I Won't Let Him

Tea and Bagels

Three simple knocks on the door.

The sound of it caught MARI off guard while she was still busy rearranging the living room to decorate it with more of SUNNY's toys.

It couldn't be...

He had only just left a short while ago. MARI knew that he wouldn't be back until later, once he was done playing with BASIL. They had the whole day ahead of them.

Yet a part of her felt so hopeful and optimistic that it was still him. Enough that she immediately dropped what she was doing just to rush over to the door to welcome him home.

Even if it was only a short visit- maybe to grab something he forgot or to ask her a quick favor- she would still be happy just to see him again.

She practically hurled the door open, fully expecting to see her little brother in front of her.

"SUNNY? You're back already?"

"Uh... Uhhhh..." Not SUNNY mumbled dumbfoundedly.

She blinked as her smile disappeared, her mind taking a moment to process what was obviously not her little brother in front of her.

...

Oh. It was just KEL.

Because of him and his stupid knocking style, she ended up screaming at BASIL's face for no reason last night.

What, did he finally learn how to knock like a normal person just to come over and steal her brother again? Jerk.

She didn't have time to deal with his annoying bullcrap right now. SUNNY wasn't even home anyway.

"Hi, MA-"

She slammed the door in his face, hoping it would be the end of that.

Just before she was about to go back to organizing the living room, she heard the door getting body-slammed against as KEL's desperate cries rang out.

"Wait, MARI! Hold on, please! Let's just talk!"

MARI had to grit her teeth just to control her temper. Why did KEL always insist to butt in on her life every single time he showed up?

"MARI, don't shut me out again! Please... Please just hear me out!"

Wasn't it already enough that she let him steal SUNNY away yesterday? Just leave her alone already!

Honestly, she was about this close to ripping the door off its hinges just to club the idiot. The only thing even stopping her right now was the fact that she knew she wasn't strong enough to actually do that.

But she would definitely try to if he kept pushing her buttons like this.

There was a brief moment of pure silence while MARI tensed up behind the door.

MARI had thought that the tanned boy finally got the hint. She gave a gruff sigh to herself, thinking she was finally alone again. Just when she was about to go back to her business though, she could hear him calling out once more.

"MARI, I'm so sorry."

MARI froze in her spot, eyes slowly widening as she heard KEL speak to her through the door.

"I don't want you to hate me anymore. I know what I did was stupid and mean and wrong and you must think I'm a horrible person for giving up on SUNNY for all these years. But please, believe me when I say that I'm so absolutely sorry for everything! I just... I don't even have any good excuse for why I gave up on him. I was just so tired of being stuck in the same place, over and over, that I thought that I would go crazy if I didn't try to move on. But I didn't mean to abandon SUNNY though. I never meant to abandon you either... I never meant to hurt you..."