Gone

5. Sibling Talk

There should be a rule about how often a person can get surprises in a day. I - a person who used to sit at home, write music, listen to it, binge watch frequently, and survive a mediocre social life at school - was a person of routine. No surprises, no sudden changes.

Regular and Routinely.

That was until I met Dave, and my life turned upside down. Way more than the cliché summer love that gets you nowhere. It was just a crude mixture of a few days of happiness, with many more worth grieving for.

And then this happens.

"Did you find anything on the couch?"

Other than a fully loaded gun? Eh, just some drool on the cushion.

"What- Me?! No, nothing. Why?"

Sal keeps the bowl of cereal he was preparing for me at the table in front of my occupied hands, which were fiddling with a fake fruit.

I put down the fake apple, which has a toy-like button on its bottom, back in its basket before eagerly mouthing a spoonful of the sweet, crunchy food.

"I left something for you here that you could use if you felt threatened when you woke up... It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it too much."

I have to swallow my mouthful and look away before I give away that I already know what he's hiding. The gun which is being imprinting on my butt as I sit on it doesn't seem like nothing.

A weapon with the potential to kill is NEVER nothing.

I take in more cereal, gulping it down without chewing much, as I look around at the familiar living room. I reposition myself a little, hiding the gun behind me as my posture slackens in relief.

"This room's cool. Nice designing and furniture."

Sal smiles and motions for me to make room on the couch for him to sit as he walks towards me.

I'm about to scoot over when I realise...

My giant ass is hiding a gun and I can not just move over! I look around, about to blatantly ask him to sit somewhere else...

-in his own living room of his own cabin while I'm just a stranger that he was so kind as to help?

"Sit somewhere else."

I sag into the couch, pretending to be utterly tired as I think of an excuse.

Tired? Nope, been sleeping for hours till now. Trust issues? I should've screamed when he had hugged me earlier for that excuse to work. Just being an utterly lazy human? I'm too lazy to even think about tha-

The heartbroken look on Sal's face displays his tiredness better than my sagged shoulders ever could. I almost start to think of options as to how I could move over while hiding the gun from him, but then he simply goes to sit down on the couch opposite to mine.

"My sister's an interior designer, did a pretty good job for her younger brother, who had no idea how to get on his own feet in the first place."

He looks at me, and I feel as if he has put his life's history out for me when it really is only a minor part of what he is. The rigid swirl of honey in his brown eyes makes me want to vent about the tiniest details of my own life. The majestic rainbow that I had seen when I was six, and on vacation with my best friend and our families, or the precise measurement of just how much vanilla extract my mum used to add in cookies when I used to watch her bake from the corner of our kitchen.

Baby steps.

"I wanted to be an interior designer when I was a kid," I sigh, leaning into the couch with genuine weariness this time, "It just never panned out for me...."

His persistent smile and shining eyes ogle me, and I can't help but keep going.

"My parents tried to support me, but we were too short of money to let me take courses, and my brother..."

For some strange reason, I can no longer tell the difference between reality and memories, the vision of Sal's honey-brown eyes going blurred with an onset of tears, while the image of my brother's stacked awards and trophies remains vivid.

"He was exactly what we called him, a champ. I thought it'd be a good idea to save up for his studies, so I took up two part time jobs. But he just..."

I stare at the largest dew drop painted on the huge leaf wallpaper as its beauty enchants me all the way to my past.

"...left."

-.-.-.-.-

Hey, guys! *waves enthusiastically*

I've always wanted a little feedback every time I write something, but I also know how difficult it is for readers to do that, so I never really tried hard enough for it.

Randomly, when I started putting questions at the end of my other mystery book, it got a positive response, enough to satisfy me at least. Now you all must suffer through the same! Mwahaha!

1. What are your thoughts about Sal? How do you think he would react to the vague sob story?

2. Thoughts about how I've not even disclosed the narrator's name yet?

3. Why do you think the champion of a brother would leave his loving family?

4. Predictions for the next chapter?

5. *shields self behind measly typing hands* What do you think about me taking a break from wattpad for two months after three more updates for this book? *gulps and gets back to the story*

If you think I missed some points or have doubts or opinions about anything else, leave that in the comments, and I'll be sure to check it out.

I hope you have a good day/night!
-Riya