DON’T CALL ME SISTER

CHAPTER THREE_Emerald Eyes

CHAPTER THREE

Emerald Eyes

LILY POV

Dinner was supposed to be simple.

That’s what Mom told me before we came downstairs.

“Just a quiet first meal,” she said, smoothing my hair a little like I was still small enough to be reassured by that.

But nothing about this house felt simple.

And nothing about tonight felt quiet.

The dining room was already lit when we entered.

Long table.

Soft golden lighting.

Too much space between every chair, like silence itself had been designed into the room.

I suddenly became very aware of where my hands were.

What to do with them.

How to sit.

Whether I was sitting correctly at all.

Mom noticed and gently touched my arm.

“You’re okay,” she whispered.

I nodded even though my stomach was twisting slightly.

Elias stood when we entered, like he always made sure people felt acknowledged before anything else.

“Lily,” he said warmly, “come sit.”

I obeyed too quickly.

Too stiffly.

Perfect.

Just me being normal.

Mom sat beside Elias, and I ended up across from them, staring at a table that looked like it belonged in a magazine.

For a few minutes, it was just conversation.

Soft.

Easy.

Careful in the way new families are careful.

Elias asked me about school.

Mom talked about unpacking plans.

I answered when I could without sounding completely awkward.

And slowly… I started to breathe a little easier.

Maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as I thought.

Maybe—

The sound of footsteps interrupted that thought.

Slow.

Confident.

Unhurried.

I looked up without meaning to.

And that was when I saw him.

---

He didn’t walk into the room like someone entering dinner.

He walked in like he already owned the space without needing to prove it.

Tall.

Relaxed posture.

Dark hair slightly messy in a way that looked intentional.

But it wasn’t his appearance that made me stop thinking properly.

It was his eyes.

Emerald green.

Not bright in a soft way.

Deep.

Sharp.

The kind of eyes that didn’t just look at you—they noticed you.

For a second, I forgot how to blink.

He stopped near the table.

Didn’t smile.

Didn’t greet me.

Just looked.

And I suddenly became painfully aware that I was being seen in a way I didn’t understand yet.

“Finally,” Elias said calmly, like this wasn’t tense at all. “You’re here.”

The boy—Asher—barely acknowledged him.

His gaze stayed on me for a second longer than comfortable.

Then he looked away.

Like I was nothing.

That should’ve made me relax.

Instead, it did the opposite.

Because I felt it.

That strange, quiet awareness of being noticed and dismissed at the same time.

Mom smiled gently. “Asher, this is Lily.”

I looked down quickly, suddenly unsure where to place my eyes.

“Hi,” I said softly.

Too soft.

I hated that.

Silence.

He didn’t respond immediately.

Then finally—

“Yeah,” he said.

Just that.

One word.

Not rude.

Not kind.

Just… distant.

I nodded once and focused on my plate like it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world.

But I could still feel him there.

Even when I wasn’t looking.

Like the room had shifted slightly around him.

---

Dinner continued, but something had changed.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Just subtly.

Like a thread had been pulled and no one had noticed yet.

Asher barely spoke.

But when he did, everyone listened.

Even Elias paused sometimes before responding to him.

I tried not to stare at him too much.

I really did.

But I kept noticing small things without meaning to.

The way he leaned back slightly in his chair like nothing could affect him.

The way he didn’t look impressed by anything in the room.

The way he only glanced at me once in a while like I was an observation he hadn’t decided on yet.

At one point, Mom laughed softly at something Elias said.

And I saw it.

A flicker.

Very small.

Asher’s eyes shifted slightly toward me when I didn’t react the same way.

Like he was noticing that too.

That I wasn’t part of their world yet.

That I didn’t belong in their rhythm.

I lowered my gaze quickly.

My heart felt weird.

Not scared exactly.

Just… aware.

Too aware.

---

After dinner, Elias stood first.

“I’ll show Lily the garden properly tomorrow,” he said kindly.

Mom smiled at me. “You’ll love it.”

I nodded politely.

“I’m sure I will.”

Asher stood too.

That was when I noticed how tall he really was.

Not just tall.

Imposing without trying.

He didn’t say anything as he pushed his chair back.

Just turned slightly like he was leaving.

But then—

he stopped.

Right beside me.

Close enough that I could feel it.

Not touch.

Just presence.

I froze slightly without meaning to.

He looked down at me.

Really looked.

And for a moment, the entire room felt quieter.

Mom and Elias were still talking softly behind us, but I couldn’t hear them properly anymore.

Asher’s eyes lingered on me like he was trying to figure something out.

Then he said, almost casually—

“You’re loud.”

I blinked.

“…I’m not.”

His eyes narrowed slightly like he didn’t expect me to respond.

Then he turned away.

And just like that, he left the room.

No explanation.

No further comment.

Just gone.

I sat there for a second, confused.

Mom noticed immediately.

“What did he say?” she asked gently.

I hesitated.

“Nothing important,” I said.

But that wasn’t true.

Because even though it didn’t make sense yet…

I couldn’t stop thinking about his eyes.

And the way he looked at me like I had already become something he couldn’t ignore.