It's Always You- Bryles

17. Homesick

You know when you're on a holiday... and nothing is quite the same? Like, the bed is too soft, too big, the room is too bright, it's a bit too warm even with the air-con. Little things like this mean you never sleep for the whole night.

Waking up at 4AM, severely jet lagged and with a mild headache, I walked downstairs for a glass of water, having not drank anything since yesterday afternoon.

Hydration immediately cleared up my headache, allowing me to focus on the next pestering problem: sleep. I walked into the living room, settling down on the couch and throwing the comforter over myself. I ended up drifting off to sleep as soon as I turned the TV on, and woke up to the sound of Arjun's voice.

"Mornin', Bro," he gently shook me awake. " How come you're down here?"

"Couldn't sleep so I watched some TV," I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Well, get up, because we're going out today," he smirked. "You have work for the rest of the trip, so I thought we'd spend today catching up. Go get ready, we're having breakfast out," Arjun announced, walking into the kitchen. Sighing, I dragged myself off the couch and up the stairs to shower.

It was much needed, and I felt a lot better afterwards. Quickly brushing my teeth, I pulled on a t-shirt and beige ripped jeans, putting my sunglasses on. I sorted out my hair, styling it slightly, and headed downstairs again, grabbing my phone from the charger.

Soon, we were free to leave, and headed to a local café for breakfast. I ordered some French toast, and Arjun bought a small stack of pancakes.

"So, any new music I should know about?" He raised his eyebrows, as the fruit-topped meals arrived in front of us.

"Not really... I mean... I was working on a tune for fun but I don't think I'm gonna do anything with it," I shrugged.

"Why? What's it about?" He questioned.

"Uh... Briar," I cursed myself. I wanted this trip to clear my mind, but here I was, talking about her again.

"That's so cute," he grinned.

"What do you mean by that?" I found myself acting defensive.

"Nothing, man. It's sweet that you care about her," he raised his arms.

"Of course I care about her. Isn't that normal?" I clarified.

"Bro, chill. It's ok that you love her," Arjun shook his head.

"Love her?" I questioned, this conversation was escalating way too quickly.

"You're telling me you don't love Briar," he raised his eyebrows.

"I don't?" I repeated.

"Answer honestly. Is she always on your mind?" Arjun put his glass of juice down and stared at me.

"Yes," I stated.

"Does she always put a smile to your face?"

"Yeah..."

"Does seeing her cry break your heart?"

"Yes."

"Is her happiness the most important thing?"

"Definitely," I whispered, shocked to where this was leading.

"You're in love with Briar, man," Arjun wore a smug expression.

"I'm in love with Briar," I tested the words on my lips. "Woah."

The idea was alien to me. She had always been someone I considered as a sister... until recently. I used to sleep next to her and still have only platonic love towards her, but nowadays I look at her differently. What changed?