"Lia?"

Liana sighed as she got away from the window, "yes Lucian?"

Lucian sat on the arm rest of your sofa and sighed, "Just Luce... stop teasing me! Anyway, Is that true?"

Moving away from the window, Liana sat on the sofa and hugged one of the throw pillows carelessly lying there..." what is true?"

The male twin slid from the armchair so he would be sitting side by side with his identical yet not so identical twin, "that you are asking for your engagement to Brother Orion be cancelled."

"It is. I've been thinking about it for some time."

Lucian sighed and ruffled his sister's hair, "why you even try to lie to me will forever be a mystery..."

Liana raised her feet so she could rest her elbows on her knees and sighed, "I'm not lying. I really had been thinking that for a while. Is it that hard to believe?"

"Of course, it is Lia...we all know how much you love Brother Ori. You sacrificed a lot to continue to be by his side... then this?"

Liana sighed, not looking up as she said in a small voice, "I still love him Luce...that won't change for a while but...I have to do what I have to."

Lucian sighed and he gathered his twin in his arms, "Do they know?"

"Not yet...mom and dad said they will tell the uncles over the weekend... and I will tell Orion in two days."

"Our birthday?"

Liana smiled, "Well technically it is after our birthday. I don't want to celebrate my birthday with a broken heart."

"I don't get the logic of what you just said but whatever fries your chicken. Say...twinnie, what would you do if Brother Ori tells you he doesn't want to let you go?"

============FLASHBACK==================

"Ori!"

Orion looked up from the book he was reading and smiled, "hey little panda! You here to terrorize me again?"

Liana stuck out her tongue as she sat beside her fiancé under the big tree in the backyard, "I'm not a panda! And it's not terrorizing Ori, it's called visiting. You should be grateful I made time for you."

Orion scoffed and ruffled Liana's hair before turning his eyes back to his book, "oh I'm sorry princess... I do appreciate you taking time for me. Now can you please go bother mom or dad instead? I think my cousin Kyle is in the house too..."

*small voice* "But... I came here for you... not for Kai or your parents"

Orion sighed and surprised the girl by putting her in a headlock, "four years and you haven't changed a bit... little panda."

"Heeeey! You don't headlock girls!"

*raised eyebrow* "I don't..."

========END FLASHBACK==============

The girl in Lucian's arms smiled and said, "He won't Luce... I'm sure."

Lucian sighed and ruffled his twin sister's hair before tapping her shoulder, "come on... let's get you to bed. If you are pushing with this then you need to sleep. I wish at times like this I can really read your mind."

Liana chuckled, "be glad that you don't Luce... my mind is a complicated piece of shit that not even I can comprehend at times."

From outside, their mother's voice boomed, "language Liana!"

The twins jumped in surprise then laughed together. Lucian stood, pulling his sister with him, "mom has extra senses working just for us doesn't she?"

"I know. I'm off to bed now! Two more days left as an engaged old lady."

"Shuddup Lia... 20 is not old."

Liana laughed and as she got into the covers, waiting for her older twin by three minutes to tuck her in.

Orion ran a hand on his hair, frustration evident on his face," Liana, can you at least try to talk to Uncle Drake about this?"

"I tried... but dad just told me to give you a chance." *shrug*

*Bitter laugh* "YOU... give...ME... a chance? Isn't that the other way around?"

Liana scratched her ear and sighed, "Listen... I know that I'm not your type..."

"DAMN RIGHT!"

"And it's weird for us to be engaged together since we saw each other grow up..."

"It's disgusting... actually."

A vein popped in Liana's head, and she glared as she gripped the katana she is using for her Wushu practices, "Orion Albrecht... I'm thinking of a way for both of us but if you can't stop interrupting my sentences, I will walk away from here and let you solve your own problems."

Seventeen year old Orion glared at the sixteen year old girl," it's not like I'm the only one affected here. You don't actually want to be married to me do you?"

Liana shrugged, "I don't mind particularly. I'd rather marry a friend rather than be married to someone whose middle name I do not even know."

"What the crap?!? How can you just agree to them controlling our life? This is downright insane!"

Massaging her forehead, Liana sat cross-legged on the mat and laid her weapons beside her, "can you just calm down for a few minutes? Getting mad won't help our cause anyhow."

Orion sat across Liana and leaned on the wall, sighing deeply, "how the heck did our parents even get us into this mess? They very well know I don't see you like that and I probably never will."

The younger twin stole a glance at the boy she was secretly in love with and thought, 'Ouch! Keep calm Liana... he shouldn't know. Somehow, I can feel mom and Aunt Olga's plan isn't going to work...but what the heck... I'm still willing to risk it...'

With a sigh of her own, she said..." how about we let them do what they want first... and then 'break up' afterwards? At least they won't say we didn't give it a try. Besides this can get those marriage proposals and stuff off our backs. I've had enough of dad's acquaintances introducing their children to me and Luce."

Orion raised an eyebrow and sighed for the nth time..."and what if we meet someone we fall in love with?"

"...then the engagement is to be nullified as soon as possible, it's an agreement between the two of us. It would be unfair for the person who isn't involved to be in this mess right?"

Orion thought about it for a few minutes and Liana could feel her heart beating faster with every passing second that the older boy keeps silent..."you are making a good point. So until one of us falls in love with we'll pretend to be engaged... right?"

"Yeah."

Orion finally smiled, his mismatched eyes disappearing..."never thought you would really think this over. You have yourself a deal Liana Quinn."

Liana heaved a sigh of relief and with a grin she said," don't go falling in love with me okay?"

Orion smirked, "in your dreams Quinn... I don't go for boys."

Liana woke up with a start, "the hell! dreaming of that again after all these years..."

"Princess, are you awake?"

She exhaled deeply and swung her legs out of the bed before wearing the robe over her pajamas, "yes mom! "

Amelie Quinn opened the door and smiled at his youngest, "I've talked to Olga... they'll be here on the weekend. We'll tell them about your engagement then. Are you feeling okay?"

Liana nodded, "surprisingly yes... I can't say I feel wonderful that I'm giving up on a love I've had since I can remember but... given the circumstances, I'm okay."

"I'm sorry honey... if Olga and I didn't encourage you then you could have moved on earlier. I feel like we played with your feelings just because we wanted to be relatives..."

"Mom listen. There is no one else to blame but myself. I had all four years to make him fall in love with me and I failed. All I want now is to be able to enjoy my last few memories of being his fiancé."

"This is so cruel..."*sniff*

Liana chuckled and squeezed her mother's hand once more, "I'd rather have him reject me than be with him out of pity. I'm going to be okay, please don't worry anymore. Let me just get ready so I can ask that fiancé of mine about tomorrow."

Amelie kissed her daughter's cheek once more before he went out of the room. Liana heaved a heavy sigh and wiped the forming tears on her eyes, "ah... this is why I told mom not to cry."