The Switch Pt. 04

"No, no, it's okay. Have lunch, and I'll do the same. I just woke up from the coma I was in," Annie giggled at her exaggeration.

"Okay," I chuckled. "Love you."

"Ahhh, I love you too. It sounds so good to hear you say that again," Annie sighed happily. "Talk to you soon."

Even though the time we spent apart wasn't very long, it felt like years. Being a twin kept us together constantly as kids and even as young adults since we went to the same college. Without Belle and Arthur's help and constant reassurance that everything would be ok, I would've been lost.

The following eight days of waiting very impatiently for Annie to be released from quarantine were going to be torture, but I knew I had work to do both on her jewelry box and the chores I wasn't expected to do but would most certainly do. I could only hope that I could stay busy enough to help the week not drag on, and with the sound of a single horn from an incoming automobile, I threw on my work clothes to help unload whatever was being delivered this week.

"Alex."

"Alex, you here?"

"I'm on my way," I answered loudly as I quickly headed down the stairs, unsure who the man and woman's voice was calling my name.

"Alex, some visitors are here to see you," Arthur said almost as a question when I opened the door leading outside.

"Alex, oh my god, you're okay!" Dani almost screamed as she rushed toward me and into my arms in a tight embrace.

"Yes, thank God," Dylan said as he reached us, Dani still hanging on around my waist and now crying.

I was at a loss for words. I hadn't a clue what to say. At first glance, I thought I was seeing things when I saw their faces until Dani yelled out. What in the fuck are they doing here? How did they get here? I know I had a few more questions run through my head, but they were gone just as fast as they entered my thoughts.

"Those pieces of shit!" Dani growled into my chest, still crying just as hard.

"How did..." I tried to speak but was cut off.

"We find you?" Dylan asked, being the one who wasn't crying.

"Yeah," I asked, still dumbfounded.

"Your Mom. Well, not exactly her, but she called and told us what you and Annie were doing and that you had ruined Annie's life. Also, she was happy that we got out before you both hurt us. She blames everything on you," Dylan paused.

"Wow," I knew she was pissed, but damn, I thought.

"Well, as you can see by us standing here, we didn't think it was a laughing matter. That's not the half of it. She also blames you for her divorce and losing her job. She would not stop laughing about you being arrested and said that from what the Paris police department told her, you would not get out of prison for the next ten years,"

"Alex, are you okay? Belle's soft voice asked from behind me, clearly worried about my state of mind.

"I don't know," I replied, still not believing what I was hearing and seeing.

"Let's give Alex some time to process," Arthur said as he stepped forward and patted Dani on the back.

I didn't know what to think. My mind was going in a thousand different directions at once. I loved Annie with everything in me but seeing Dani brought back a storm of weird emotions. Ones that I wasn't expecting. Our split was never spoken about between Annie and me, and even though her infidelity hurt me, I understood on some level. Dani was in love with Dylan, and who was I to stop her?

Dylan and Dani had an unbreakable bond, and they were putting each other through hell so they could continue to be together. I had always loved Annie deep down but settled on keeping that secret to myself. But now that we were together, I don't know if I could've gone into another relationship and had to sit there watching her be affectionate with someone else. One specific thing was, there was zero chance I could lay in bed and listen to her getting her brains fucked out three to five times a week for almost four years.

"Alex, are you okay?" Belle asked again, pulling me out of my scattered thoughts.

"Yes, I just need a minute to get my bearings," I stammered.

Hearing those words, Dani released me from her grasp and looked up into my eyes. I hated confrontation and awkward moments. Even still, I couldn't remove myself from her gaze. Dani needed me now more than she ever had, but I could no longer help her. I did love Dani and would never want anything to happen to her, but the emotions that continued to bombard me didn't have the same effect on me as they previously did.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed the words.

Dani's bloodshot eyes filled to the brim again with tears before a bat of her eyelashes sent them rolling down her round cheeks. It was painful to watch, but our time had long come to an end, and she knew it.

"I'm so sorry," Belle offered her condolences and pulled Dani in for a comforting hug. Assuming Dani had come to find me to profess her love, and I had rejected her. Belle was always so sweet and considerate to everyone she encountered. She was a rare soul.

The sounds of the morning birds and Dani sniffling were the only sounds being heard. I don't think Dylan was prepared for what took place and stood there like a statue. I didn't blame him as I hadn't moved from where I stopped when I saw their faces.

"I need a drink," I said, shaking the cloudiness from my head.

"Me too," Dylan blurted out.

"Yes, yes, I agree," Arthur said and began to walk toward the house.

We all followed instinctively toward the courtyard, "Please sit," Arthur motioned with his hand toward the chairs as he made his way into the main house.

The awkward silence followed us and remained until Arthur came back with glasses and a new bottle of wine.

"When did you get out of jail?" Dylan asked, breaking the silence.

"I never went. They took me to jail in the back of the police car but left me out there to die. When I wasn't dead in the morning when they finally came to get me, I remember being dragged out of the car by my feet. As soon as my head hit the pavement, I passed out again and woke up in the hospital. The four off-duty police officers kicked the shit out of me," I paused to take a sip of the wine placed in front of me.

"Holy shit, your Mom never said anything about you being beaten up," Dylan responded.

"I bet not. That's when she found out about Annie and me. Annie was trying to fight them to get to me because they wouldn't stop kicking me on the ground. When she did make it to me, she called me baby and kissed me while telling me everything was going to be okay," I said.

"She really does love you," Dani spoke, having stopped crying and calmed herself down from hearing they almost killed me.

"Yes, she does," I smiled at the thought.

"Where is she at?" Dylan asked.

"She's stuck in a small German town on the border, waiting to be cleared from quarantine. France won't let her in until after she spends fourteen days there."

"Jesus!" Dylan exclaimed.

"How did you guys get through? Hell, how did you find me?" I questioned.

"We paid off the guy when we landed. Afterward, we went to Paris to bail you out of jail, but you weren't there. It took some time before we found someone that would talk to us, and when we did, they told us you had been admitted to a hospital. They didn't know which one, but that was all they knew. Dani went to every hospital with your picture asking if they had seen you. I think it was the fifth emergency room, and the receptionist told Dani where you were," Dylan said.

"I can't believe she gave out my address like that," Arthur said, shocked.

"Well, in her defense, I think she thought I was Annie. When I asked, she told me that Alex would be so happy to see me," Dani said, hoping to ease Arthur's anxiety.

"Probably, she called the hospital at least twenty times a day. She stopped calling the hospital because the Paris authorities told her I was being sent to prison. It was just to mess with her when they released me due to short staff and lack of space," I explained.

"They are real pieces of shit," Dani let her feelings be known. "Why were they messing with you anyway?"

"It wasn't me they were messing with. It was Annie. One of them grabbed Annie on the ass, and I shoved the one who did as hard as I could. Not that it would have made a difference, but little did I know he was the son of the police chief."

"Alex, I'm sorry that you had to endure such awful treatment, but I promise you if it's the last thing I do, I will have him fired. I swear," Dani's whole demeanor had changed to a threatening determination by the time she said those last words.

"Let's try to calm down, baby," Dylan put his hand on Dani's shoulder.

Dylan's gestures and words caused Belle to look up and take full notice.

"The Paris authorities are not ones to mess with. They know many people in high places and can make things very difficult for you," Arthur said, trying his best to try and keep Dani safe.

"They don't have shit on my father. They will wish they never laid a hand on Alex by the time I'm done with them!" Dani kept her same animosity.

"She's right; our Dad does business all over the world with people who could easily have those assholes pay for what they did to Alex," Dylan wasn't one to brag about his father. In fact, this was the first time I had ever heard him use his dad as a threat.

It was another reason Annie and I became fond of Dylan and Dani. Out of all the trips we took and all the places we visited, they never once said the words most wealthy kids did. 'Do you know who my father is!' They were as down to earth as they could possibly be coming from so much money. Of course, they knew how rich they were and always insisted they pay for everything. Not to show off, but they had more than they would ever be able to spend, and there was no point in us using our money. We were a team back then.

"So, you two are brother and sister?" Belle asked when Dylan confirmed her suspension by saying, 'Our Dad.'

Belle nor Arthur knew of the relationship between us as I thought it would be best to leave that part of my life out of our garden stories.

"Please don't answer if you're not comfortable, but know that Belle is my one and only true love, who also happens to be my sister. You are among like-minded friends who will never place judgment," Arthur said sincerely.

"Yes, he is my twin brother," Dani confessed.

"Oh my, just as Alex and Annie are! How wonderful," Belle gleamed.

"Yes," Dani smiled happily.

"Wonderful," Arthur joined in, expressing his delight. "Please tell us how you met?"

"Well, that story is for another time. We should be going. We have a long drive back to Paris," Dani said, all but removing all the previous excitement.

"Oh, so soon? But you have just arrived. We haven't even had lunch yet," Arthur did his best trying to backpedal.

"We are on a time crunch. We didn't expect it to take so long to find Alex, but we refused to leave until we found him," Dani was the only one speaking for her and Dylan.

"We understand. Hopefully, next time, you will be able to stay longer," Belle said, hoping to ease the tension.

"Thank you for having us," Dani said, standing up, causing Dylan to as well. "Alex, may we have a word with you before we leave?"

"Yes," I stood to escort them back to their car, where Dani could speak to me privately.

"It was nice to meet you," Arthur extended his hand to Dani, and then Dylan, after Dani, politely shook his hand.

After Belle gave them hugs and wished them safe travels, Dani and Dylan followed my lead through the courtyard gate and back into the yard.

"Is there somewhere we three can sit a talk?" Dani asked halfway back to their SUV.

"Yes, we can talk inside where I've been staying if that's okay with you?" I asked.

I took her smile as a yes and led them up the stairs to my current home for the past few months. Having some idea where this conversation was going, I started by saying, "What's on your mind?"

"First off, we would like to apologize for how things ended between us. It wasn't wholly our doings, but we are the ones who went through with it. Not that it makes a difference, but our parents told us to leave without saying a word. With everything the way it was, we did it their way, knowing we would need them to shield us just in case word got out. Dylan and I both talked about it and knew neither you nor Annie would do that to us, but with everything going on, we decided it was best just to leave you both alone to start your relationship," Dani took a deep breath to keep from crying.

Deep down, I hoped our time together wasn't just a sham, and she really loved me. It was hard to know for sure since they left abruptly and without a word, but listening to her, I knew she was telling the truth. It made things easier for me in a weird way. I truly loved her and had been planning in my head how we would spend the rest of our lives together. Of course, I would never tell Annie or Dani, but I still loved her tremendously. When you spend almost four years with someone night and day, those feelings don't just magically go away. I was new to love and welcomed it with open arms, but even with the amount of love I had for her, the night Annie and I confessed our love to each other, it was then I knew. Yes, I loved Dani, but I was in love with my sister.

"Alex, we can probably tell you how sorry we are until we're blue in the face, and you won't believe us, but we hope one day you will be able to forgive us," Dylan spoke up since Dani had not yet composed herself.

"I think I can speak for both of us without Annie here, but we forgave you both a long time ago," I needed to say something, even though it was the truth.

"Thank you, Alex," Dani's bottom lip trembled as she finished.

"I can't believe my Mom called you guys," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I know. What's crazy about the whole thing is we're both sending you each text messages for like two weeks prior. We had no idea she had disconnected your phones. When I saw your mom's name on my caller ID, I thought she was calling us to bitch us out and tell us to stop texting both of you. Needless to say, we were shocked," Dani had just finished her sentence when the phone rang.

"Bonjour," I answered the phone out of habit in French. "Juste une seconde, laissez-moi vérifier," I sat the phone down, walked to the large bay window in my room, and straight back. "Ils sont sortis se promener, je leur demanderai de t'appeler quand ils rentreront à la maison." "OK au revoir," I hung up the phone and turned back toward Dani and Dylan. Both staring at me like I just invented fire.

"You speak French," Dani exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that. The person on the other end of the line was a friend of Belle's, and she was wondering if she or Arthur were home. I told her no, they were on a walk, and I would have one of them call her when they got back. It tripped Annie out as well when she heard me speak it," I said, retaking my seat across from Dani.

"That's freaking awesome," Dani was beside herself with joy. "How long did..."

"Dang, everybody's calling today," I said, getting up to answer the phone again. "Bonjour."

"Can I speak to Alex?" Annie asked, also still not used to me speaking French.

"It's me, babe," I replied happily.

"It's still so crazy to me that you can speak French," Annie giggled.

"No, what's crazy is, as we sit here on the phone talking, Dani and Dylan are sitting right in front of me," I chuckled nervously.

"Excuse me?" Annie's cheerful tone faded fast.

"You heard me right. Mom called them and told them about us and that I was in prison in Paris. It took them a while to find me at Arthur's house, but they did," I tried to explain fast, unable to judge her tone.

"She called them? Why would she do that? I can't believe she would do that. She really needs to go to therapy!" Annie's questions were more a statement than anything.

"Yes, she does."

"How long are they staying?" Annie asked.

"They were on their way out but wanted to talk privately before leaving. Mainly to apologize for how everything went down. We had just started talking, and the phone wouldn't stop ringing," I made sure the humor in my voice didn't falter. I didn't want Annie to think I was irritated that she called. It was quite the opposite, and I was thrilled she called.

"Tell them to find a hotel in town, but don't leave. I want to talk to them as well. I have fantastic news. I'm getting released in a few hours!" Annie's cheerful tone returned.

"WHAT?" I questioned, not believing my ears.

"Yup, they have another four busloads of people coming in and are releasing the ones who have been here the longest with no signs of illness. Sorry, I was going to tell you when you first answered, but I got sidetracked with the news of Dani and Dylan," Annie's excitement was contagious.

"Annie said don't leave and find a hotel in town. She's getting out in a few hours and wants to see you before you leave. Arthur and Belle are going to be so thrilled," I switched back to Annie mid-sentence, unable to contain my own excitement.

"Can they do that?" Annie asked.

"Are you guys able to do that?" Annie wants to know.

"We tried to find a hotel when we first arrived because we were exhausted from the drive, and there was nothing available. This Covid thing has messed up everything. Even Dad ordered all nonessential staff to work from home," I held the phone toward Dani so Annie could hear what she was saying and then put the phone back to my ear.

"Alex, is there any way they can stay with you?"

"I would have to ask Arthur and Belle first, but maybe," I replied.

"Will you please do that and call me back?" Annie asked. "I need to get my stuff together before they take us to the train station."

"Yes, I can do that," I said.

"Fantastic! I love you so much, and I can't wait to see you in a few hours," Annie was ecstatic.

"I love you, too. I'll call you back in a bit; bye," I said and hung up the phone.

"If Arthur and Belle don't mind, would you like to stay and see Annie?" I looked to Dani for an answer, knowing Dylan would do as she wanted.

"I'm okay with that if they are. I really need a shower and a nap, though, if I'm going to make it," Dani said.

"I'm going to head to the main house and see if they're back. I'll be back in a few."

As much as I cared for Dani and Dylan, if Arthur or Belle were even the slightest bit uncomfortable with them being here, I would tell them they had to leave. My time with Arthur and Belle changed me in many ways. My patience, attitude, and overall outlook on life were in a better place. Arthur never bragged or even hinted about how much money they had, but I knew from spending all those years around Dani, and Dylan's father, was that wealthy people had a way about them. Not that you could tell from the outside looking in, especially if you arrived between eight in the morning and noon. They were in the garden on their hands and knees, tending to their crop. It was little things. I noticed they never slept in, even on the weekends they are always up at 6:45 am sharp. They were extremely frugal and would spend seven to eight hours a week reading just for pleasure and also never budgeted for anything.

"How was your walk?" I asked Arthur and Belle as I entered the courtyard.

"Merveilleuse," Belle answered.

"I have merveilleuse news. Annie is getting released in the next hour or so and will be at the train station tonight!" I was bouncing as I told them the news.

"That's the best news. I'm so excited!" Belle shot up from her seat, hugged me, and joined me in my adolescent jumping up and down.

Arthur joined us and began to sing in French. "We must prepare a meal before she arrives, and I know just the dish!" Arthur clapped his hands.