cheeks.

I smirk internally, "Noah, Oliver, meet Evelyn."

When they both greet her, her eyes linger on Noah, and when he gives her a small smile, her small blush spreads to her entire cheeks, making her pale cheeks turn red. She looks back at me and notices my smirk, casting her eyes downwards instantaneously and lets her hair curtain her face. Noah, oblivious to this exchange, takes a seat on the table right next to her, and I roll my eyes.

A few seconds later, I see from the corner of my eye a lady approaching us. I turn to her and immediately recognise her as Evelyn's Aunt. When her gaze falls on me, she smiles instantly.

"Aliana, it's so good to see you," she gushes, pulling me into a hug as I get up to meet her.

"Hi, aunty! Evelyn told me you were here," I greet, and she nods.

"I was just looking around. I knew you'd keep an eye on her for a while even without me telling you to," she says, looking at Evelyn who's busy conversing with Oliver, her face illuminated with pure joy after forming a quick friendship with him. Her aunt's face holds a motherly expression as she watches her sister's clone smile freely after so long of not being able to.

"I've always been scared to leave her alone. She has had three close ones taken away from her, two because of God's will and one because of his irresponsibleness," she says, keeping her eyes trained on her. She smiles and looks at me, "But seeing how you were there for her every time Elliot wasn't, I knew that she sees you as a sister she never had.

So when I saw you two conversing along with your boyfriend, I took my time to take a little breather for myself."

I reciprocate her smile, realising why Evelyn smiled to herself, knowing that her Aunt trusts me enough to give us much needed privacy. A few minutes pass, with none of us saying anything until she breaks the silent spell.

"We should leave now. Got to drive back home," she says, and I nod, calling out Evelyn's name from where I'm standing. She looks at me and her aunt, instantly realising what my call means. She looks a bit disappointed but is quick to mask it, saying her byes to Oliver, Noah and Nathan.

But something in me tells me that she's gonna meet them soon enough.

I watch as she and Oliver exchange numbers, promising to stay in touch, and after a few minutes of talking with everyone, they both leave for home.

"Hey, let's close up?" Mia says. I nod and help her close the shop. By the time we're done, we find the three guys joined by Eli as we plan to spend the week together before having to leave for our respective personal plans.

Walking away from the Bakery and towards our apartment, Nathan intertwines his fingers with mine, just like he has done since the time we started dating, and I look at him to find him smiling while conversing with our friends.

"Evelyn's cute," Oliver starts, causing all of us to look at him.

"She is, isn't she?" I nod, encouraging him to continue when I notice Noah trying to seem disinterested by looking at his phone.

"You think she has a boyfriend?"

"She can do better than you for sure," Noah jabs his brother in the side, and Oliver rolls his eyes.

"We'll see. I'll convince her to come here for college, and then we'll see," he says confidently, and I laugh internally about how Evelyn had her eyes set on Noah.

This seems like a recipe for disaster.

While they continue their conversation, I look up at the starry sky and smile, saying a small thank you to the universe. Sure, life isn't perfect, there are a lot of things I have to figure out for myself, but I know now that rainbows exist. Meeting Evelyn today sealed the message, that now it's time for me to finally let go of everything and learn from the past, not stay in it. And finally, looking at the friends I've made during this year, I say another thank you to whatever brought Nathan to the Bakery that one night.

After all, teaching the girl how to say no could only be done with the help of a lot of chocolate, new friendships and with just a tad bit of love sprinkled on top.

⋈ ⋈ ⋈

*sobbing*

I legit cannot handle. This is the last chapter you guys. After this only thing remaining is the Epilogue and that's it. Phew. What a rollercoaster ride this was. Anyway, I'll write a whole sob mess after the Epilogue but right after I post this chapter, I'm doing a cute little q&a on my Instagram (anyayayaaa) so if you want to ask questions or just chat, I'm gonna be there for a bit! Also also, did it feel rushed? I really really hope it didn't, but at the same time, I really wanted to tie up any loose threads I could haha. Is it good?

Anywayyyy, Question of the weeeeek!

Q. Do you believe in manifestation and the power of the universe?

Okay I'm gonna go now! See y'all in the Epilogue!! Thank you thank you thank you so much for all your love and support. I love love love you allllll <3

Love,

Anya <3

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