About That Night

I. damn, it’s her

Storm

The sun was setting and the park was packed again. Well, it was always like that. My smile widened when we neared the playground under the trees. My Mom let go of my hand and I ran towards the monkey bars where I saw Lulu hanging onto one. There she was. I felt so excited that my heart started racing with just the thought of hugging her again.

“Lulu!” I shouted. I almost could not contain the happiness in my heart. It was always like this every time I saw her. I must have startled her because her hands slipped off the bar, but my seven-year-old muscles were quick and strong enough and I caught her in my arms.

“Gotcha.” I smiled down at her before letting her feet touch the ground. She wobbled but I steadied her in time.

“Storm! You’re back.” She suddenly threw her arms around me and it was that moment when I stiffened every time she hugged me.

Oh, boy.

I could not do anything but just smile and put my arms around her back. “I am.”

She suddenly pulled away and, I did not know why, I felt a little bit disappointed. It was just that I missed her so much.

“How was it?” She asked, still smiling, and I always loved that.

“Daddy won first place.” I happily told her. The reason why I asked my Mom to take a stroll in the park was so I could see my best friend there. I missed her for a week. No, I always missed her. My family and I were in Bahrain when Dad competed in the F1 Grand Prix. I was so happy that he won, but I was dying to be back in the States and in this very Central Park so I could see Lulu again. This was our meeting place and we both knew this was special for us.

“Woah. That’s great. Congratulations to him.”

The sincerity in her voice was just real. Well… sincere... was real. Right? Never mind.

“Yeah. Thanks. Where’s your Mom?” I wanted to know.

“Oh. I think she’s… there.” She pointed behind me and I turned around to see Aunt Caroline with my Mom and my mom’s best friend, Aunt Allison. They became friends because this spot, this playground, has been our meeting place since I was three years old. But they talked so much like they never ran out of a topic.

“Oh. Let them be.” When I turned to look at her again, she was looking at me for a long minute and I thought it was strange. She never looked at me this way unless otherwise there was something she wanted to tell me. “What is it?” I did not beat around the bush. I wanted to know.

When she did not answer me yet and just kept staring at me with her hazelnut eyes, I took my time admiring her cuteness. She was wearing a plain white shirt underneath a dark blue denim jumper and paired that with her favorite black converse. Her wavy light brown hair was tied into pigtails which were so cute. Yup, I loved it. I just loved her style so much. It had been only a week since I didn’t get to see her, but I thought she had become cuter. Nah… she was the cutest. Beautiful and kind.

“I have something to tell you.” There, she finally said it. I meant, I knew she was going to say that but what was it that she wanted to tell me…

“You have a new pet?” I tried to guess.

She let out a chuckle and shook her head. “No. It’s not like that… It’s… It’s something serious.”

Where was she getting at? She was making me nervous.

“Come here.” She suddenly took my hand and pulled me with her towards an empty bench under a tree and we sat on it. I was grateful that our backs were to our Moms because I did not want them to see us talking like adults.

“Is there something wrong?” I was anxious. I don’t know why my heart’s beating fast.

“I’m not sure if that’s wrong, but we’ll be flying to Sydney tomorrow.”

***

“Bro, wake up. Come on, Storm. Wake up.” My sister’s annoying voice woke me up from my deep slumber. She was shaking my shoulder vigorously. To annoy her more, I kept my eyes closed and hugged my pillow tighter. As an older brother, I just loved to get under her nerves sometimes. Well, she loved to piss me off too.

“Come on. It’s already almost eight and Mom’s getting angry.” She groaned and I smiled when she sounded like she was giving up. “We have visitors. You need to get up, shower, and get downstairs to welcome them.”

“Visitors? This early?” I finally laid on my back and stared lazily at my sister, who was sitting at the edge of the bed and whose eyebrows were creased in a deep frown as she glared at me. “Come on. It’s very early to be angry.” I pinched her cute cheeks.

“Mom woke me up when I was still so sleepy and asked me to wake you up too.” Her shoulders slumped. Her lips formed into a pout. She looked exactly like Mom when she got upset over something. They so look alike.

Chuckling, I finally sat up in bed and patted her shoulder. “Good morning, baby sister.” I ruffled her brown hair and kissed her temple. Yup, I was very sweet.

“Ugh. I’m not a baby anymore, but good morning to you too.” She loved me, I knew it.

“So…” I dragged. “Who are these visitors that you are talking about?” I was curious, though. But I was not excited about meeting them. They disturbed our sleep. Okay, that was kind of rude, but I was technically right.

“I don’t know. I have not gone downstairs yet. Mom just said we have visitors and she is preparing breakfast for them right now. She seems so happy and excited, though. I don’t know why.” She shrugged.

Oh. They must be significant.

I thought. I meant Mom wouldn’t be this hyped if these people were not that important. Now, it was making me more curious.

“Go shower now. Mom will kill us if we don’t get there sooner.” She demanded.

“Fine. Fine.” I yawned and stretched out my arms above my head. The sound of my knuckles cracking was very satisfying.

“Good.” With that, she got down from the bed and made her way to the door. “And oh, you should try to look cool and handsome. Smell great because–”

“I smell great. Thank you.” I cut her off.

“–there might be ladies. Who knows?” She continued as she wiggled her brows. Since when did she learn to do that?

“I’m not interested, Starr. Just go. I’m going to… fart.”

“Wait!” Terrified, her eyes widened, and she hurried out of the door, making me laugh so hard.

“Wooo.” I breathed out, climbing down the bed, and headed to the bathroom. I stripped my clothes off right away and went in the shower.

I stayed in the shower, just letting the cold water fall on me. Yup, I loved cold showers in the morning. In my intentional suffering under the cold waters, I wondered who those ‘significant’ visitors were downstairs. Well, it wouldn’t slip off my mind now. They couldn’t be my family members because they were always busy with their corporate jobs and entrepreneurial ventures. Maybe they were from Europe…my uncles’ families.

I frowned at my gray-tiled bathroom walls. Of course, Mom would tell us if my uncles Luke, Harry, and Ethan were there. I guessed it wasn’t them. Maybe Mom got new friends.

Why was I stressing about it when I could just finish showering, get dressed, look cool and handsome as Starr suggested, and then get there?

That’s better.

Shampoo, bath soap, and rinsed them off and I was finally done. While I was turning off the shower and was about to pull the towel from the hanging rod, there was suddenly a ‘commotion’ in my room. I even jumped, startled.

Wait. Did I forget to lock the bathroom door?

As for the door to my room, it was not strange anymore when it was open most of the time. I just locked it when I was not in the mood or when I have important things to do that do not require anybody else’s presence.

It’s up to your mind to think about what I was referring to. I mean the ‘important’ things a normal teenage guy does alone in his room.

Anyway, I finally pulled the towel off the rod and wrapped it around my hips before making my way out of the bathroom. Right, when I was just about to step out, my steps halted and I thought my heart just fell when my display shelves where I kept all my important collections, overturned and all my things were scattered on the floor.

“Holy cow.” I hurried over it and my hands instantly balled into fists when I saw some of my car collection broken.

“Oh, shit.” I clenched, scanning the room. Someone broke in. This would not happen if there was no one here. “Darn it.” I groaned and walked into my closet.

I angrily unwrapped the towel and let it fall down the floor when there was suddenly a scream. A girly scream. “Damn it.” I hurriedly bent down to pick up the towel and wrap it around my hips again.

With my jaw still clenched, I slowly turned around to see a woman who had her back to me and facing one of my wardrobes. I studied her appearance. She was wearing a white top, skin-black jeans, and white converse.

“Who are you?” I demanded. My tone was undeniably truly angry. I did not shout but I was sure she could tell I was mad. So mad.

She did not turn around and kept covering her face with her hands. I tried to calm my breathing first before I asked her again. This time, I tried not to sound angry because she was shaking. Perhaps, in fear.

“Who are you and why are you here in my room?”

I got the same response from the girl. Silence. I had no choice but to walk up to her. I slowly touched her shoulder only for her to flinch, but she kept her back to me still. “You… My shelves there… You… Was that your doing?”

It was annoying and frustrating to see her just being mute and scared. The sight of the mess and damage there in my bedroom would not leave my mind either. I just could not let it pass and I would know who the hell did that.

The girl was shorter than me. Planting my palms on my wardrobe above her head, I asked her one more time. “Who are you? Turn around.”

I promised myself that if she refused to talk again, I would do something. I did not hesitate anymore. I leaned back a little, held her waist, and turned her body around with my right hand. She gasped in the process until she was finally facing me, but she had her head down.

With my left palm still planted flat against the wardrobe, my right hand slowly lifted and touched her chin. I felt something when my fingers touched her skin. Weird. I bit my lip and let go of her so soon. Electrifying. As if it was something familiar. I started to feel nervous just thinking about it.

“Get out. I’m getting dressed unless you want to stay and see my glory again.” I shook my head and turned my back to her. “Go.”

She hurried out of my closet with her head down and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

Damn.