The Reyes household was full of love, but it was often hidden beneath all the noise — the clanging pots, the playful fights between Cyrine and David, and the constant chatter that made their home lively and warm.
"Give me my hoodie, Cyrine!"
"Why? This is no longer your hoodie, it's mine now!"
"You never asked my permission, Cyrine Reyes!"
"You're an ugly guy!" — Cyrine ran away from her brother.
Their parents only laughed in the background, already used to the chaos.
Everyone knew — despite all the arguing and eye-rolling — David and Cyrine cared for each other more than they'd ever admit.
Every second.
Every minute.
Every single day.
They're fighting, because it's their way of saying "I love you" to each other.
One afternoon, when Cyrine came home from school, as soon as she entered their house, she smelled the delicious smell of barbecue, so, she immediately went to the source of the smell. When she went to the pool area of their house, she saw someone cooking barbecue. She thought it was her brother David cooking, so she immediately went to him.
"David, give me some barbecue!" she called.
But when the man turned away, wiping his hands on a towel, Cyrine stopped mid-sentence.
It wasn't David.
Standing in front of the grill was a tall man with sun-kissed skin, black hair, and a smile that made her heart beat faster.
"Uh... you're not David," Cyrine said awkwardly as she turned away.
The man laughed, a bit teasingly. "Nope. I'm Raven. Your brother's friend."
At that moment, David came out of the house, laughing at Cyrine's stunned face.
"Hey little monster, why are you so stunned?" David said, laughing behind his friend. "He's my friend, so be polite."
Cyrine had no choice but to run away and go to her room.
She didn't know it yet, but that accidental meeting by the pool was just the beginning.
— Fast Forward — Cyrine's POV —
"Cyrine! "Come down if you want to eat!" David shouted from the pool area.
I'm hesitating about whether to go there and eat; I'm embarrassed about what I did earlier!
But I'm hungry.
"What if I just say that David brought me food here?" It crossed my mind. "But no. Maybe he won't agree. Sigh!" I said again.
I have no other choice but to go down and eat with them. Whatever happens, happens. I'm so hungry.
I immediately left my room and went to where they were.
When I went out, I didn't see the man; only David was the one I saw eating.
"Has he gone home?" I said to myself.
"Come here." David saw me at the door, so he called me. So, I immediately sat in front of him.
"David, where's your friend from earlier? Did he go home?" I suddenly asked, but David just kept eating, so I rolled my eyes at him.
"Wow! "They didn't even wait for me." I heard a voice coming from behind me, so I immediately turned around.
It's David's friend.
He sat next to David, and I didn't realize I was awkwardly staring at him.
"Little Monster, is he more handsome than your brother?" David said, and it snapped me back to reality, so I just ate.