ACHICHIBO~ The little girl I knew

chap9(how we spoke at last)

I noticed the way her eyes widened and the way her head turned so fast to look at me. Right there, those eyes I was craving to see... Those eyes froze me right then and here.

We kept staring at each other. And there I found the woman I loved in those orbs, she was not simply a kid, somewhere there was a woman indeed... A tear fell from her now red eyes, her nose also reddening by the passing moment. "Jasmine" I called her name again, getting closer to soothe her and stop her tears but what I didn't expect was to hear her whimper...

The girl that always cried silently...

Just whimpered...

She cried the way she was supposed to; the red nose and eyes, the whimpers and cries, the hands that wiped her tears, and her intakes of breath that were loud followed by some hiccups here and here.

And here on the other side of the room, standing aloof, I loved every second of it even if it broke my heart, it made my heavy burdened heart feel lighter and my head clear.

I walked to reach her,  sitting across her on the bed. She ceased crying, forcing herself to swallow back her remaining tears. The hiccups kept erupting as she just kept wiping her face all the while staring at me. "I missed you" was all I could think of at the moment and that was all I wanted to say "I am sorry for leaving you" I got closer and held her wet hands in mine while she still hiccuped. 

"Jasmine. Can you please say anything?" I asked her after all she did was stare at me for a while.

She pulled her hands away from me. 

I was unable to do a single thing apart from looking at my now empty hands. This must be how she felt when I left her that day... That day when she called for me when she waited for me to finish the sentence but-...

"Achichi?" I started, lifting my gaze from my hands to her face, waiting for her response.

"Achichi?" I repeated, waiting for her, but she didn't even glance my way. She just played with the white covers like they were the most interesting thing in here. "Achichi bo" I finished it on my own, anticipating any reaction from her part. But to no avail, I was met with nothing but a small hiccup.

True!.. I had a long way to go to make her love me. After all, I broke her trust and left her, broke my promise of showing her my shop, and even tried to work things out with her twin sister.

"I'm. in love with...you" I heard her mumble under her breath, making my hair stand at that one moment.

"WHAT?!! " I stared at her though she was still looking at her hands and sheets.

In the span of a second, her hands went up to scratch her head and she turned her face everywhere just so she doesn't face me. But I wasn't going to let her hide from me. I held her face in place with my hands; both of my palms in contact with her hot wet cheeks. "What did you say?" I left her no other choice but to look me in the eyes now. However, that didn't mean that she didn't try to break my hold on her. She tried to push my hands away with her small ones, but that was not happening. I am so not letting go!

"Tell me, Jazz"

"You asked me what it meant" she mumbled whining when her hands failed to push mine away.  She persisted though, as her hands never stopped fighting mine.

"So you can speak now?!"

Her hands stopped, they stayed there gripping my wrists. I felt her fingers slowly move, scratching my skin with her nails, and saw her eyes move around refusing to look at me again, which made me break into a smile

"You can speak?" I asked again. She nodded her head, the same way she used to. "No! Answer me!" I squeezed her cheeks as she whined dropping her hands to the side, fully glaring at me.

"I speak" her voice came out muffled, making me chuckle.

"So why didn't you speak like this before?"

"She didn't know you" A voice erupted from behind answering my question. I turned around to find Lilly there with a bag in her hand "Can you get out?.. She needs to change"

Jasmine must have sensed the change in my mood because she used that moment to break my hold on her and this time when she pushed, she successfully freed herself from me.

"I need to assist her since she has stitches, so please leave" Lilly insisted when I remained unmoving.

"Sure" I got up and with a last glance at Jasmine, I left the room, waiting right outside the door.

I waited there for Lilly to leave so I can continue where I left with Jasmine but more importantly, clear things with her. I knew that I needed to beg forgiveness from her. It was a dumb and disgusting move I did. And just like I predicted, I regret it, more than I even should; I have created the worst enemy and the worst barrier that could ever stand between us... 

Her own sister...