His Rose

Ch. 1

It was the first Sunday in June, and, on any other occasion, I would be ecstatic, sleeping in and enjoying the bliss of summer. Especially the summer going into the stressful senior year of high school.

But this wasn't "any other occasion".

My alarm started beeping loudly at 7:00 sharp, and with a few choice words, I got up. Instead of having a free, fun-filled summer, I was nannying a 13-year old boy and a 10-year old girl. My parents insisted I get a summer job, which, admittedly, was a smart idea - I needed the money to save up to help pay for college, senior trip, and a million other future problems that economics class taught me. And the pay for this job was fantastic, much more than I would have expected from any job offered to a teenager.

I had already packed up my bag, being told in advance that I would have to stay there a week. The parents were on a business trip that went through next Sunday, and despite their older son being home, he was busy with football practices, lifting, and conditioning. The norm for me would be to come and go each day and stay until either the parents were home from work or the son was home from practice, but, of course, the first week had to be different. It was still manageable, at least.

I double checked that everything I needed was packed: a set of clothes for each day, pajamas, toiletries, medicine, basic hygiene supplies, my laptop, airpods, and a few books. My phone was still plugged in on my bedside table, my car keys sitting beside it.

Once I made sure my forgetful self didn't forget anything, I quickly changed into my clothes for the day, sporting a cropped white tee and leggings, sliding on my favorite pair of white converse and pulling my waist-length auburn hair up into a high ponytail. My side swept bangs decided to fall back down onto my face, and, with a sigh, I just tucked a few pieces behind my ear. I finished the look with a few necklaces - two simple gold chains and one gold necklace with a beautiful sapphire pendant. This necklace was my favorite because it somehow matched the very weird color of my eyes. My then-boyfriend got me that necklace for my 16th birthday, and my parents got me my very own car. It was a wonderful birthday to say the least.

I slid on a couple cute bracelets, sliding on a dozen or so rings before grabbing up my duffel bag, phone, and keys and heading downstairs finding the rest of my family. Or at least most of them.

"Dino! You didn't oversleep! I'm so proud of you," my older brother, Dawson, cooed, tugging my ponytail. I groaned, slapping his hand away. Both Dawson and Xander, the latter being my twin, called me Dino ever since I could remember, Dawson starting it and Xander catching on because babies listen to everything and are super impressionable. My real name is Adina, shortened to Dina, but definitely not Dino.

"Shut it, Daws," I grumbled, tossing my bag towards the door before taking a seat at the kitchen island. "Where's Xander?"

"Sleeping," Mom deadpanned as Dawson took the seat to my right. "Where else?"

"Honey, do you know how many times you slept until 10 in the morning when we were first married?" Dad asked, walking into the kitchen. Mom blushed, handing Dawson and I a plate of bacon and eggs before playfully slapping my dad's chest. We both snickered as our parents began their usual playful banter, enjoying our classic Sunday breakfast.

In my family, Dawson was the spitting image of Mom. He had her auburn hair, and emerald green eyes, his auburn hair having a messy, yet styled vibe with his front tousle, and his green eyes always glowing with happiness or mischief. It was hard to tell the two apart. However, he had Dad's height, standing around 5'11", and he and Dad also had very similar personalities, both very laid back, funny, and annoying. Mom and I experienced that last trait almost every day.

Xander was practically the opposite of Dawson. He looked like Dad with his messy, curly mop of brown hair and blue eyes, standing at a height of 5'9", slightly shorter than Dawson. And Dawson never let him forget it. However, his personality more matched Mom's, being more serious, smart, and calculated, but always willing to let loose and have fun.