Always

31| mature one

LAYLA

We were taking turns visiting Ace in the hospital today. I knocked on the door and poked my head in. Ace looked up at me and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I went inside, closing the door behind me.

"Better than yesterday." I nodded and sat down on the little couch beside his bed.

"What you did was very brave. But what you and Romeo did before? Stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life." He chuckled, but then winced and stopped laughing.

Then he shrugged. "In my defence, I was just trying to help."

"I get it, your intentions were good, but maybe you guys went a little extra."

Ace sighed. I decided not to press on the matter anymore. "Well, what's done is done, it can't be changed now. And anyways, you did redeem yourself." He nodded in agreement.

"So, how's school going?" He asked. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "There's this guy," and immediately realised the situation sounded different than I intended.

Ace raised his eyebrows. "Not like that. We were assigned a project together, but we had a fight and now I have to do it myself. By tomorrow. We haven't talked since, not even acknowledged each other at school. And now with all this going on, I don't know how I'll complete it. I don't even have his side of opinion on questions where both our answers are needed."

I finished my little rant. He listened to everything I said silently. I half expected him to ask me the guy's name and do background research on him once he's discharged from the hospital. But to my surprise, he just smiled a little, which was very not Ace like when it came to his sisters and boys.

"All I can say is, do what you think is right. If you really need his help, then be the mature one and reach out to him. Maybe you guys can solve whatever problem you have and work together again to finish your project on time." He suggested.

"I'll think about it." I replied.

Then his smile turned into a smirk. "Also, do you like him?"

"What the fuck Ace!?" I exclaimed, probably turning red.

"Yeah, I'll take that as a no."

I scoffed. "You've been spending way too much time with Luca, Lucas and Liam. Maybe Alex too."

"You think?"

"Duh. You sound just like them."

He frowned. "I'm not that annoying am I? Minus Alexis, of course."

It was my turn to laugh. "No, you've not reached that level yet. Enough talking now, you want to play UNO?"

"Who's acting like Lucas now huh?"

I stuck out my tongue at him in response and took out a pack of UNO cards from my bag. We played at least three games, me winning two to one. In the middle of the fourth round, the nurse looking after Ace came into the room with a food tray, saying it was time for Ace to eat.

I quickly put all the cards away and the nurse brought out the overbed table. After placing all the food on it, she told Ace to finish all of it, as it was necessary for him to eat according to his diet in order to heal quickly. She turned to me before exiting and told me to make sure he eats it all.

Once she left Ace groaned. "I hate this stuff. It tastes disgusting!"

I chuckled. "You heard what she said, come on now, finish it up."

"I'm not a little kid, in fact I'm your elder brother. You can't tell me what to do." He said, acting very much like a little kid.

"I'm not telling you what to do. It's the doctor's order." He huffed, but still ate his food.