"In my humble opinion I would say he joined the marine" Gabe suggested

"The Marine?" Sophia laughed "My bet is that he won the lottery and he is on a big ass cruise dancing with some hot girls in a bikini while we talking"

"Well that sounds more like Colten" Zoey laughed

"I know right" Sophia joined

"Maybe he is in a dance club joining the Magic Mike" Zoey implied

""And he'll do a great job at it" Gabe breathed he rested his head on the palm of his hand and took another deep breathe "I'm jealous of the people who fucked him"

"Seriously?" Alina breathed already annoyed by this conversation, lately their talks would only be about Colten and where he might be not that she didn't wondered about that to but she surely knew how great he was, he was a good person and all of this fake rumors and speculations were absurd to say the least.

"same" Sophia said next, making the other three raise their eyebrows

"How is that possible?" Zoey questioned catching Shopia out of the blu, she hummed not understanding Zoe's point

"Weren't you one of his thousands of butty calls?" Zoey enlightened

"oh...that" Sophia pressed her lips together and bend down her head making Alina and the other two even more curious now

"What you mean with 'oh...that'?" Gabe asked

"Ahm...well look at the time Travis must be waiting for me" Sophia said looking at her wrist which had no clock on and quickly stood up but she was stopped by Zoey and Gabe who grabbed her arms one each and sat her down again in the chair

"What exactly was your relationship with him?" Alina questioned

"I... Well.. You see the thing is, when I said I was his butty call and when he told everyone I was his butty call it was in fact just that"

"What you mean Soph?"

"I asked him to be his butty call and he told everyone I was his butty call..and that's it" Sophia said embarrassed

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Zoey mentioned

"At least with me it was like that, I know some girls who were like that too. We wanted the fame and he would give it to us but we were just that I never kissed him"

"Are you... is this true?" Aline questioned

"Look guys I'm sorry, I was really stupid at that time I thought that I needed to feel wanted in some sort of way and I learned that I only needed to love myself. I honestly should thank him he was the one who introduced me to Travis" Sophia let it out

"After 6 years you tell this...?" Gabe said deeply hurted and shocked

"I'm sorry I couldn't say it because Colten didn't want to. And..honestly when Travis showed up I completly forget about it"

"This is crazy" Alina murmured

"Well..wait... what do we exactly know about him now?" Zoey questioned

"Why didn't you say sooner?" Gabe elbowed Sophia

"You talked bullshit about him all this time SOPHIA! About how he would be at a cruise with dozens of girls while you knew he wasn't like that" Alina defended him

"Well he didn't had thousands of butty calls but he had a few I think?!" Sophia answered

"What you mean ' you think'?"

"Well that's what everyone else would say right?"

"But was it true?" Alina said with a pain on her chest

"I- Well- I don't know"

"Unbelievable" Alina laughed ironacly

"Why are you taking his side suddendly?"Zoey asked confused

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You hate him Alina"

"What if I don't?" Alina said in a louder tune getting up frustrated and leaving the cafe

"Well that's unexpected" Gabe commented

"I'm sorry? But- since when does she get mad at us joking about Colten"

"Since now so maybe we should stop" Zoey commented

"That was weird...maybe it's because his absence?" Gabe implied

"I doubt that" Zoey commented "Don't you think she has been different these last years?"

" More grumpy than the usual?" Gabe asked

"not just that...more impulsive I guess? Maybe bipolar? One second she is quiet another second she explodes "

"Alina was never the talkative type, at least about her feelings so it's somewhat hard to understand her" Gabe comented

"Yeah, remember when she started dating Jake you could actually see she was found of him but if she hadn't told me they were dating and that she liked him I would never guess" Sophia agreed

"Exactly and when she broke up with him" Gabe proceed "She was down, but not the typical heartbreak you see... is just I don't understand what's going on in her mind"

"Do you remember that year?" Zoey questioned and the other two nodded "She was so frustrated by everything at the beginning of the year but then by summer she was weirdly happy"

"Yeah... then when school started and she was a mess again" Gabe remembered thinking of how monotonous Alina was in the begging of the University"

"I don't recall her being that happy these three years as she was in that summer" Sophia joined

"Is seriously weird" Gabe said taking a sip

"Something is going on with that girl" Zoey stated

"Something has been for a long time" Gabe mentioned

"I know I'm not precisely correct after hiding that from you or treating Colten like a playboy but we've been always doing that and I feel like her reaction was way abrupt for the matter" Sophia told them with honest

"Yeah you weren't right, or we ... " Gabe realized "What did we know about Colten back then?"

"That he was the most fuckable man in school " Sophia responded

"Loved soccer" Gabe joined

"Was Alina's bodyguard" Zoey said lastly

"ok... what do we in fact know about Colten now? That he is still  gorgeous.."

"Has a granted soccer career " Sophia joined

"And ...is no longer Alina's bodyguard" Zoey ended

"maybe she is missing him? I know they ween't very found of each other but maybe with distance she realized something?" Gabe proposed

"Please? Are you for real? Alina and Colten? I don't think so " Sophia took a sip of her hot chocolate "Let's presume she actually misses him or for some reason realized that deep down she cares about him do you think he feels the same? When did Colten ever showed signs that he cared about Alina? Or vice versa"

"Well it was just an opinion you didn't had to go all sherlock about it" Gabe pouted

"Well putting it like that he actually did protected her... remembered the dozens of times that he would just appear out of nowhere saving her or taking her away ..." Zoey commented making the other two raise their eyebrows

"But that was all because of their parents right? Do you think if he really cared wouldn't he be more present? I mean he just did the job of taking her away if he cared he would've stayed" Sophia explained

"She has a point! Remember that whole trouble with Hugh?" Gabe asked making the girls nod "If he cared, he would've stay with her, Alina had the worst night ever unfortunately, if he cared wouldn't he stay at the house just to assure she is safe and if she sleeps well, he would make a tea ...something like that"

"A tea?" Sophia questioned

"i don't know he would make sure she is fine that's all I'm saying"

"Oh when Jake was caught cheating he beat his ass but we never heard from him after" Sophia said giving another example

"Well you're not entirely wrong but stillI have a feeling, I kinda of always had it then it was short of washed it away when college started and all but it's coming back now" Zoey muttered to herself but the others listened

"What feeling?" Gabe and Sophia asked at the same time

"Nothing... I will ask someone about it"

*~*~*~*

"I am someone, I am a person too" someone cried "Stop treating me like a dog! I am a human too!"

The boy begged and between small cries there was two little voices laughing

"are you torturing your Aaron again?" Marta asked

"Mom are you seeing this?" Aaron questioned

"I see it yes" Martha laughed "Toby behave and get off of your brother's back. Callie, honey, the same goes to you. He is old now you might break something"

"MOM, I'm not old ...I'm wise"

"That's what dad says" Toby said laughing getting off of Aaron's back joined by Callie who had some dog food on her hand... they were both sitting on Aaron's back and messing with him and with the dog food

"Yeah and dad is a wise man" Aaron said getting up and stretching his back the two kids left laughing happily

"Do you have any news about your sister?" His mother asked while putting the table

"Not much, no ..why?"

"Anna asked for Colten again it has been three months now it's almost Christmas she is worried sick about him"

"Mom just because it's starting to snow doesn't mean it's Christmas and he's fine at least that's what she says" Aaron shrugged his shoulders

"Does your sister really knows about him?" She asked fiercely

"That's something you need to ask her... "

"You know your sister so..."

"Mom, I know her and I might don't say it in front of her but she is my first ally. I'm not ditching on her for you so don't try me" he responded cleaning up the living room

"If something is wrong you are going down to boy" Martha threatened making Aaron lift both arms in surrender

"And that's why you're the best mom" he said giving her a kiss on the cheek she smiled and once he was away he looked back at her with a grin "Threatening your children"

"Aaron Jones!I'll ground you!" She threatened

"Proving my point" he screamed from the kitchen. Once in the kitchen he saw Aunt Anna mixing an empty bowl with a wooden spoon looking at the wall

"Aunt Anna?" He said waking her up "Are you ok?"

"Yes I'm fine"

"You don't seem fine you're a bit pale " Aaron said approaching Anna, he held Anna's hand and took a look at her eyes

"I'm fine" she said a bit drowsy

"Yeah.. let's sit in the couch for a moment" he guided her to the couch and checked her temperature and her eyes with a small lamp that he always carried in his pocket something that he started to carry everywhere after he started to study Medicine

"Oh Anna are you ok?" Martha said worriedly after seeing his son carrying Anna to the couch, she seemed weak and pale

"Have you been eating Aunt?" Aaron questioned laying her head carefully on the head couch

"I have I have"

"Yes, I'm sure you have" Aaron commented "I'm sure you learned that with Alina. Mom, please go get her some salt and a cup of water"

"Yes sure" Martha nodded rushing to the kitchen quickly. Aaron was taken back by his phone ringing

"Speaking of the devil" he breathed taking the phone to his ear

"Brother?" He heard from the other side of the line. Meanwhile Martha arrived with a spoon with salt in one hand and a cup of water in another

"Give it to her please, mom" Aaron said then his full attention was on his sister

"Hey.." he answered

"Please don't make any questions I just need you to back me up"

"More than I already am?" He said stepping away from his mother and Anna

"A problem appeared I have low battery I need you to just say I'm fine, I'm studying whatever I will call you back when I can"

"Alina" he whispered her name so his mom or Anna would hear "Everyone is starting to get doubtful. Mom questioned if you really know about Colten. Aunt Anna has been eating, if I hadn't get sooner to the kitchen she would pass out. It's getting hard over here"

"I know and I'm sorry to put you in this position. I'm not coming to the family dinner so please cover it up for me"

"Where are you going?"

"I can't tell tou. I don't want to worry you. I'm fine ... and Aaron, whatever it happens DON'T TELL THEM"

"Where are you going dude? You're scaring me"

"I'll call you when I can" and just like that the call ended

"Fuck" Aaron breathed "Where the hell is she up to now?"