Adrian didn't know what to do with the truth.
Not the big part—he understood that now.
Alessio was his twin.
They had been together.
Then they weren't.
That part made sense in a simple way.
But everything else didn't.
The feelings.
The expectations.
The way everyone looked at them now.
Like something had been fixed.
Adrian didn't feel fixed.
The next morning, he woke up earlier than usual.
He stayed in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling, thinking about what Alessio had said.
You wouldn't even sleep unless I was there.
Adrian frowned slightly.
"…That doesn't sound like me."
He sat up and ran a hand through his hair.
Nothing about that felt familiar.
But the memory of the garden did.
And that made things more confusing.
—
At breakfast, the atmosphere was different.
Not tense.
Just… aware.
Like everyone was waiting to see how Adrian would act.
Adrian noticed it immediately.
He sat down quietly and reached for his food.
No one said anything at first.
Then Dante spoke.
"So."
Adrian looked up.
Dante leaned back in his chair.
"You and Alessio used to fight over everything."
Adrian blinked.
"…We did?"
Alessio sighed.
"Don't start."
Dante grinned.
"You bit him once."
Adrian froze.
"…What?"
Nico laughed.
"It's true."
Adrian looked at Alessio.
"…I bit you?"
Alessio rubbed the back of his neck.
"You were five."
"That's not an excuse."
"It kind of is."
Adrian stared at him.
Then looked down at his plate.
"…I don't remember doing that."
"Good," Alessio said. "Let's keep it that way."
The table relaxed a little after that.
The conversation moved on.
But Adrian stayed quiet.
He was thinking.
About how easily they talked about the past.
Like it was normal.
Like it wasn't something broken.
He didn't feel that way.
—
The car ride to school was quieter than usual.
Adrian sat beside Alessio, but he didn't say anything at first.
He kept thinking about the same question.
Finally, he asked it.
"…Are we supposed to act like twins?"
Alessio looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Adrian shrugged slightly.
"Like… close."
Alessio leaned back in his seat.
"We are close."
Adrian shook his head.
"…You are."
Alessio didn't respond right away.
Adrian continued.
"I don't remember you."
The words came out flat.
Not emotional.
Just honest.
"I know you're my brother," Adrian added. "But it doesn't feel like anything yet."
Alessio nodded slowly.
"That's fair."
Adrian looked at him.
"…You're not upset?"
Alessio shook his head.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not your fault."
Adrian didn't reply.
He looked out the window again.
"…It still feels like it is."
Alessio didn't argue.
He just said,
"It'll change."
Adrian didn't answer.
—
School helped.
Not because it fixed anything.
But because it gave Adrian something else to focus on.
In class, he worked through his reading again.
The sentences were longer now.
More complicated.
But he kept going.
He didn't ask for help immediately anymore.
He tried first.
That was new.
At one point, the teacher asked him to read out loud.
Adrian hesitated.
The room went quiet.
Everyone was looking at him.
His grip tightened on the paper.
Then he started.
Slow.
Careful.
Not perfect.
But clear enough.
When he finished, the teacher nodded.
"Good."
Adrian sat down again.
His hands were slightly tense.
But he didn't feel embarrassed.
That was different.
At lunch, Alessio sat with him again.
But this time, Adrian didn't stay completely silent.
He listened.
And when someone asked a question, he answered.
Short answers.
But still answers.
That was enough for now.
—
When they got home, Adrian went to his room instead of the living room.
He sat at his desk and opened his notebook.
He stared at the page for a while.
Then he wrote something.
Alessio
He looked at the name.
It felt strange.
Familiar in a distant way.
Like something he had heard a long time ago.
But not something he truly knew.
He tapped the pencil lightly against the desk.
"…We're twins."
He said it out loud this time.
The words still felt heavy.
Not in a bad way.
Just… new.
A knock came at the door.
Adrian didn't look up.
"…Come in."
Alessio walked in.
He noticed the notebook immediately.
"What are you doing?"
Adrian turned it slightly so Alessio could see.
"I wrote your name."
Alessio smiled faintly.
"Impressive."
Adrian ignored the joke.
"I'm trying to get used to it."
Alessio stepped closer.
"To what?"
Adrian hesitated.
"…You."
Alessio didn't react right away.
Adrian continued.
"I know you're important."
He tapped the pencil again.
"I just don't feel it yet."
Alessio nodded.
"That's okay."
Adrian looked at him.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it is."
Adrian frowned slightly.
"…Doesn't it bother you?"
Alessio thought for a moment.
Then he answered honestly.
"Yeah."
Adrian blinked.
"You said it didn't."
"I said I wasn't upset with you."
Adrian looked down at the notebook again.
"…What does it feel like then?"
Alessio leaned against the wall.
"It feels like I got you back."
He paused.
"But only halfway."
Adrian's grip on the pencil tightened slightly.
"…Halfway."
Alessio shrugged.
"The rest will come later."
Adrian didn't respond.
He kept looking at the name on the page.
Alessio.
His twin.
Someone who had been there before everything went wrong.
Someone who had been looking for him.
Adrian pressed the pencil harder against the paper.
"…I'll try."
Alessio didn't ask what that meant.
He understood.
"That's enough."
—
Later that night, Adrian lay in bed again.
He didn't go to sleep immediately.
He was thinking.
About everything.
The memory.
The truth.
The way Alessio looked at him.
Not like a stranger.
Not like someone new.
But like someone he had never stopped knowing.
Adrian turned onto his side.
"…Halfway."
He repeated the word quietly.
He didn't like it.
But he understood it.
And for the first time, instead of feeling stuck—
He felt like there was something he could do about it.
Even if it was small.
Even if it was slow.
Tomorrow, he would try again.
Not just with school.
Not just with reading.
But with Alessio too.
Because if there was one thing Adrian was starting to understand—
It was that some things didn't come back all at once.
They came back piece by piece.
And this time, he wasn't going to ignore it.