7. First Kiss

[POV Fany]

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The scent of cedar wood. The living room has a squeaky floor. Wall made of drab wood. Every step into the Beneds' house brings back memories.

My steps ceased. Behind the long sofa is a special spot where I blew my first kiss.

Oh, those memories that make my heart skip a beat. Oh my goodness, why am I even thinking about it? There are far more important things to consider.

My path takes me to the dining room. Alfred sat on the steps, limply leaning against the wall, and raised three fingers to greet me. While Aunt rose from her dining chair to greet me.

"Fany. Let's take a seat first."

Her skin is sagging, and his black hair is being replaced by gray hair. The rest of the beauty, however, was painted on his thin face.

While kissing her cheek, I placed the plastic-filled fruit on the empty chair.

"Where is Adrian?" she ask.

"Perhaps he's fucking the neighbor's girl," Kimberly speculated as she washed the dishes in the kitchen, drawing Aunty's gaze.

"That is not something you should say to your brother. Please call him right away."

"I'm too busy washing, Mom," Kim grumbled. "When he's hungry, he'll come by himself."

"Please allow me to contact him." I entered the living room.

Adrian was sitting on the terrace of the house, smoking cigarette butts, when I arrived.

What on earth was he thinking?

I snatched the disgusting object from his lips and threw it into the garden in front of the house.

"You know, a lit cigarette butt can start a fire in the summer," Adrian objected.

"And did you know I can scratch your face if you don't come in soon?"

Despite my threats, he was still too lazy to sit back in his chair.

"Adrian Bened, please come in right away!" I yelled as I pointed to the open door. "If you don't hurry up and see your mother, I won't talk to you anymore."

When my words reached the doll's ear, he did not budge. He finally stood up after a long time of waiting. "Are you happy now?"

I nodded and pushed him into the dining room.

His steps came to a halt right beside the long sofa, where he stole my first kiss. Oh my God, my chest is pumping blood all over my body at an alarming rate. Does he remember everything? Forget it; something more important is on the way.

I was about to push him away when he turned around.

"What should I do when I met Mom?" Adrian asked, his face wilting.

I'm at a loss for how to respond. He's created a new type of problem. "Sit down, admit your errors, and pray."

"I wasn't wrong—"

"Stop talking. Be a man and admit your mistakes, even if you are not wrong."

I pushed him until we arrived at our destination. Adrian sat next to me on the dining chair. For a few moments, we were shackled by silence.

Adrian took out his device and scribbled something on it. Then he handed me the black thing. When we were in school, this was our way of communicating in silence.

I took my time reading the message. [Now, what should I do?]

I wrote, [Try to start the conversation in your own way], then returned the device.

He read and then raised one eyebrow at me. Don't tell me he doesn't get it.

He wrote again, then handed me the phone. [How?]

Should I teach him how to speak nicely and politely? I responded to the text message. [Whatever!] The device should then be returned.

Adrian cleared his throat, instantly escalating the situation. Even Kim, who was washing, looked back at us from time to time.

"May I eat?" he said, stupidly said.

Oh my goodness, is this how Adrian begins the conversation? I used the incorrect sentence 'whatever'; instead, I should have written, 'I was wrong, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, tell me how to fix the error.'

Alfred burst out laughing at his brother's antics, his voice sarcastic.

"Do you have any other ideas?"

"Wondering how to be a man who doesn't complain to his mother if he loses a fiancée?"

Aunt intervened, saying, "You two, stop it." "Why did you do that, Adrian? Melisa is your brother's fiancée, and she will be your sister-in-law one day."

"Why would his future husband let her go with a jerk like me, Mom?" Adrian replied.

Auntie exhaled a sigh. "You ruined everything, Alfred, you ruined Alfred's career—"

Adrian responded casually with a laugh. "Your only considers Alfred's interests. How about me?"

"Adrian—" Aunt tried to cut in.

"It's always me, isn't it?" Adrian inquired.

"Because you're always wrong!" retorted Alfred. "You should also start changing yourself."

"You're not my father! What, after all, do you know about the difficulty of studying law?"

I had expected everything to turn out this way. No one wants to speak, and no one wants to move.

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