Anastasia
Talia had barely pulled the car to a stop when she turned to me with that mischievous gleam in her eyes. I knew the look damn well; it meant trouble.
"Don't even think about it," I warned, already unbuckling my seatbelt.
She ignored me completely, fishing out her phone with the speed of someone who'd been plotting this from the beginning. Within seconds, she was grinning at the screen.
"You didn't?"
"Oh, I did." She pressed the phone against her ear, winking at me like the devil she was. "Soph? Hi, sweetheart. What are you and Sebastian doing today? … A zoo trip? Doesn't that sound fun?"
I groaned, covering my face with my hands.
Ten minutes later, she had both of my teenage siblings squealing on the other end of the call, confirming they'd be ready in half an hour.
"Talia," I muttered through clenched teeth as she hung up, "stop manipulating my siblings."
She only arched an eyebrow. "Manipulating? Please. They adore me. And don't you dare pretend they don't. They're practically my siblings, too."
I couldn't argue with that. The twins treated her like an older sister, sometimes even more than they treated me. She never missed their birthdays, always showed up with gifts, and had somehow perfected the art of bribing them with chocolate chip pancakes.
"I'm serious, Tal," I tried again, though my voice softened. "Don't drag them into your schemes just to annoy me."
She reached across and flicked my forehead. "You need to live a little, Ana. Look at you, always worrying about work, bills, and schedules. You're twenty-five, not forty. Let the kids remind you how to have fun."
Three hours later, after waiting for the twins to get ready and regretting every second of agreeing to this, we finally walked through the gates of the city zoo.
The afternoon air was warm, carrying the scent of popcorn and cotton candy. Families bustled past, children tugging their parents toward ice cream stands, and a chorus of animal calls echoed in the distance.
Sophia immediately grabbed Talia's hand, while Sebastian darted ahead, pointing at the map. "I want to see the lions first!"
"No, Tigers!" Sophia argued, her braids bouncing as she stomped her foot.
Talia crouched between them, diplomatic as ever. "How about lions first, tigers after? And maybe ice cream somewhere in between?"
Both of them cheered like she'd just brokered world peace. I trailed behind, shaking my head, though a reluctant smile tugged at my lips.
The hours slipped by faster than I realized. We wandered from enclosure to enclosure, Sebastian rattling off animal facts he'd memorized from some documentary, while Sophia squealed over every fluffy creature she saw. Talia had her phone out constantly, snapping candid photos of us, Sebastian feeding a bird, Sophia pressing her face against the glass of the aquarium, and me laughing despite myself when a cheeky monkey threw a stick in our direction.
At some point, the tightness in my chest, the constant knot of responsibility I carried, just… loosened. I let myself breathe. I let myself enjoy it. For once, the weight of adulthood wasn't suffocating me.
The evening rolled around, and we found ourselves seated at a cozy family restaurant just outside the zoo gates. The twins were buzzing with leftover energy, Talia teasing them while scrolling through the dozens of photos she'd taken.
The waitress dropped the bill on the table, and before I could reach for it, Talia slid it toward me with a grin.
"You've got this one, Anastasia."
I blinked at her. "Excuse me? You're the one who hijacked my Sunday and dragged us all here."
"Yes, but…" She leaned forward, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Think of it as an investment. You're investing in happiness."
"Or I'm just being robbed," I muttered, earning a snort of laughter from Sebastian and a high-pitched giggle from Sophia.
In the end, I sighed and pulled out my card. "Fine. But next time, you're paying."
Talia only smirked. "Sure, sure. Next time."
When it was finally time to go, goodbyes stretched longer than they needed to. The twins wrapped their arms around me, squeezing tight, then turned to hug Talia with just as much enthusiasm.
"You'll come with us again next time, right?" Sophia asked her, big eyes hopeful.
"Of course," Talia promised. "We're a team, remember?"
I dragged myself back to my apartment, and twilight painted the city skyline in shades of gold and purple. My body ached with exhaustion, but it was the good kind, the kind that came after a day well spent.
I gathered my clothes from the laundry basket, tossing them over the chair, then collapsed onto my bed without even bothering to check my phone.
As my eyes fluttered shut, a rare sense of peace washed over me. For the first time in weeks, I slept without tossing and turning.
Tomorrow was a workday. Tomorrow, reality will return.
But tonight, I let myself drift, unburdened.
I slept like a baby.