So, a field-trip it was… I guess.

I bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen on the first floor.

“Hey.”

My parents smiled at me, my dad ruffling a hand over my head, which I barely managed to move out of before he did too much damage. I smoothed my hair back into place and gave him a disgruntled look – which he laughed at.

Ignoring him, I turned to my Mom.

“Minnie sent a message.”

“Oh?”

She turned around, drying her hands after putting the last dish on the rack that drained into the sink.

“Mhm. She wants me to meet her at that beach we went to for the girl’s trip.” I paused, realizing I had no idea what day she was actually planning on being at the beach. “Soon?”

“Okay. We can come with you.”

Frantically trying to keep my face neutral and come up with an excuse simultaneously, I decided to open the fridge, keeping my face out of sight. I pulled an apple from inside and closed the door, attempting to make a face to suggest that was a terrible idea.

Because it kind of was, if Minnie was telling me not to bring anyone. I assumed it also meant not telling everyone why too.

“Uh… no? Can I make it more like a vacation?”

I took a big bite of the apple, noticing the amused albeit concerned expressions on my parents’ faces, so I shrugged.

“It’s not that important,” I lied through my teeth, hoping they wouldn’t notice. “Come on, I feel like I haven’t seen her in ages!” And there. The lie was accompanied by a truth. “I want girl time, not… hovering,” I added, unable to hide the grimace I had at those words.

And… drum roll…

They didn’t notice the lie.

But they sighed instead. Dramatically. As they do.

Right before they either give in or scold you.

Mom was the first to speak.

“Then, at least take Jane with you, please. It’ll ease our minds.”

“Your Mom’s right. It’s better than going alone,” my dad added in as he put a hand on mom’s shoulder, which she patted lightly with her own.

Ah, yes, the cousin-sister fighter who would serve as a bodyguard. I got it loud and clear. Because I can’t go anywhere alone… not that I minded the company. It was better if I didn’t go alone, honestly.

“I will,” I conceded, knowing they wouldn’t allow for any less than that. I was just thinking of the benefits of having Jane along. A long car ride without anyone there to talk with… was totally boring.

I’d grown up constantly surrounded by family, by people… that time to myself, with my own thoughts, was quite nearly deafening. I never knew what to do with myself.

Later that day, Jane showed up at the house. Lee had stayed back at their new pack, to oversee construction things, and to stay at his parents’ place. I’d asked her if she’d come with me while we were in the living room, chilling on the couches, knowing all of the adults in the house were listening in… not that Jane and I weren’t adults, because we were, it was just the more adulty-adults. The older ones. Our parents. Literally, both of our fathers and mothers. And considering that our mothers were sisters, and we all lived in the same abnormally large house for nearly our whole existences so far… yeah. Nothing was too terribly private in the household.

Jane readily agreed to come with. I was the one who hesitated.

“Are you sure? But there’s still work that needs to be done on your house… Don’t you need to be here for that?”

She snorted, rolling her eyes a bit.

“Lee can handle it. If it’s that important, he’ll just call me.” Putting a hand on my shoulder, that strange mix of gentle and firm that I knew she always did. She lowered her voice a bit. “I guess this is me asking for you to forgive me for keeping it from you.”

Ah.

She was talking about her relationship with Lee. Though I hadn’t known how deep it truly ran, I did know she loved him, even if she just always brushed it off and told me it was a crush. Her and Lee had gotten together and kept it a secret. They were true mates, so the second they locked eyes on each other, the second they held hands beyond the age of 13, they knew they were supposedly fated to be together. And I had known, that despite that supernatural connection, they were going to end up together anyway. They’d already gone too far past ‘like’ by the time they found out.

And then they kept that secret for years.

From everyone.

Even though I was her cousin, and like an honorary sister, I was also her best friend. And she hadn’t even told me.

Nobody in our friend group had known, or even guessed.

She didn’t need to ask for forgiveness though. As long as she was happy, and I’d seen her inexplicably happy all those years they were masking the truth, then I was happy for her.

“I kind of already knew about you two though…”

“And a thank you for keeping what you knew a secret., even if you didn’t know everything.” She smiled, taking my hand in both of hers. “Let me come with.”

I grinned.

“Okay.”

“Besides, they’re mainly just working on construction over there. It’s so boring.” She joked, throwing her arm around my shoulders, leaning on me in mock defeat.

I laughed.

“Yeah, okay.”

We started packing up some clothes and necessary items into small bags, laughing and joking and throwing clothes at each other in what was a cousin to pillow fighting – clothes fighting. Note – only use clean clothes. Nobody wants a dirty sock to hit them in the face.

We discussed stuff we wanted to get as souvenirs and places to see while we were there…

And as much as her company was a reassurance to me, if I’d known the future… would I have made this same choice here?

Or would I have made sure to leave her behind?

That… I’d never know the answer to.