ᴛᴀɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜᴇʀ

ꜱɪx

I pulled up to my parents' mansion and entered the code to drive in. As I parked, I noticed the grand silence that greeted me, a stark contrast to the bustling city outside. I entered the house, inputting the code again to unlock the door.

"Master Ciel, welcome home," Jonathan, our butler, greeted me with his usual politeness.

"Thank you, Jonathan," I replied, handing him my bag. "Where's my mother?" I asked. She was always the first to greet me when I came home.

"Oh, the Mrs. went shopping earlier. She'll be back in a few minutes, it's been about two hours since she left," Jonathan explained.

"And my father?" I inquired, knowing he was rarely around.

"The Master is at the office," Jonathan replied sadly.

I sighed. My father was a workaholic. He'd missed almost every birthday, including mine, and had forgotten both his anniversary with my mother and his own birthday twice. His work always came first. I headed upstairs to my room, where everything was exactly as I left it, almost as if time had stood still. I lay on my bed, the quietness of the house sinking in around me.

My phone rang, breaking the silence. I picked it up to see "Akira" on the screen. "I mumbled as I answered.

"Hello," I said.

"It's Akira," she said, her voice light and cheerful. "I took your number from your phone; I totally forgot to get it earlier. Did you reach home safely?"

"Yeah, I forgot how quiet this house is," I admitted.

"Want me to keep you company?" she asked, her tone sincere.

I felt my face flush red, even though she couldn't see me. "Yeah," I said, a smile tugging at my lips. I glanced at the mirror above my bed and saw my red cheeks.

"Hello?" she asked after a moment of silence. I quickly grabbed the phone, and just as I was about to respond, I felt it vibrate again this time, it was a FaceTime call. I quickly dropped the phone on my bed, took a deep breath, and answered.

"HEY!" she shouted, grinning brightly at the screen.

I found myself staring at her, mesmerized by how beautiful she looked. "Hi," I said softly, almost in awe.

We talked for over an hour, learning little things about each other. I discovered that she loved seafood, hated liars, and had a lot of interesting quirks. It felt natural, easy, like we were in our own little world.

Just as I was enjoying the conversation, I heard a knock at the door. "I have to go now," I said reluctantly.

"Bye, remember Sunday," she said, smiling. Then she hung up.

"Ciel," my mother's voice called from the doorway. I turned to see her standing there, her arms open for a hug.

"My baby, how are you?" she said, enveloping me in a warm embrace.

"Mom, it's only been a month," I laughed, pulling away.

"Really? It feels like a year," she replied, a hint of longing in her voice. "Did your brother not come home?"

I shook my head. "No, not yet."

Her smile faltered, her eyes dimming with sadness. I couldn't stand seeing her like that. "He'll be here tomorrow, though," I lied, trying to cheer her up.

Her face lit up instantly. "Oh, that's wonderful! Dinner will be soon. You remember Helena, right? Your childhood friend? You two used to be inseparable. Her family is coming over for dinner tonight, so dress presentably," she said, planting a kiss on my cheek before leaving the room.