Relish love

chapter 4 The challenge and bet

Sino couldn’t shake the thoughts of Alice from his mind as he walked across campus, heading to meet his sister, Aera. The memory of their brief interaction in the library left him with a small, lingering smile. But as he approached the usual spot where Aera and her friends hung out, that smile faded.
He spotted Aera almost immediately, but she wasn’t alone. She was with Emily, James, Mark—and Traver. Sino’s mood shifted. It wasn’t that he hated Traver; it was more that Traver’s entire persona—the cocky smirk, the swagger, the way he seemed to effortlessly charm everyone around him—rubbed Sino the wrong way. The fact that Aera was so taken with him only made it worse.
Aera was leaning close to Traver, the two of them huddled over something on his phone, laughing together like they were the only two people in the world. Sino felt a surge of protectiveness rise up in him. As her brother, he knew Traver’s type all too well, and it made him uneasy. He had never been able to understand what Aera saw in Traver, a guy who was notorious for getting with every other girl on campus. It made Sino uncomfortable, to say the least.
He approached the group, forcing himself to maintain a neutral expression. But the closer he got, the more he could feel his irritation bubbling up. When he finally reached them, he cleared his throat, trying to mask the edge in his voice.

“Aera, Dad wants us home. He needs to talk to us about something important.”

Aera looked up, her smile fading slightly as she registered the seriousness in her brother’s tone. “Oh, Sino, I can’t. I’ve got plans with Traver and the others. There’s a party tonight, and—”
Before she could finish, Sino’s patience snapped. “Aera, I’m not asking. I’m telling you. We’re going home, now.”
His voice was louder than he intended, and the group fell silent, all eyes suddenly on them. Aera stared at him in surprise, her brow furrowing in confusion. But before she could respond, Traver spoke up, his tone calm but carrying a subtle edge that Sino couldn’t ignore.
“Stop shouting, Sino,” Traver said, not bothering to look up from his phone. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it carried weight. “She’s your sister. Be calm with her.”
Sino clenched his fists, his irritation flaring into anger. Traver’s nonchalant attitude, the way he spoke as if he had any right to tell him how to treat Aera—it was infuriating. “Stay out of this, Traver,” Sino shot back, his voice cold. “This is a family matter.”
Traver finally lifted his gaze, meeting Sino’s eyes with a smirk that made Sino’s blood boil. “I’m just saying, there’s no need to make a scene. We’re all just trying to have a good time here. Maybe you should try it sometime.”
Sino felt the provocation in Traver’s words, and it took every ounce of self-control not to lash out. “Aera, we’re leaving. Now,” he said through gritted teeth, ignoring Traver’s smirk.
Aera, sensing the tension, quickly stepped in. “Sino, please. I’ll go with you, okay? Just calm down.” She tugged on his arm, trying to pull him away from the group before things escalated further.
Sino allowed himself to be led away, though his anger was still simmering just below the surface. Once they were out of earshot, Aera turned to him, her expression a mix of frustration and concern.
“Why do you always have to make things difficult?” Aera asked, her voice softer now, but still tinged with irritation.
“Because you shouldn’t be wasting your time on someone like Traver,” Sino snapped, the words spilling out before he could stop them. “He’s not good for you, Aera. You know that.”
Aera sighed, crossing her arms. “You don’t understand, Sino. Traver doesn’t even know how I feel about him. He’s not some villain you need to save me from.”
Sino shook his head, struggling to find the right words. “Aera, he’s... he’s not like us. He’s—”
“He’s just a guy, Sino,” Aera interrupted. “And if you must know, he’s already told me himself—‘If I ever fall in love in my life, I will live till my death.’ He’s not looking to hurt anyone. He’s just living his life.”
Sino stared at her, his anger slowly ebbing away, replaced by a heavy sense of helplessness. He wanted to protect her, to keep her from getting hurt, but how could he do that when she was so determined to believe the best in Traver?
“Aera, I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” Sino said quietly, his voice softening.
Aera looked at him, her expression gentler now. “I know, Sino. And I appreciate that. But I need to make my own choices, my own mistakes. You can’t protect me from everything.”
Sino sighed, knowing she was right, even if he didn’t like it. “Just... be careful, okay?”
“I will,” Aera promised, giving him a small smile. “And hey, maybe you should take your own advice. You never know, that ‘interesting’ girl you mentioned earlier might just surprise you.”
Sino managed a weak smile, though his thoughts were still tangled in a mix of worry and frustration. “Yeah, maybe.”
As they walked home together, Sino couldn’t help but glance back in the direction of Traver and his friends, a knot of unease tightening in his chest. He didn’t know how, but he had a feeling that things were only going to get more complicated from here.