A Time With You

Chapter 3: His Return

~5 days later~

Sian

***

"Mom, I'm here at the airport. Where are you?" I asked on the phone frantically but there was no reply from her end.

"Eh-hem! Excuse me sir." A gravelly voice spoke behind me and tapped my shoulders.

I ended the call, turned my body and saw my father with a crazy smile plastered on his face. I looked at the back and saw Ty laughing along with mom while recording our interaction.

"Welcome home son." Dad spoke and hugged me tightly, mom also didn't waste time and gave me a bone crushing hug.

I hugged them both and swatted the camera Ty was pointing at my face, and I almost knocked it off if he wasn't quick enough to avoid my hand.

"Stop recording this bro." I said, laughing at how cheeky he was being. "Nahhh, you rarely flush. Let me have this." He said, snickering at me.

I savoured the moment and hugged them to my heart's content. They didn't change. I really miss them.

"Wait! No don't –" Ty ruffled my hair while I was off-guard, and I'm pretty sure it was now all messy.

"So how was your flight? How was it there? Did you perhaps snatch a girl's heart while running your ventures?" Ty questioned with a teasing voice, when they finally ended our hugging session.

"I don't have time to screw there. So nope." I said and he rolled his eyes at me like I was some dumb kid that didn't know logic.

"You're so going to die a virgin. Your blessed body is such a total waste on you." He said and I grimaced at him.

"Can you stop being gross and a total jerk for one second." I exclaimed, and our parents intervened at once to stop us from throwing insults at each other.

"Tyson, don't fight with your brother today, he's tired. You can continue being childish with him tomorrow when he's more settled in." Dad said and mom scowled at him for even suggesting such an idea. Though it's not the worst advice he's given to us.

"You silly old man, go start the car!" Mom demanded, dad instantly sulked but couldn't do anything but obey her order.

Ty eventually turned off his camera and we walked together side by side. Mom on the other hand, fastened her steps to catch

up with dad who was walking away from her.

"So... have you heard of what happened to Aiden?" Ty asked me with a solemn voice, my mood immediately turned gloomy and I moved my eyes to him, catching him staring at me intently.

"Yeah, is he okay?" I asked with a low voice and he showed an equally sad bearing like I do.

"We still don't know. He's getting chemo every now and then, but he still needs to get that surgery. You know him bro, he doesn't want other people getting near him, even his parents are struggling with it." I bobbed my head up and down in understanding.

So he hasn't changed a bit as well. When we were kids he would always throw a tantrum or shout whenever he saw me. He hated me because I called him a gremlin when we were first met. And in my defense, the reason why that was the first thing I blurted out is because he was wearing a shirt with a gremlin's face on the center for pete's sake!

But over time he started letting me in. Despite the consistent scowl and emotionless face he always shows, I still want to get close to him. Probably because he's different from other people I know. More unique, and just... totally innocent.

"I'll go check on him later, after I finish unpacking my stuff." I said, and we headed straight to the car and talked about all sorts of possible topics that we could think of.

Mostly about me.

-

"Call me when you're done."

"Yeah, get out." I pushed Ty out and at last peace resumed in my life.

[Thud!]

I closed the door to my room and jumped on the bed.

After a few minutes of relaxing. I started opening up my luggage and arranged everything. My clothes, my books, and some other stuff that I brought with me.

I looked over at my night stand and saw pictures of when I was young. I picked up the frame of me and my family having a picnic in the park. I was trying to punch Ty in the picture for taking my toy car, and we were running around the grass while mom and dad just smiled at us. He was such a bully back then, being the older one really has its perks.

After admiring it, I placed it down carefully and held the other frame in my hands, feeling nostalgic all of a sudden.

I was smiling in the picture, while the boy that I was hugging had an impassive look on his face. He never really warmed up to me.

"I hope he won't throw vases at me when he sees me." I mumbled to myself, chuckling, and quickly took off.

But before I could get to the door, Ty came in front of me out of nowhere and blocked me, holding his one hand forward while his other one was placed on his hips, like a father planning to reprimand his son.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"I'll go visit him, I promise it'll be fast." I said, and I genuinely thought he would make a fuss about it but he just smiled and nodded at me.

"No, you go take your time. Mom and dad went to the market to buy groceries. Just be sure to be back home before dinner time."

"Of course." I said hurriedly, got out, and jogged to Aiden's house that wasn't far from ours.

I passed by our neighbors and they were literally surprised to see me. As if I was some sort of alien or something. I saw from afar the familiar house that was painted plainly with white and dark brown colors, and my heart suddenly started beating faster, but I just shook my body off and slowed down my steps when I neared their front door.

[Knock! Knock!]

I knocked and waited for someone to open it. I was preparing for a loud greeting and boy. I wasn't wrong.

"Holy s**t! You're back mini Ty!" Kent yelled and gave me a side hug when he saw me.

"Come on in." He said with an ardent tone and I stepped in, and he guided me directly to their living room to take a seat so we could have a quick chat.

"You've grown so much from the last time I saw you. When did you arrive?" He asked me and I told him that I arrived earlier this morning.

He queried me endlessly like my parents did, and I just went along with it and answered his questions with enthusiasm. He really was so hyper even back then, completely opposite to him.

After a while, when our conversation started to die down I looked sincerely at him and asked. "Can I see him?"

He stared at me for a second and hung his head down and then looked at me again, sighing. "I don't think that's a good idea. He's quite fragile right now. You do know that he's still pissed at you for not saying goodbye. Well actually, he doesn't know what he feels about you, but you get the gist right?"

I looked him straight in the eye and bobbed my head up and down, "But didn't you tell me that he's improved a lot these last couple of years?"

"Well, yes, but I'd say he's only fifty-fifty." He explained, and I was downed at where this conversation was heading to.

"Ok fine, how about this. I'll tell him you're here, but if he doesn't want to see you then that is a clear no. Okay?" He stated. And I didn't have anything to reason out with him, so I guess this is better than not having a chance.

"Fine,"

"Good, wait for me here." He said and climbed up the stairs to the second floor. I waited for a couple of minutes when I heard a lot of ruckus, and frantic steps on the stairs coming down.

Kent looked panicked and worried and it honestly made me a little edgy. "What happened? Is something wrong?" I stood up and walked to him, but he just passed by me and walked to their kitchen looking left and right.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked him again, and he finally turned around and answered me.

"It's Aiden. He's not in his room."