Tangled Hearts [Story 1 of the Tangled Hearts Series]

The clock is ticking, and Oliver wakes up to yet another disappointment. He watches the clock, waiting for the inevitable moment when it strikes twelve and his birthday arrives. Laying between a woman and a girl, he looks at both of them with a sense of longing. They are his mother, Amelia, and 13 years old elder sister, Olivia. As the clock ticks closer and closer to the hour, Oliver's disappointment only grows. He had hoped for something more from this day, something that would make him feel special. Instead, he lies there, feeling forgotten and alone. Suddenly, the clock strikes twelve, and his mother and sister start singing happy birthday to him. As Oliver's mother and sister finish singing happy birthday, they both start teasing him about his reaction. "Oh, come on, Oliver. You're not going to cry on your birthday, are you?" Amelia says with a grin. Olivia chimes in, "Yeah, Oliver. You're getting old now. You should be used to it by now." She pokes him in the side, causing him to laugh. They tease him about how close he was to crying, but Oliver tries to play along, he pretends he woke up because of an insect, not because of his emotions. As Amelia and Olivia start tickling him, Oliver can't help but laugh. It's their happy moment. But as the tickle game goes on, Amelia silently starts crying out of sadness.