Chapter 326: The most miserable.
Sienna changed the skewer from her left hand to right one. She put her right hand around Lina’s shoulder, steady and protective. "Well, you have me, Mija, Serenya, Cyra. You stumbled your way into our little group and you can stay if you wish. Our friendship is not based in mutual exchanges, just annoying each other and rolling our eyes at everything the other says, while making sure we are each other’s biggest backer."
Mija sighed.
Sienna pointed her skewer at the people in the kitchen. "And, you have them too. My mother will take you in as her god daughter if you ask. She is already raising my step-sisters as if they are her own children. The other day I asked her to buy me new slippers and she said she had to buy Suri a pink baby ring jacket. Whatever that is."
Lina let out a snort and she sniggered. "You sound jealous."
It earned an eye roll from Sienna. "I am not jealous. I am saying you will be accepted here, as long as your heart is good. You are the best kind of guest. You pay for food, you brought your own servants, you brought guards, you contribute to the work at home....who can complain? Look around you--this is what friendship and family feels like. Messy, loud, full of chicken and beer."
Lina laughed through her quiet sobs, but her body relaxed against Sienna’s, as though the weight of loneliness had found a temporary anchor.
"I have ale." Uncle Daren shuffled into the kitchen with a big jar. "Tomorrow is a holiday, so I suppose everyone here is sleeping in. Anyone that has to work should not touch it. This stuff is strong."
Ali raised her hand. "I will have some."
"No." A dozen voices shouted.
Sienna added, "Ali, that’s not a children’s drink, it’s for grown ups."
The girl pouted. "Not fair. Why is everything for grown ups?"
"You don’t see any grown-ups eating a turkey leg." Numia replied snarkily.
Her tone, and the look of bitterness on her face said she was unhappy. The woman’s greed had no end lately. It even extended to a child’s turkey leg!
"Buy your own turkey." Sienna fired back.
The atmosphere in the kitchen was about to take an awkward turn thanks to Numia, but grandma Byra stepped in. She shoved a glass of milk into Numia’s hands and pushed her daughter-in-law out of the kitchen. "You are pregnant, you should not be in the smoke. Go back to your cottage."
They had assigned Numia and Christo a cottage that was furthest from the rest after expanding the compound.
Laughter and warmth returned to the kitchen. Sienna still had Lina leaning against her shoulder, eyes red from tears, munching on a skewer, when Mija walked into the kitchen, her expression stormy. She dropped herself onto the empty chair on Sienna’s left with a sigh heavy enough to rattle every plate in the kitchen.
"I can’t stand it anymore," she muttered. "Wayo’s family arranged a blind date for him with some average fox that works as a barista." Her words were sharp.
Lina leaned forward slightly. "Is that the black panther guard of the fox clan? After that murder outside the pharmacy, he became a national sensation for his looks. He is mesmerizing uniform. It is not surprising that the ladies have come calling."
Mija stiffened. "Good for him," she said with bitterness. "A blind date! He didn’t tell me." Her voice rose, shrill with hurt. "How could he keep that from me?"
Sienna raised her hand calmly. "Wait. Why should a man who isn’t dating you have to update you on his dates and relationships?" Her tone was firm, not unkind, but it cut through Mija’s spiraling emotions. "You’re not his keeper. You’re not even his friend. You’re his stalker. Even if maybe, he feels something for you, it doesn’t make you his jailer. Until a relationship is confirmed, he is allowed to see other people."
Mija’s lips trembled. "But he is my man. I told you about the dream--"
"The dream which warned you about ruining his life." Sienna cut in sharply. "Mija, dreams are not chains. You can’t hold someone hostage to your imagination and desires or fears. Do you even know if you love him? If you truly do, then let him live. If you care for him, you trust him to choose. It is not wrong to express your affection for him and pursue it, but you can’t force him to choose you. For all you know, he had the same dream as you and he is trying to avoid the bad ending."
If she was Wayo and had the dream, she would not choose Mija either. At least, not if she didn’t have the confidence to hold on firmly to the relationship without regrets.
Mija’s face twisted, torn between anger and sorrow. She kicked the table suddenly, a skewer fell to the ground. "It’s not fair!" she cried, pouting like a child. And then, to Sienna’s surprise, her voice broke. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "It’s not fair...I don’t want to lose him. I just want to be with him."
Sienna rolled her eyes. "He is a person, you have to consider his feelings in this matter. If he doesn’t want to be with you, it cannot be forced."
Mija looked away, her jaw tight, her hands clenched. When she looked back, she leaned her against Sienna, warm tears falling down her cheeks. "Why am I so miserable?"
"I am the most miserable." Lina whined.
Sienna sighed, feeling the weight of two bodies pressed against her mow--the princess sobbing into her shoulder and Mija leaning heavily on her other side. She was pinned between their grief, their confusion, their tangled emotions.
Elias glanced over from the grill, his eyes narrowing slightly at the commotion, but he said nothing, letting Sienna handle it.
"What is going on with these two?" Grandma Jess asked.
Lina sobbed louder, clutching Sienna’s sleeve. "I am so miserable. I am the most miserable, most beautiful princess alive."
Mija would not be outdone. "I am so pitiful. I am the most pitiful, most beautiful woman alive."
For a moment, the kitchen was silent except for the crackle of the grill and the sound of two broken hearts leaning against Sienna, who sat steady, eating her dinner. She wished she had a glass of ale at that moment, because she was the most miserable.