Another City Of Lights.

Chapter 20.

December, Karachi.

Aaron's POV:-

Sometimes I wonder if I was born just to be everyone's helper. If that is really my purpose here. Because I'm sure everyone else seems to think so.
I don't know why though. I don't think I ever initiated any sort of that thing, that gave people the idea to use me this way. I was never that friendly in general, but somehow, everyone always came to me when they needed something.

It has been three months since my dear brother came back, and my life has been going downhill ever since.
I haven't been getting any time for myself. It's even more hectic than before now, since I have to drive around my mom everywhere when she shops, and do any kind of random chores she asks.
She's been going literally crazy ever since Harry dropped out of nowhere, and she's on full shopping mode for the wedding. Which we still don't know will happen. If it'll happen. Knowing Harry, he'll just blow everyone off and escape again.
They had that in common. Harry and Sam. Always running away when caught in a struggle. They were alike, the two of them. I had always known that, even though Sam used to say she never saw the resemblance.

On one very warm Friday night, Harry calls a family meeting. Which basically includes all of us sitting squished together on that green couch in the living room downstairs, and Harry sitting on a chair facing us, and trying to make an announcement.
It's very uncomfortable for me. My jeans are too tight, and my cellphone in my side pocket keeps buzzing, probably indicating a text from Dash since we had to meet up later. My dad is glaring at me, because I'm sure he can feel my vibrating cellphone as well. But atleast I'm trying to act decent. I could just get up and leave, I don't care much for Harry's big announcement anyway. So I stare back at Dad, indicating that this is my best behaviour, this is all he's going to get out of me.
Harry clears his throat, suggesting we all look at him now, because he's about to speak.
"So the thing is, I'm just going to be blunt with this so nobody panic, uh...I can't have the wedding here", He blurts out.
The expression on my parents faces are priceless. They've been going overboard with the arrangements and clothes and the gifts, ready to celebrate the first born son getting hitched.
And as for me, well I can't control my laughter. I literally can't control it, and I burst out laughing while my parents stare at him in shock, and then at me with disgust.
"So we wasted all this time on nothing? Way to go man", I laugh some more.
"Shut up, Aaron", Dad says, still glaring at my older brother but never failing to curse me just the same.
"We'll have to have the wedding in Canada, you should all come", Harry shrugs.
"Canada? How can we ever go to Canada? Are you insane?", My mother shrieks. Clearly she's ready to freak out now.
And clearly, she's not the only one.
I am freaking out as well. How does he except us, or more importantly me, to drop everything I have here and just go to Canada for his stupid wedding? I can't skip my classes, I have to keep up my attendance this semester, and I can't bail out on my jobs.

"Just give us some time to think about it", Dad says, and gets up to leave the room.
"No. No way. I can't go", I try to protest on my behalf.
"This isn't about you", Harry spits at me, smirking.
"Some of us actually go to college. Some of us actually have jobs to keep", I'm having a hard time controlling my anger now. I want to wipe that fucking stupid smirk off of his face. But it's useless. Both of us know that he's won.
He always wins.

I stayed over at Dash's place that night. I always did that when Harry was in town because he always took my room for himself, and mostly because I wanted to keep avoiding him as long as possible.

It was long after midnight, and we were sat on the roof. The nights were usually cooler here in the city, as compared to the day.
Dash was lying on his back besides me, a lone cigarette dangling from the edge of his mouth, and one tucked behind his ear. It made me smile, the kid was trying so hard to be cool.
He was still the same happy-go-lucky guy I met in kindergarten, and he was still a good listener.
He didn't say a word when I kept ranting about my fucking brother's fucking wedding. He wasn't even looking at me, he was staring up at the starlit sky. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he wasn't even listening to me.

After I had stopped talking shit about Harry and about how I was always dragged in to his stuff, Dash sat up to stare at me. This was his usual way of starting his deep advice thing.
"You don't really have a choice", He stated, still looking at me.
"If I fight enough-", I try to say.
"No. You idiot", He cuts me off, and throws me a pebble which hits me on the face, just where he wanted it.
"This is your chance!", He says excitedly, waving his hands around.
"Eh..what?", I have no idea what he's upto this time.
"You're already going there, right? Might as well go find Sam", He shrugs.
"WHAT?!", I all but scream at him.
Find Sam? Find her where exactly?
"Look it's not that hard. I've already been doing some thinking along with Hailey, but you know much more about her. We can track her down", He explains.

I didn't even know he was thinking about this. Or that Hailey was involved. What traitors.
I didn't know where Sam was, I didn't want to find her. She left all of us behind, didn't she? What would I even do if I actually did find her? Convince her to come back? Or congratulate her on her epic escape?
This wasn't my thing. I was already over this. I was trying to actually do something of my own and move on already.
I didn't want to face her again, I couldn't.

"You want to find her, don't you?", Dash says, looking at me quizzically.

I don't answer him. I don't have an answer.
But I don't want to regret it either.