Unspoken

It was the Perfect Day

As Selena stepped into the house, her parents welcomed her with warm smiles. "How was your day with Olivia?" her mom asked, noticing the happiness glowing on her daughter's face.

"It was amazing," Selena replied excitedly. She shared all the little details about their day—dancing, the delicious gazpacho, and their walk through the neighborhood. Her parents listened, smiling at her enthusiasm.

Later, when she was back in her room, her phone buzzed. Olivia had called to check in. "Hey, just wanted to make sure you got home safe!" Olivia said.

"Yeah, all good," Selena laughed. "Thanks for today. You have to come visit my place next time!"

"Count on it," Olivia replied warmly. "It'll be so fun!"

They said goodnight, each smiling as they hung up. Lying in bed, Selena scrolled through the photos they'd taken —their silly faces, carefree laughs. With a happy sigh, she turned off her phone and drifted to sleep, thinking of the new friendship she was building and the joy it brought her.

Just as Selena was drifting into a happy reverie, Kevin burst into her room, arms crossed and a playful scowl on his face. "Hey!" he huffed. "How could you go have all that fun without me? You're so evil, Selena!"

Just as Selena was settling in and scrolling through her photos from the day, her door suddenly flew open with a dramatic flair, and there stood Kevin, arms crossed, looking thoroughly indignant.

"Hey!" he burst out. "How could you go and have all that fun without me? That's totally unfair! You're so evil, Selena!"

Selena looked up, surprised but amused by her brother's theatrics. She crossed her arms back at him, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep by now?" she teased.

Kevin huffed and marched right over to her bed, plopping down with a determined look. "Nope! Not until you tell me *everything*. I heard you talking about Olivia's house, and Mom and Dad said it was super fancy! Is it really like a palace?" His eyes were wide, a mix of curiosity and envy sparkling in them.

Seeing how eager he was, Selena decided to make the story as magical as possible. She sat up and leaned toward him, lowering her voice as if sharing a big secret. "Oh, Kevin, you wouldn't believe it! Her house is huge—seriously, it's like something straight out of a fairytale. There's this enormous staircase when you walk in, and the walls are covered in beautiful paintings. They even have a chandelier that looks like it's made of a thousand tiny crystals, sparkling like stars!"

Kevin's jaw dropped. "No way! What else?"

Selena laughed, enjoying his reaction. "Well, there's this big game room where they have tons of things to play with—a foosball table, a mini basketball hoop, even a little arcade game! And guess what? They have a this big swimming pool in their backyard."

Kevin's face lit up with pure wonder, and he leaned in closer, hanging onto every word. "Did you go swimming? And what did you eat?"

"Oh, you would've loved it," Selena said with a grin. "Her family has this wonderful maid, Miss Nuria, who makes the best gazpacho ever. She even brought us little bowls with all these toppings. We spent the whole afternoon eating, playing, dancing, and just being silly!"

Kevin looked half in awe, half betrayed, scrunching his face up in exaggerated offense. "You got to do all that without me? And have gazpacho? *And* go to the game room?" He shook his head, putting on his best serious face. "Next time, you *have* to take me. It's not fair that you got to go to this amazing house and didn't bring your favorite little brother along."

Selena chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Alright, alright, I promise. Next time I visit Olivia's house, you'll come with me. But there's one condition..."

Kevin squinted, pretending to think it over. "What's the catch?"

"No sneaking into my room after bedtime to bug me for stories," she said, tapping him playfully on the nose.

Kevin laughed, his eyes shining with excitement. "Fine, deal. But only if you take me next time for *real*. Promise?" He held out his pinky.

Selena wrapped her pinky around his, sealing their pact. "Promise."

With that, Kevin hopped off her bed, looking satisfied. "Alright, goodnight, Selena!" he called, dashing toward the door.

"Goodnight, little explorer!" she replied, watching him disappear down the stairs, still mumbling excitedly about all the fun things he'd get to do at Olivia's house.

Selena leaned back against her pillows with a smile, feeling grateful for her family, her new friends, and these simple but sweet moments.