Sentience

17

"So, this is the photo they took that day," Changmin mumbled alone in the living room, looking up at Belle's family portrait while the chaotic party was still going on. He had been in this house for 3 hours today, but he wondered how he just noticed it now.

It came out well. The four of them looked like a happy family in the beige and white themed outfit; the same outfit as in the picture of the siblings that Changmin had seen before, smiling to the camera. Belle's parents were sitting on chairs, Jinwoo was on their father's lap, while the girl herself was standing behind them.

It seemed fit now to him. When Belle said, her mother insisted on having a family portrait, this must be the reason for it. She wanted it to be hung on the wall so that all guests could see their close bonding through a photo.

But...

"Is it really the thing that happened?" Changmin mumbled to himself as he glanced over his shoulder towards the balcony where Belle and her father were talking - seriously.

Befriending Belle for a few years already, the boy found out that she was closer to her father than her mother. If that was even true, how could the father let her be engulfed in a foreign emotion without having even an ounce to check? Or maybe they were discussing it now, nonetheless, Changmin simply thought that her father probably could have taken action earlier.

"Bro! Wanna have some?" Changmin's lovely time was then interrupted by Eric who passed by with a plate full of food. "This cream puff is delicious."

Changmin blinked towards the younger, processing everything he just heard. Skeptical expression painted all over his face as he questioned, "Can you... eat things like this? I thought you have to keep your body fit?"

Eric was offended, sulking even. He pulled away the plate he offered to the older, and his lips protruded.

"Just say it if you don't want to. No need to attack me like that!" The boy was enraged and that meant only one thing. Changmin was right.

Especially in tournament season, Eric would look up his food intake carefully. He often told them that he needed to maintain his stamina so that he could perform well during the match. That had always resulted in him rejecting his friends' offers for food.

I am just reminding you, Changmin spoke through his gaze which was shot to the boy.

"Give me one cream puff, please," Changmin requested, his palm was widely opened, awaiting the pastry.

Was this where Eric would ignore the older? Not really. If he had some death wishes, then, he could just walk away. So, Eric put two pieces. Get 1 free, he told Changmin before he ran away joining their herd back in a corner.

Changmin could only scoff. He did not get even a bit about how Eric's statement worked. Was it a joke or a random thought? He couldn't tell it easily.

It was then, that the boy found himself subconsciously walking towards the opened sliding door accessed to the balcony where Belle was still in a serious talk with her father. Changmin didn't mean to interrupt or to be nosy about their family matter, but his legs were just casually going there.

When Changmin halted right before the threshold, there was something Belle's father was saying that sounded too soothing and pleasant to hear.

"Arabelle, you know you are the best sister in the world, right?" Then, the father placed a kiss on Belle's hair, hugging her tight for a solid 10 seconds before he looked in Changmin's way. "Come, Changmin. She's yours."