"What was their response?" I fixed my gaze on my father and watched him draw closer to us.
He took a seat beside my mother and heaved a sigh. "They didn’t say anything regarding that, but they agreed to allow your visits. Unlike before, you’ll be able to visit us more frequently," he explained.
Oh, they didn’t answer his questions.
"How are you doing?" He inquired.
"I’m fine—maybe not fine, but I’m holding out," I exhaled.
"You should; you have to. For the sake of us all," my father said, shaking his head. Just then, my brothers arrived. My two younger brothers, Everett and Tate, rushed into the house.
"Mom, where is she? Mom, is she ho?" Tate, my youngest brother, asked, looking around for us.
"We’re here," Mom called out, and they ca over to the visitors’ area.
"Mom, Dad." They greeted both Mom and Dad before coming to . They threw themselves at , and I didn’t hesitate to return the gesture.
But why are they so tall? They look different. More mature.
"Wait, hold on a second." I disengaged from the hug and stood up to compare our heights. I was stunned by the difference.
Moon goddess! What are they eating? They look manly now. Eww, why are they growing so quickly?
"Why are you making that face?" Everett laughed at my expression after checking our height.
"You’re now our baby sister," Tate said, patting my head. I frowned at the gesture.
"I’m not your baby sister. You need to co down a little so I can see your face. I can’t see your face clearly," I complained.
"Like this?" Tate crouched down, and as soon as he did, I grabbed his hair and pulled it. He yelped in protest.
"Mom," he groaned, fixing his hair. "I’m an adult now. I’m sixteen, and I have a girlfriend. Don’t do that to ," Tate complained, but his attitude made laugh.
"You’re still my baby." I tried to touch his butt, but he quickly moved away.
"Why? I used to do that all the ti," I grumbled.
"I’m an adult now. What if my girlfriend sees?" His complaint made laugh, and my parents quickly joined in.
"I’m an adult now. I only get treated like a baby here. I’m not a baby; you’re the baby now. You’re the smallest." He kept grumbling, which only made it funnier.
"You should keep your bags in your room, take a bath, and co down for lunch," Mom advised, and they both left.
"Mom, you didn’t say all these things to ; you didn’t ask to take a bath. That’s unfair," I grumbled, but she shook her head.
"Tate is right, you’re the baby now, not him." She made a face, then stood up. "I made lunch—what the family loves. Let check on the food."
"Alright, Mom," I smiled and watched her leave.
"Dad, please excuse . I need to change," I said, and went to my room.
I t Willa in front of my door.
"You can use one of the guest rooms; just speak to a servant. I’m sure they’ve already prepared a room," I said before going into my room.
**
The Next Day
"Let’s go shopping, let’s do sothing fun. It’s been a while since we had fun together," Tate suggested.
"The three of you can go; your mom and I will stay," Dad responded. We had just finished breakfast and were still at the dining table.
"But why?" Tate started to complain, but Everett stopped him.
"Let’s do as he said; we can go together. Let Mom and Dad be."
After about an hour, we were ready to go shopping.
"The brothers don’t want you to stray far from your house," Willa reminded .
"Yes, the shopping mall is close by. We used to go there as kids; we know most of the workers. It’s totally safe," I explained.
"But I’ll still have to co with you," she insisted.
"No problem."
"I’ll drive you."
"No, we have drivers h..." I stopped when she imdiately took the driver’s seat. She’s inflexible. Gosh!
"Let’s go." My brothers and I sat in the backseat.
"How old is your girlfriend?" I asked Tate.
"And you?" I gestured to Everett. "Do you have one?"
"We’re classmates, and Everett doesn’t have a girlfriend. He’s too busy learning how to be a doctor," Tate shrugged. "Why did he choose such a difficult course?"
"Really? You don’t have a girlfriend? You always talked about how you’d get one once you finished high school. I’m surprised—you seem more mature now," I said, looking at my brother. He only laughed.
He’s beco truly mature. It’s been two years, but it feels longer.
"Tate, tell about your girlfriend. How did you et her?" I turned to Tate.
Tate said all kinds of things—both necessary and unnecessary—and I kept listening. I’ve truly missed my siblings. I never realized how much until I saw them yesterday.
It feels so nice to see them in person.
We arrived at the shopping mall and got out of the car.
"I’ll park the vehicle and..." Willa began, but I didn’t wait.
"et us inside the mall when you’re done."
"Let’s go," I said to my brothers, and we all rushed in. We ran straight to our favorite grocery shop. We knew the manager, but when we got there, the shop looked different; a different person was there.
An older man. He appeared to be scolding a younger guy. When I looked closer, I recognized the guy being scolded and—Moon goddess! I know him!
He... He is my first love. My first crush. He is Cole.
"Cole," I called, catching their attention. Both the older man and Cole turned to us. Cole’s eyes widened as soon as our gazes t.
"Cole..." I whispered, still staring at him, but Cole was frozen in place, unable to believe his eyes.
"Cole," I called again.
"Ara," he finally said, then rushed over and hugged tightly.
"Where have you been? I searched for you after our final exam but couldn’t find you. Where did you disappear to?" he asked.
"Cole, I..." I started, but he interrupted.
"You don’t know how much I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so much; I thought I’d lost you," he said, tightening his grip around .
He thought he lost ?
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