Chapter 5 - Memories
1200 Words
Chapter 5: Memories
"Hey, Lya! Watch out! Don't run!"
Before he could finish his sentence...
Thud.
A tiny figure tumbled forward, landing on the soft green grass.
A second later...
A loud cry echoed across the garden.
"I told you not to run."
The little girl looked up with watery eyes, her lower lip trembling.
"My knee hurts..."
A boy hurried over and crouched beside her.
"Let me see."
He gently brushed the dirt from her scraped knee before taking her tiny hand into his.
"It's only a little scratch."
He blew softly against her palm as though that alone could chase the pain away.
"There."
"Does it still hurt?"
Lya sniffled.
"A little..."
"It'll stop hurting soon."
She nodded, trusting him without question.
He smiled and helped her back onto her feet.
At six years old, Lya believed Iskandar could fix almost anything.
He was six years older than her.
Twelve.
Already carrying himself with the quiet confidence that made adults smile whenever he spoke.
Being the only child and future heir to his family's business empire had shaped him early.
Even as a boy...
He had always seemed older than everyone else.
Lya, on the other hand...
Was everyone's favourite.
Not just her parents'.
Not just Aidan's.
She somehow found a place in Iskandar's family too.
To outsiders, she looked less like a family friend...
And more like the little sister Iskandar had never had.
...
The vibration of a phone against the wooden bench pulled Lya back to the present.
Her eyes fluttered open.
She had been smiling without realizing it.
The screen lit up.
Irfan.
Video Call.
Lya stared at the screen for several seconds before finally accepting the video call.
The screen flickered before Irfan's familiar face appeared.
"Hi," Lya greeted with a warm smile.
"There you are." He let out a small sigh. "I've been calling."
"I'm sorry."
"What were you doing?"
Lya turned the camera slightly towards the garden.
"I've been sitting here."
"The garden?"
She nodded.
"I was just... remembering."
"Remembering what?"
A smile slowly spread across her face.
"Our childhood."
She switched the camera completely, letting him take in the lush garden, the old rain tree, the stone pathway, and the wooden bench she was sitting on.
"See that tree?" she asked.
"We used to play there all the time."
"We?"
Lya laughed softly.
"Iskandar, Aidan and me."
"We practically grew up together."
"If we weren't at my house, we'd be at Iskandar's."
"They're family."
She paused for a second before adding with a grin,
"Actually... we're probably closer than some real siblings."
Irfan remained quiet for a brief moment.
Then he smiled.
"I think I'm a little jealous."
Lya giggled.
"Oh, don't be, darling."
"You should come here one day."
"I mean... really come here."
"No more video calls."
"I want to meet you properly."
Irfan's expression softened.
"I will."
"Soon."
"I promise."
The words lingered between them.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Only the gentle sound of birds filled the silence.
Finally, Irfan smiled again.
"I miss you, Lya."
His voice was quieter this time.
"I really do."
Lya hugged her knees against the wooden bench.
"I miss you too."
"How much?"
She laughed.
"Enough to make me count the days."
"Good."
He leaned slightly closer to the camera.
"Because I'm counting them too."
Lya smiled, completely unaware of how brightly her face lit up whenever he smiled back.
Across the city, the atmosphere was entirely different.
While Lya sat beneath the old rain tree, wrapped in memories and morning quiet, Iskandar was standing inside Aidan's office, staring at a file he had no interest in reading.
Aidan's office was located in the building right beside his.
Different companies.
Same parent group.
Same family empire.
Same ridiculous number of meetings.
They had just returned from a board discussion that had gone on longer than necessary, mostly because one of the senior directors seemed determined to turn every simple decision into a legal debate.
Aidan dropped himself onto his leather chair and loosened his tie.
"I swear, if Mr. Harlan says 'from a strategic standpoint' one more time, I'm resigning."
Iskandar did not look up.
"You said that last month."
"And I meant it last month too."
"You still came to work."
"Unfortunately."
Aidan leaned back in his chair, then suddenly chuckled.
Iskandar glanced at him.
"What?"
"Do you remember when Lya was four and caused catastrophic panic in this entire building?"
For the first time that morning, Iskandar's expression shifted.
A faint smile appeared.
"She went missing."
"She didn't go missing," Aidan corrected. "She escaped."
"Same thing."
"No, missing sounds tragic. Escaped sounds accurate."
Iskandar finally closed the file.
The memory came back too easily.
A tiny Lya in a yellow dress.
Hair tied into two messy pigtails.
Chocolate smeared around her mouth like evidence at a crime scene.
The whole office had been thrown into chaos.
Staff running from floor to floor.
Security checking cameras.
Their mothers nearly losing their minds.
"Lya!" Aidan said, laughing at the memory. "Everyone thought she had been kidnapped."
"Your mother cried."
"My mother cried. Your mother almost fainted. Daddy called the security head like he was about to start a war."
"And where was she?"
Aidan grinned.
"In the pantry."
"Behind the snack cabinet."
"Eating chocolate."
Iskandar shook his head, but the smile remained.
"She looked very proud of herself."
"She was proud." Aidan laughed. "She told Mommy she was conducting an investigation."
"Into what?"
"Whether the staff chocolate tasted better than the chocolate at home."
Iskandar's smile softened.
"She said the office chocolate was better."
"Because it was forbidden."
For a moment, both men were silent.
The memory settled between them, warm and familiar.
Then Aidan looked at Iskandar with a teasing glint in his eyes.
"You found her first."
Iskandar's fingers stilled against the edge of the file.
"I did."
"You didn't even tell the adults right away."
"I did."
"No, you didn't." Aidan pointed at him. "You sat beside her and helped wipe her face first."
Iskandar said nothing.
Aidan's grin widened.
"She cried because she thought Mommy would scold her."
"She was four."
"And you told her you'd take the blame."
Iskandar looked away.
"I don't remember that."
"Liar."
The office fell quiet again.
Outside the glass window, the city moved beneath them. Cars streamed along the road. People crossed between buildings with coffee cups, laptops, and hurried steps.
Everything moved forward.
Everything changed.
Except some memories.
Some memories stayed exactly where they were.
Aidan watched his best friend for a moment.
Then, softer this time, he said, "You've always been like that with her."
Iskandar's expression did not change.
But something in his eyes did.
"Like what?"
"Careful."
Iskandar returned his attention to the file.
"She's your sister."
"She's my sister," Aidan agreed. "Not yours."
The words were casual.
Too casual.
But they landed heavier than they should have.
Iskandar did not answer.
Aidan leaned back in his chair, studying him.
For once, he did not tease further.
Because both of them knew the truth.
Lya had never been just a little girl from their childhood.
Not to Iskandar.
Not for a long time.
- Writer
