Dante

Sometimes life gives you squeezed lemons. And it is almost impossible to get any juice out of them. So how do you make lemonade?

You start from scratch. First, plant a lemon tree and keep watering it until it grows and produces fresh lemons. But what if you don’t have the seeds?

You just buy some or just stop thinking about lemons at all.

These lemons kept annoying me for so long. Every time I faced something emotional, lemons appeared in my mind. Maybe they were kind of stress relieving for me. Or maybe they were just so attached to my brain that they got a place to plant themselves in my mind without permission.

To be honest, I don’t even know why to keep writing my story. I told my therapist that I was fine. Nothing is amazing about me or my life. If my life were a movie, I would rate it zero point one. It is boring and too ordinary. I’m a former student at Berklee University in Brisbane. I was supposed to become a professional violin player. It didn’t happen.

You see, sometimes life brings so much joy into your life that you forget to be grateful for it. This was my case. I was enjoying my life so much with my twin sister that I completely forgot that we would part our ways anyway. When I say part ways, I mean just going to different cities or countries to study, work, or marry. But life had different ideas of parting ways.

You see, Lia decided to study at Berklee College of Music together. She was crazy about the piano, and I was crazy about the violin. We planned to become successful artists and travel all over the world together. Then, meet our future husbands and get married the same day in Sicily.

Originally, we came from Sicily. My Italian dad escaped the country when the government started pressuring the local mafia. He left that life and took my British mom, who at that time was an English teacher at a local school, and ran away to Australia. Yes, they chose the closest country to the South Pole. We still kept visiting there from time to time, until the tragedy happened.

My father has an amazing friend back in Sicily who rules the current mafia. Of course, we don’t talk about it. Never. So this friend has two sons who currently study in Switzerland. We never saw them, since they were in private boarding schools only for elites. They never came out of the country during these thirteen years. The only people we ever met were Joe and his wife, Amelie. The last time we went there, I was 13. Since then, we have just kept in touch through emails and calls.

My father’s little business didn’t survive too long. Seems no one needs good leather bags anymore. It crushed him hard. Because that was something he had a passion for. But he was crushed completely, like those lemons when we found out my sister had lung cancer. I didn’t. I was healthy as a donkey. We did everything possible. Unfortunately, it is impossible to change anything when she’s at level 4…

So the day we got the news, I decided not to lose a second and spend all the time with her.

According to the doctor, we have one more month before losing her completely.

One thing about Brisbane that I love is that it is close to the beach. It is easy to manage to drive a car there and stay the whole day without spending a penny.

That’s what we have done for the last 5 months. Driving the car there, sitting there, playing board games, walking around the beach, and coming back. At first, I was attending my classes like a good puppy. But then I overheard that my parents can’t afford my tuition and her medication at the same time. So I did what any other homo sapiens would. So I QUIT. I pretend to lose interest because I can’t see how my father keeps working overtime as a taxi driver. That was the best decision I’ve ever made in my existence. Because my father now sleeps like any other human in the world.

Walking on the beach isn’t only helpful for Lia, but also for me.

‘Dad said that Joe and his family will visit us next Monday. Excited to see his sons.’ Started the conversation, Lia.

‘Ah, right. I forgot, he has two sons. They’re like a myth. You heard about them, but never saw them.’ We both chuckled, and then she continued.

‘You need to hang out with them more frequently. Who knows, maybe one of them is your destiny.’ She said perfectly, acting like a poet.

‘Oh, God. You’re the one who watered for their pictures back in Sicily. I’m worried about their safety around you. You can make any man feel insecure.’

‘And that is why I’m single.’ We both forced out a laugh. Because we both knew why she was single…

Since she got the news, she broke up with Nathan, her high school sweetheart, without any explanation. And he gave up so easily, he felt like he was waiting for such an opportunity.

We both sank into our deepest thoughts, and I kept pushing her wheelchair without a word. Because those thoughts that I was having weren’t something that needed to be said out loud.

The only beautiful thing that melts our hearts in a good way is the sunset. So I stopped and sat next to her wheelchair.

‘Even if I live a hundred years with you, it won’t be enough. Because the idea of having my identical twin sister is the biggest blessing for me.’ I started looking forward and then into her eyes, to make sure she knew how much she meant to me.

‘Promise me that you will live the life for yourself. I will look up to you, but you must live life fully the way you want.’ Answered Lia while holding my hand in hers.

We both knew there was not much time left. So we must make the best out of it. We stayed there until the sun was completely gone. Then we returned home safe and sound. Once we opened the door, my mom came towards us, excited.

‘Great news. Joe just now said that his sons will arrive in two hours.’

‘But you told us they will come next Monday.’ I asked, surprised.

‘Yes, I said it LAST MONDAY.’

‘Damn it. Time flies fast… So who goes there to pick them up?’ I asked, trying to show some excitement. Even without her answer, I knew whose responsibility they were.

‘You and Lia.’

‘Mom, we drove one hour from the beach…’ Lia protested.

‘Honey, it’s just twenty minutes away, please. Your dad just came back from shopping. Need to prepare food.’

‘Wait, why are you preparing food? I thought they’d stay at the hotel.’

‘Charlotte, they’re family to us. We don’t leave family at some hotel.’

She’s right. They’re the family that we have known since childhood. We'd better show appreciation. When I looked next to me in the hope of seeing Lia, I realised she was long gone. She was preparing herself to meet those two Casanovas for the first time. And I, as a black sheep, have to run for their errands.

Let the Hunger Games begin!

It took Lia an hour to get ready. She also kept pestering me to change out of my grandma's clothes into something more presentable.

“Should I keep a rose in my mouth and drop to one knee when I see them?” I asked sarcastically.

“It depends on what you plan to do after that,” she shot back with a smirk.

“What if I don’t want to do anything with them?”

“Then you’re welcome to join the local lesbian group.”

“Seriously?” I rolled my eyes.

“What? They’re hot as hell. Have you seen Dante? Have you seen Elio?”

“No, I haven’t, and thank God I didn’t. Otherwise, you wouldn’t let me sleep. And why do I remember them as Mario and Luigi?”

Lia burst into laughter, and I couldn’t help it—I cracked up too. We collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, giggling uncontrollably. There’s nothing better than laughing your lungs out with your soulmate. At least, until my dad knocked on the door.

“There are my gorgeous girls. Can you hurry up? Don’t keep them waiting,” he said. “You need to leave now. Oh, and Charlotte—be nice. They’ve been away from family for thirteen years.”

“Dad, I’m not the one who sent them away,” I muttered.

“But you could be the next one to be sent,” Lia joked.

We chuckled, and I got up to leave. Lately, Lia had been feeling so much better, even managing to walk on her own sometimes. Watching her regain some independence made my heart swell.

The cold breeze inside the car played with my hair, making my heart hum with a strange kind of peace. Lia sat beside me, fussing over her already perfect makeup. The late-night city lights stretched before us, illuminating the contrast of townhouses and towering skyscrapers, empty roads and streets alive with music and laughter. Everything felt perfect—at least for now.

When we reached the airport, I prayed we wouldn’t have to wait for hours. Fortunately, they arrived just twenty minutes later.

Lia, ever the dramatic one, had prepared a sign with their names, even though I knew she’d recognise them anywhere. She called guys she found attractive “cookies.”

“Our cookies are walking toward us,” she whispered excitedly, shimmying her shoulders.

“Oh, God. Please make this fast and painless,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

And then I saw them. Two tall, well-built men—one in a beige jacket, the other in dark red. Both grinning as they approached. Lia waved enthusiastically, beaming. I kept it simple with a polite smile—at one of the Marios. I don’t even know why.

“Hello, ladies,” said the one in dark red.

“Good evening, gorgeous ones,” the other added, hugging Lia like an old friend.

“Hey there,” I blurted out. Seriously? That’s the best I could come up with. Oh God…

“Hey, Bella,” the one in red murmured, taking my hand and pressing a soft kiss to the top.

Excuse me? Since when are men this nice? Did I miss something? Did I time-travel? Did I accidentally take Lia’s meds? My skin burned, and before I could stop myself, I blushed. Like an idiot.

“Cookies, this is my sister, Charlotte,” Lia announced proudly.

I snapped my head toward her, horrified. She blinked in confusion before realising what she’d just called them.

“I-I mean… l-l-lookies.”

“Sorry, what are cookies?” Dante—the one in red—tilted his head in question.

“It’s an Aussie slang,” I said smoothly.

“Y-yeah,” Lia chimed in quickly. “It means… look.”

The two men exchanged glances before shrugging.

“I’m Elio,” said the one in beige.

“I’m Dante,” said the hottie in red, locking eyes with me.

Elio stepped forward, pulling me into a warm hug. I responded politely, though my mind was still processing what had just happened.

After the introductions, I offered to take their heavy suitcase, but they both looked at me like I’d just suggested carrying them instead.

“Charlotte, they’re capable of handling their luggage,” Lia muttered, pinching me slightly.

Thankfully, she didn’t make it obvious, saving me from looking even more awkward. We loaded their things into the trunk, and then Elio and Lia took the backseat while Dante sat beside me.

As I drove, Lia and Elio fell into an easy conversation, laughing at something I wasn’t paying attention to. Meanwhile, Dante and I sat in silence, only joining in when the others laughed. Still, I could feel his gaze on me—burning, drilling into my soul.

“So, how was Switzerland?” I asked, needing a distraction.

“It was nice,” he replied, his tone flat.

Not a talker. Noted.

“We didn’t go out much,” he added. “Mostly school, strict schedules from 7 AM until midnight.”

“Thirteen years of that?” I raised a brow.

He nodded. “We had excursions sometimes, but nothing too wild. Just classes, training, and more training. It was… structured.”

“Ouch,” I muttered.

“It was painful,” he admitted, glancing back at Elio. “But I had him with me.”

A brother who adores his sibling. My heart warmed at the thought. It was strange—this easy familiarity between us, like something that could turn into friendship.

Dante looked over his shoulder, watching as Lia rested her head on Elio’s shoulder, both of them fast asleep. We chuckled at the same time.

“How’s she doing?” he asked softly.

“Much better,” I said, forcing a smile. “She’s full of energy. A true warrior.”

But I clenched my jaw, swallowing the words that wanted to escape. The ones I couldn’t say.

Because the truth was… she wasn’t doing better at all.

There was a reason they came back early. The doctors had warned us.

Lia’s sunset wasn’t behind the mountains.

It was much closer than we thought.