Don't Believe in Lies
Lovina didn't believe a single word Antonio uttered.
Everytime he called her cute or adorable, she scoffed at him. "You'll have to do better than that bastardo," were the unspoken words she said with that scoff.
Oh, but she believed him when he called her beautiful.
But he didn't like calling her beautiful.
To Lovina who looked very similar to her sister, to call her beautiful was calling Felicia, not Lovina, beautiful. To Lovina, Felicia was the most beautiful in the world.
It wasn't Lovina's fault she did not believe him. It was his fault.
Really.
Because Lovina did know how to accept compliments.
She smiled when Matthew called her cute. She blushed when Alfred called her stunning.
It was only Antonio she did not believe.
And it was all his fault.
It started when they were younger. Antonio needed money, so he took up babysitting. He liked kids. He really did. He liked quiet obedient kids who listened to his every command.
Felicia was very obedient and eager to please.
Lovina was not.
So he had to be a little stern. He was by no means cruel, just a little harsh-toned. It usually scared the children into obeying.
But Lovina wasn't born to obey. She cursed at him and pushed him around like he were a slave and she were his master.
He hated it.
He read many books on parenting and dealing with troubled children. He tried different approaches, different techniques. All of them failed. He soon found that these differences in behavior confused a child. Even if the technique worked he wouldn't know, because the child has no consistency. After that he decide to stick with one method: praise.
Praise the good child, so the bad child can see and strive to earn for the same.
To Lovina who was only ever praised by her father, she did not need anything more. To her, Antonio was just another person who only had eyes for his younger sister. She did not care.
One day, when Lovina was being particularly difficult, he called her a tomato. She reddened further and stomped away. Every time after that he called her a his little tomato.
One time, when Lovina was being vicious with her name calling, he called it cute. She yelled at him saying it wasn't cute and closed her mouth. For every curse word that she threw at him, he called her cute.
One instance, when she was being really annoying, he called her adorable. She frowned, called him an idiot, and left him alone. Whenever she was annoying him, he called her actions adorable.
Reverse psychology.
It was his magic charm.
Over time, he noticed Lovina becoming quieter. More obedient.
A little like Felicia.
She did not make a complete one-eighty and was smiling at everything and everyone... but there was a smile. And he gave that to her. Even if it was through trickery.
Then, Mister and Misses Vargas died in a car accident. Lovina became just a little more clingy and just a tad more annoying. He knew it wasn't her fault and so, he gave her the comfort.
Their grandfather, Romulus, was a great man to take his granddaughters in. For a moment, Antonio wondered if he was ever going to see the little angel that was Felicia.
Oh, and Lovina. Because that was all Lovina was to him then. A mere afterthought.
Luckily, Romulus couldn't find anyone willing to care for Lovina, and Felicia never went with anyone without her older sister. And so, Romulus gave him his old job back.
He never felt happier.
It was then that Antonio noticed how isolated Lovina became. Her grandfather clearly played favorites, and it was no secret as to who his favorite was. Lovina's attitude increased again, but at least she restrained herself for Felicia and even helped around the house.
A kind gesture, but only created more of a mess for him.
He should have seen the signs, when Lovina refused to allow Felicia to touch her violin. But he wanted to hear Felicia play, because he knew it was going to be beautiful.
So he dropped some hints here and there, for Felicia to ask Romulus to get her lessons.
And that's what she did.
He was so captivated by Felicia's excited little face telling him how she was going to be just like her older sister, that he hardly noted Lovina's face falling into dread.
It was a well anticipated dread.
Felicia soon surpassed Lovina in terms of skill and Mister Edelstein wanted Felicia to take lessons every day two hours a week. Oh, and she had to go to the recital. Lovina was previously going to go, but Felicia sure surpasses her in skill now.
Felicia did not want to steal her sister's light. But Lovina smiled and told her to go. Promised she'll be cheering in the crowd. And she did, but she never touched her violin again.
Lovina soon became far more clingy, far more annoying, and far more demanding. It took all of Antonio's energy just to force a smile on his face for Lovina. Though he had no trouble smiling for Felicia.
It was his final year in high school, and he had no idea if he was glad or upset about leaving. He'd miss Felicia, of course, but he would be glad to get rid of Lovina. It was his impatience that caused him to slip up.
The girls were doing their homework in their room. He was alone. Francis called him to ask if he wanted to go out. He refused, saying he was working. From there the conversation shifted to the usual on how Felicia was a cute angel and how he couldn't leave her here on her own.
Francis laughed and asked how he was dealing with the little monster. Antonio replied that if it was just Lovina, he'd leave at that moment. He went on and on about how much he disliked Lovina. It wasn't until he heard the floorboards creak that he turned around to see Lovina.
She was at the door frowning, but not crying. She turned around and walked back into her room.
Lovina was not clingy after that.
She wasn't very talkative either.
She never smiled, always frowned. She didn't believe a single compliment that fell out of his mouth. Instead, she replied to what she thought he was saying.
A simple 'Lovi please don't run' was translated to 'Stop running around you little piece of shit', and she replied with a, 'Are you calling me a little shit?'. It was frightening, how accurate she was. He didn't like it, so he began to translate what she said to others.
A 'stay away you fuckers' was translated to 'She's just a little shy, please don't be scared'
He assumed he hit the bull's eye too if her glares were anything to go by.
And that is how he spent his final summer. He learned to read her, just like she learned to read him. Open books only to each other.
They would not meet again for years until Felicia's and Gilbert's younger brother's wedding. He was a little surprised to find out who the happy couple was, but he looked forward to it.
Felicia walked down the aisle looking like an angel in her white dress. Antonio could not take his eyes off her. She looked nervous and he knew why.
Lovina was not there.
He didn't care, but he knew Felicia did.
Half way through the ceremony a soft 'shit' echoed from the back. If Felicia was an angel, Lovina was the red devil tempting him into sin.
Felicia's face lit up as Lovina walked gracefully next to Felicia as her maid of honor.
Antonio could not keep her eyes off her.
It was later, at the party that he figured out the real reason she was late. Officially, she said work had kept her from leaving. But he knew the truth. He walked up to her and asked her why she didn't stop the wedding if she loved Ludwig.
"The perfect husband for my perfect sister," she replied, "There's no way I'd stop that."
It wasn't condescending.
It wasn't hateful.
Lovina truly believed her sister was perfect.
And before he stop himself he said, "you're the perfect one."
Lovina scowled at him.
"Stop bullshitting Antonio, we're both too old for this."
It was then Antonio realized Lovina didn't believe him.
Not a single word.
He did everything in his power to make her believe, but all he received was a roll of her eyes.
He watched her blush when Arthur compared her to a summer's day. He watched her run into Gilbert's arms after he had serenaded her. He watched them leave her because she wouldn't open her heart to them.
It was his fault, and he knew it.
Felicia not so subtly hinted at Antonio's interest. After their break-up, Gilbert pleaded with her to give Antonio a chance. Matthew, Alfred's kind brother, urged her to see light. Even Arthur told her to go out with him just to shut him up.
But Lovina would not budge.
He knew how stubborn she was, and he did not care.
He could be just as stubborn.
It was Ludwig who ultimately convinced Lovina to try.
Antonio asked her why.
Lovina replied, "Ludwig's never lied to me."
And that was that.
Ludwig had given him this chance. It was his turn to take advantage of it.
Then, maybe, he could make her believe.