CIE'S POV
I let out a quiet sigh as I stepped out of the bathroom, a towel draped over my shoulders, my hair still damp from the shower.
I was about to head to my closet when I suddenly stopped. "…Seriously?"
Someone was on my bed. Lying there like he owned the place. Scrolling through his phone.
"Wow," I muttered. "It's a miracle you're home."
My brother Chant didn't even look up.
"Didn't go out with your friends today?" I added, raising an eyebrow.
He just hissed. "Tss."
I hissed back. "Tss."
A normal sibling conversation. Very normal.
"You're noisy," he said lazily.
"You're existing too much," I shot back. He smirked.
I rolled my eyes and turned away, about to grab some clothes— When the door suddenly opened.
"Sister!"I turned.
Rania. The five-year-old we've been babysitting. She walked in as she lived here.
"Hey," I greeted. But she didn't respond. Instead, she went straight to my study table. Specifically—My bag.
My brows slowly furrowed. "Rania… what are you doing?" No answer.
She dragged my bag to the bed and climbed up beside Chant. Then she opened it. And suddenly—She giggled. Like she just discovered treasure.
"Ohhh!" she said happily.
My eyes widened. Wait—She pulled out one bottle.
Then another.
Then another.
Then another.
Four big bottles of Delight.
Followed by a pack of Dewberry cookies. And then— Three more pieces. The ones left on my table. And the ones Dustin treated me to earlier this morning.
I blinked. I forgot about those. Completely.
"Hey—" I started. Too late.
Rania was already distributing everything as if it were hers. She handed one bottle to Chant.
"Here!"
"Nice," he said, taking it without hesitation.
She grabbed one for herself and opened it right away, happily taking a sip. Then, Chant raised his bottle toward me. "Cheers."
I stared at him. "…Really?" I just rolled my eyes.
Rania grabbed a cookie, took a bite, then handed another one to Chant.
"Thanks," he said casually. Unbelievable.
They didn't even ask. Not even once.
After that, Rania carefully put everything back inside my bag—well, what was left of it—and placed it back on my study table. Exactly the way it was earlier. Like nothing happened.
I blinked. Did I just get robbed… nicely? Chant stood up and grabbed her hand.
"Let's go."
"Okay!"
They walked toward the door like nothing was wrong.
"Hey," I called out. They paused. "Don't ever come back."
They ignored me and walked out anyway. The door closed. Silence.
I stood there for a moment. Then I sighed. And smiled. "…Unbelievable."
I shook my head and sat on my bed, grabbing my phone. A few notifications popped up. Mostly from Facebook. Friend requests.
I opened them one by one. Faces. Familiar. My classmates. Mostly guys. Very few girls.
I checked each profile carefully, accepting only the ones I was sure were my classmates.
The rest— Ignored.
I don't like having too many people on my social media. It feels unnecessary.
Just as I was about to lock my phone, A new notification appeared. Message request.
I tapped it.
The name showed:
Vince Castillo
I frowned. But opened the message anyway.
Vince Castillo: Hi, Cie. We're classmates. I know we barely know each other—or maybe you don't even know me yet—but I have a favor to ask, if that's okay. Can I just say it on a call?
I blinked. A call? That was… sudden.
But my curiosity got the best of me. I typed a quick reply.
Me:Okay.
But just seconds before I could even process it, my phone started ringing. I stared at the screen. That was fast. Like he was just waiting for my reply.
I answered. "Hello?"
"Hey." His voice was unfamiliar.
"Uh… so what's the favor?" I asked.
There was a short pause. Then—
"I'm really sorry to bother you, but…" he hesitated. "Is Veronica single?"
I froze. For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Did I hear that right? This guy—
Called me… Just to ask that?
And then it clicked. Wait. Could he be— The same guy Ven was eyeing earlier? If he is… Then maybe— I should help.
But what if he's not?
… Eh.
Let's just do it.
"Cierra? Are you still there?" he asked.
"Oh—yeah," I quickly said. "I'm here." I cleared my throat slightly. "Um… yes. Ven is single."
There was a brief pause. Then—
"That's good to hear."
And just like that—
"Bye."
The call ended. I slowly lowered my phone.
"…What?"
I stared at the screen. Still processing. So that just happened. Out of nowhere.
I leaned back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. A small smile formed on my lips.
"Well… that's new."