TW: This story contains profanities, violence, and other mature themes. Please read at your own risk.
"Psychiatrist?" Austin asked with his eyebrows knitted.
Grandpa smiled bitterly at his grandson before he answered him, "Ashley had a severe trauma because of the fatal accident your mother was in. It happened right in front of your little sister's eyes during their video call. She saw exactly how your mother..."
The old man's eyes started to pool. He sucked in a deep breath as he wiped his tears before he continued, "How my sweetest, dearest child, Angeline died...and I know how much Ashley suffered since that traumatic event. I don't have the heart to push her to remember everything that could lead me, I mean us, to you, my dear grandson. Not just yet."
Austin was left speechless as the truth he had just learned from his grandpa is just too much to bear. Analysing how their beloved mother died is enough to leave a pang of sadness in his heart. Then what about Ashley? It's understandable for her to have such trauma as what their grandfather described earlier. Things must be adamant for the poor girl back then. But with the way how his little sister acted around him with her cheerful antics questioned him.
How can she manage to act as what she is now?
The bubbly, spoiled yet cheerful lady she is?
As if she never had a traumatic event before?
This is saddening, he thought.
Austin bit his lips as he was swallowing every thought he had in his mind before he spoke, "I'm so sorry for not being with her during her toughest time...I wish I could. And just because of me, mother died... How cruel fate is towards me..." He sobbed as he chafed his perfect features.
"Hey, look at me, my dear boy," Grandpa rotated his body and is now facing at Austin. He then held the young man's shoulders as he stared deeply into his orbs, "Don't blame yourself about all of these. Everything happened already. There is nothing we can do about it. In fact, both your mother and Ashley will be very sad if they knew you are blaming yourself," He then enveloped his grandson into a warm hug, "Plus, Ashley will scold me to make you cry like this." He chuckled.
Austin's lips curled upwards slowly. He was entertained and calmed at the same time listening to his grandfather's joke. They pulled away from the hug before Austin let out a soft laugh, "I will try, grandpa...but do you mind if I ask you something?"
"What is it, Austin?" Grandpa beamed.
"Ashley. The way she's behaving now, it never shows any sign of her ever went through such a painful past. I'm afraid if she's just forcing herself to be like what she is now and trying to act tough when she is not..." He paused, "I'm afraid if she's just concealing her pain. That must be hurtful."
Hearing all the concern coming from his grandson about Ashley moved Mr Haydn emotionally. Austin barely spent the time with the sweet girl, yet he already has such an attachment with her. He crept a smile as he scanned Austin's face.
"Need not to worry about that, Austin. I believe Ashley has completely healed from her trauma. That is why we have you with us here today," Grandpa ruffled his hair, "And not to mention, the person she treasures and longed the most is now here with her."
"Here, you guys are!" Ashley suddenly barged in to their conversation from nowhere before she locked both of their heads, "I was searching for you two like forever!" She whined childishly.
━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━
"Brother! Why are you always spacing out?" She pouted as she was standing in front of me.
"Come here" I open my arms so that she can be cuddled in.
She smiled before laying her body and cuddling with me on the couch. We were watching Netflix together.
"Brother?"
"Yeah?" I said.
"I'm sure Grandpa already told you about my life before,"
"Yes, he did and it breaks my heart. How I wish to be with you or to take all the pains in your heart," I said with a heavy heart.
Ashley sighed. "Don't be. It was the hardest moment in my life and it kinda breaks me. Grandpa hired the top psychiatrist for me, but eventually, I started to regain myself after the psychiatrist kept on showing me a picture of you, mum, and I."
"She told me that, I should not give up in life since I still have the people who loved me dearly. And also, because I still have a brother whom I longed the most."
"And for that, I am proud of you, you did great. I hope life will only treat you right, because you deserve all the happiness in life, Ashley." I said genuinely as I kissed her head.
"Can we change the subject? You are making me cry!" Ashley pouted.
I chuckled. "So, tell me about your life here with, mum," I asked my little sister.
"When we first came here, we have nothing at all. Mum went to many interviews. Although she has the qualification, yet no one hired her. So, she worked as a waitress at the bar. However, she was fired because of a rude brat." "If I met her again, I will squeeze her cheeks." Ashley chuckled.
She continued, "One day, someone told mum about a job vacancy at Kim Company. It was a small and new company run by newly migrated Korean Family. Mum was hesitated at first, but she chose to go. And she was hired. Since it was a new and small company, mum gets along well with her boss, Ian's parents. The shorter story, Ian Kim is my childhood best friend."
Ashley beamed.
Look at her. When she mentioned Ian Kim, she will always have that kind of expression.
It's an expression of a girl in love.
"And, he is your first love?" I said playfully.
Ashley startled as she gets up from the couch. She pinched my cheeks, and said: "This is why I forbid you from hanging out with Sapphire and the twins! You should hang out with Enrique more,"
Sapphire and the twins treated me as one of them, even if they don't know much about it. And for that, I'm thankful and have no choice but to hang out with them. As for Enrique, he's not talkative like Sapphire and the twins, but I think he is a good person.
I grinned, my sister sure got her grumpy side, but she still cute.
I prefer seeing her like this, rather than seeing her sad.
"So tell me about Ian Kim," I asked her.
"He is the same age as you. He's 2 years older," She said excitingly before she showed me her selfie with Ian.
Austin's smile slowly faded. His eyebrows furrowed.
Wait, this is too close! That Ian! How dare he touch my little sister! Calm down Austin, you don't want to make your sister sad, right?
"So, when do you know you have a feeling towards him? Don't deny because I can tell" I asked with a serious tone. I don't want someone to play with her heart.
"It was at Ian's 15th birthday party... We were dancing and playing games before someone giving me a note, saying that I should go to the garden. I don't have the idea who's this person is, but I'm curious. I went to the garden, and suddenly someone knocked me down."
She sighed before continued,
"I don't remember the detail, but when I open my eyes, someone with a red mask was holding me tightly. I couldn't see his face clearly, but I remember the feeling he gave me. He makes me felt secure and safe." She stopped her words while pressing her heart before she continued,
"I was crying hard after that because I was so terrified, but he calmed me down. He wiped my tears before he kissed me gently, and suddenly the tears stopped..." She laughed. "It's my first kiss. I don't know if that was his first kiss too since he's a good kisser,"
Wait, if Ian is 15 during that time, so Ashley is 13??? The thought of it annoyed me.
"HE WHAT?! How come he kissed you and not wanting to declare anything with you?"
That brat! I'm going to kill him!
"I forgot to mention that it was a Masquerade party. Everyone was wearing masks, so I think Ian just want to keep it as a secret or because he thought that I wouldn't know that it was him. So I just keep it as a secret until now." Her cheeks blushed.
"I will confess to him, after this." My sister said happily.
Mask.
Party.
Suddenly a memory about a party with someone wearing a mask slipped inside his head.
Ugh, my head started spinning.
Austin's eyes went blank. He lost in an undefined world. A place of secrets and delusions and lies. A place where he'd be haunted by memories and the unknown people who would scare his life out of him.
"Austin? Are you okay? Should I call a doctor?" She asked worriedly as she gently caresses my cheeks.
"Just kidding! I'm just annoyed that he kiss my little sister" I lied while trying hard to hide the pain in my head.
"Don't play like that! It feels like you are going to leave me. You make me scared." She sounds sulking.
"Hey, I'm sorry? I will not do that anymore" I caress her soft cheeks and give him a pinky promise
She smiles before we made a pinky promise.
"Together, forever," we said together and laughed happily.
━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━
"Hey brats, wanna go and play football with the Italian don?" Out of nowhere, my grandpa came with his jersey, and he was already holding the ball. Behind him was his best friend, Don Armento, who smiled at me.
"I don't like football, the other day we played, I injured my legs remember?" Ashley pouted. Well, Ashley doesn't like any activity that involves physical. She is a typical rich girl.
"Ian will be here in a minute, so go change. Princess." Sapphire groaned. She was already wearing her jersey, along with Enrique. Enrique smiled at me before he warming up.
"Ian? Wait, I'm going to change first" Ashley jumped from my bed before going to her room with Sapphire Armento who rolled her eyes to Ashley.
Suddenly I feel someone tap my shoulder,
"It's Haydn vs Armento! If you lose, you have to marry my daughter!" Don Armento laughing at me while Sapphire's face looks tense.
"I'm a lesbian dad! And I'm their big sister! For god's sake," Sapphire pouted her mouth.
I was informed that Sapphire is like our siblings now since Haydn and Armento got a really strong bond. I haven't met her other siblings, but that's because her siblings busy taking care of their family business...
"Well, Ashley it is, I don't mind having a daughter in law, instead, and since Ashley is an intersex so that's a bonus," Don Armento shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeap, agree. Well, if Ian dumped Ashley, then let's do that," Grandpa said it before he winked at his best friend, Don Armento.
"SHE'S A STRAIGHT GIRL, AND SHE FUCKING LOVES IAN!!" Sapphire ran trying to catch his father. Well, who would have thought that a merciless king of the mafia was beaten by his own daughter?
"Love who?" Ian suddenly came. He looked confused, and everyone was staring at him before bursting to laugh.
"You bitch!" Ashley ran, trying to catch Sapphire.
"Not again." I shake my head before laughing. Wait, Ashley is an intersex?
━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━
The football game ended, with Armento's victory. Well can't blame, both Ashley and I was not athletic. Grandpa also didn't like sport. Plus, the Twins were not good at balls. How come they shoot the balls?
After the game ended, we have dinner together. We talk about a lot of things before Armento leaves.
"Goodnight grandpa" I kissed his cheeks
"goodnight grandson" He smiled gently.
"goodnight grandpa!" Ashley kissed his cheeks too before following me.
"Your room is over there, princess" I chuckled. Nowadays, Ashley been acting like a child when she's with me. She will hug me and stay with me. It's like, she's scared if I leave her, which is never.
"I want to sleep together with you, I miss you" She pouted her small mouth.
"Ian will get jealous if he knows that you still sleep with your brother." I winked at her
"He's not my boyfriend, yet. And I love you more though" She looked annoyed and I don't want to upset this precious sister of mine. I love her.
"I love you too baby sister, but it's not like I will leave you, right? I will not leave you alone. I will protect you, and become the best brother you can be proud of," I kissed her forehead before caressing her soft cheeks.
She grinned "Promise?"
"Promise,"