Dreams will always become reality the second you open your heart to all the possibilities in the universe. Desperate to get out of her chaotic life, Ansel Ru finds herself wrapped in between dimensions. With Angelo hiding behind her shadows through...
The scent of chlorophyll filled her nose the minute Ansel reached the dining room. She settled her backpack on the stool before sitting down on her usual spot. Jiang's figure could be seen in the garden, shifting a few new plants he bought yesterday evening. Stretching her muscles, Ansel headed over to the coffee machine and began brewing her favourite coffee.
Jiang's coffee mug sat by the side of the sink proudly with coffee stains at the tip of it. Tilting her head to study Jiang's broad shoulders facing her, Ansel wondered how long the elder has been awake. With curiosity in her system, she made her way to the door, trying to avoid as much sunlight possible and poked Jiang's back, using the tip of the broom.
"Good morning, Ansel," Jiang beamed, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Did you sleep well last night? I could almost hear you nagging someone from the first floor. Is there anything I can help with?"
"Morning," she replied, crossing her arms steadily before shaking her head. "No, it's fine. I got it figured out last night. One of my group members failed in handing in the last piece of document, so I had to stay up all night to finish it. Imagine her audacity of telling me she did not have any idea in solving the problem last minute."
Jiang shrugged, gritting his teeth together. He settled his gloves by the side, motioning for Ansel to head into the house. Ansel scooted over to the coffee machine, grabbed her cup of coffee and wasted no time in taking her seat next to her backpack. She watched Jiang washed off the dirt from his fingers carefully before wiping it at the nearby towel. He headed over to the refrigerator, producing a large box of strawberries and green grapes, ready to place it in his faithful yoghurt bowl.
"Either way, I am glad you managed it, Ansel. At least, your hard work will finally be shown in your grades. Even though grades are not important, that is the first thing they will look upon before calling you for an interview," said Jiang truthfully, slicing off the large strawberries attentively. "Is it alright to you if I want to open up the topic of Angelo with you?"
Ansel looked up from the two green grapes in her hand and nodded at Jiang's words. Ever since Jiang had known Angelo was an angel, Ansel could see worries in his eyes no matter how much he tried to hide it. Jiang had always been mature than his elder brother because of his years of living far from his parents. Sometimes, Ansel heard him advising, scolding and nagging Jun Ho about his reckless choices with one night stands. She took a sip from her coffee mug before paying attention to Jiang attentively instead of letting her mind to drift far from her body.
"Are you planning on telling Annika and Jun Ho both about Angelo?" Jiang questioned, plopping a large dollop of yoghurt into his bowl. "I understand that they have no rights in interfering into your matter, but Angelo is living with us. There is a high possibility that they might find out about him one day."
"Honestly, I thought about it for a long time. Angelo might be an angel, but his magic has been dormant. He's a mortal just like us. At least, for now. It is going to be hard to explain about him being an angel to your brother and Annika when Angelo is still finding himself," said Ansel softly. "I understand that I should not lie to my housemates, but I personally do not think they are ready to know about Angelo's identity yet."
Jiang smiled at her words, preparing another bowl for the younger.
"I respect your choices then, Ansel. I'm going to remind myself one day that if they keep pestering me to tell them your secrets about Angelo, I will play dumb," Jiang chirp excitedly, plotting the lines in his head. "I can tell that you care for him a lot. It is nice seeing you find someone who really loves you, Ansel. Between Angelo and you, there might be secrets the both of you are hiding from all three of us, but I know you are doing it for the best."
Ansel frowned. She slipped her palms under the table, tightening her grip on the keychain on her bag. Lowering her head, Ansel was aware that she had not mentioned about the curse to Jiang, even about Carson.
How could she possibly tell him that he might wake up one day and found her dead on the sidewalk?
Biting her inner cheeks, Ansel worked out the math if she should inform Jiang the truth about Angelo's universe. Mentally shaking the thoughts away, she assured herself that when the time comes, Jiang would understand her choices of not telling him. Jiang didn't have to acknowledge the existence of the curse or her choices about it, because she knows that if she were to tell him, the boy would do anything to stop her. Forcing a smile on her lips, she studied Jiang's relaxing features, crushing the almonds into their yoghurt bowls.
"Thank you for trusting my choices, Jiang," she muttered with a smile. No matter what choices I pick, you will still stand by my side and support me, right?"
Jiang nodded.
"Yes, I will because I trust your judgements," said Jiang truthfully. "You are a grown woman to me, Ansel. You have your own rights to make your choices. I can only advise you or give you my opinions, but you will be the one to call your own shots. Instead of opposing your choices, I am going to support them because I know you will make the right ones."
Ansel smiled, accepting the bowl from Jiang. The slices of strawberries with green grapes laid neatly on the right side of the bowl while a dollop of yoghurt mimicked the fluffy clouds in the skies. She closed her eyes breathing in the scent of extra chocolate drizzle being placed onto the yoghurt. Looking up at the elder man who was checking his mail, Ansel felt more confident towards her choices.
I'll make the best choice so that you will get the best environment to live in.
== xxx ==
Jiang paced across the halls with his eyebrows raised at the words he saw. He had his head buried deep within the papers only to frown at the report presented to him. Stopping his tracks, he allowed a group of nurses to pass through the narrow hallway. Jiang took a slight glance on his watch before jogging back to his office for a quick nap. He had the least tolerance for mistakes, yet he can't openly blame the new group of interns who had just arrived this morning. They were there to learn not to be scolded for their attempt to try.
Spending almost five hours with the interns consumed three-quarter of his energy. He craved for coffee, yet the thought of having to travel eight floors below made his cravings disappeared. He wasn't going to risk his napping time just for coffee. Opening the door to his office, Jiang almost shouted the minute the lights flickered on his own. He immediately shut the door before turning to face the two figures standing casually by his desk. Hissing at his elder brother and Annika, he tossed the files onto the desk.
"We need to talk," Annika announced, causing Jiang to laugh at the statement and slumped down on his chair, gulping down water from his water bottle.
"Clearly," answered Jiang, staring at them. "What are both of you doing in my office?"
Before they could say a word, Jiang crossed his arms, looking at his elder brother.
"You are supposed to be at work," Jiang announced and turned to face Annika. "You are supposed to be in lectures. So, why are you here?"
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