ASTHERIEN'S POV :-
It's been two weeks since they all came here. The whole family is staying with us for the holidays.
Kevin is here too... with his girlfriend. Those two are such a romantic couple.
A lot has changed.
I finally started understanding Kevin. He went through a lot too. After all those years, all he ever needed was a family... someone to comfort him.
And after everything, I found out it was never Mom who wanted to leave him at that adoption center.
It was my late dad.
After everything we've been through, we're still here.
One whole family.
Living together, caring for each other, loving each other.
And the most unexpected thing?
Luna...
She turned out to be Kevin's girlfriend.
This man was playing with me the whole time.
Who would've thought she was sent by Kevin?
They're already engaged. Soon they'll be getting married.
I was sitting on the beach, watching everyone play in the water while some stayed near the house. I rested my head against his shoulder, letting the ocean breeze calm me.
"I'm happy."
The words escaped my mouth before I even realized it.
He turned towards me and gently pressed his lips against my forehead.
"You should be, my love," he whispered.
I couldn't do anything except stare at him.
The strange tiredness I'd been trying to ignore for the past few days suddenly disappeared.
Did that eighteen-year-old girl ever imagine all this?
Did she know she'd one day have a family this big...
A family that makes her feel safe, loved, comfortable...
A family that gives her reasons to smile every single day?
No.
She didn't.
And then there was the person who brought me back to life.
I may not remember anything...
But somehow, my love for him never disappeared.
Even after losing every memory, my heart still refused to fall for anyone else.
Memories can fade. Feelings don't.
Maybe...
I was always meant to be his.
And he was always meant to be mine.
I leaned closer, almost closing the distance between our lips-
"Get a room~"
I immediately turned around.
Who else could it be except that annoying little boy I somehow ended up calling my brother?
We seriously can't have privacy while he's around.
I stood up and ran after him across the sand, almost catching him every single time, yet somehow he always escaped.
I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life.
[Later That Night]
Dinner was over.
Everyone was gathered in the living room, making as much chaos as possible, just like always.
I still can't believe these two weeks passed by so quickly.
These moments are always my favorite.
Tomorrow they're all leaving.
So soon?
I don't want them to.
I want them to stay a little longer.
But work won't let them, and they can't stay here forever.
"Dad! Dad! Do it the same way!" Kevin suddenly shouted as we were playing some random game that honestly had no name.
Dad was being forced to recreate the proposal he did for Mom during their 30th wedding anniversary.
It was grand.
Beautiful.
Everyone still remembers it.
And somehow Kevin had attended that event too.
This man seriously knows everything.
He's basically a stalker.
A good stalker...
But still a stalker.
I sat beside Mom, cheering her on.
"Mom, please! Come on!"
We continued playing for another two hours until everyone looked half asleep.
It was almost morning before they finally remembered that sleeping exists.
Surprisingly, Kevin and Luna were still wide awake.
Meanwhile, I could barely keep my eyes open.
"Okay, okay! Everyone, go to your rooms now!" I interrupted.
"Why? It's still early. No one's sleepy," Luna complained.
Kevin immediately nodded in agreement.
Ugh.
This couple.
No one talked more than these two.
And honestly...
I love it.
"It's literally two in the morning."
Silence.
Everyone quietly got up and headed to their rooms since they had a flight tomorrow.
So did we.
The moment I entered our room, I climbed straight into bed.
I felt unusually exhausted.
He walked over and sat beside me, gently brushing a few strands of hair away from my face.
"What happened?" he asked softly.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah..."
I gave him a small smile.
"Just a little tired."
His eyes stayed on me for a few seconds, almost as if he wanted to ask something else.
Instead, he simply pulled the blanket over me.
"Sleep."
I don't even remember when I drifted off.
The last thing I saw was him sitting quietly beside me.
-----------------------------------------
The next morning...
Or what I thought was morning...
I still didn't feel like getting out of bed.
When I finally opened my eyes, the curtains were still closed, blocking the sunlight from entering the room.
I slowly walked outside.
Everyone was already there.
Apparently...
They'd all been waiting for me to wake up.
"What time is it?" I asked, still half asleep, expecting someone to say eight... maybe nine.
"One in the afternoon."
Someone answered.
I stood there confused.
One?
One PM?
I slept that long?
"What?"
I blinked several times.
"Why was I asleep for so long?"
"Because you were tired," Mom replied.
"He told us you've been exhausted lately."
She smiled warmly.
"Rest some more if you're still not feeling well."
"Yeah!" Kevin added.
"Take another nap if you need one."
"What about your flight?" I suddenly remembered.
"It got cancelled because of the weather in LA."
"What?"
My eyes lit up.
"Wait... does that mean you're all staying?"
I almost jumped in excitement.
But the moment I did...
A sharp ache spread across my chest.
That strange heaviness again.
It's been happening a lot lately.
Maybe I really was just tired.
I quickly ignored it.
I didn't want to waste even a single second with them.
"Looks like you made the weather cancel our flight," someone teased.
"Obviously," I replied dramatically.
"I couldn't let you all reach LA. Someone has to disturb Kevin every day."
"Oh please," Kevin scoffed.
"You call me more than I call you."
"That's because someone has to keep an eye on you."
The room burst into laughter.
Everyone was here.
Well...
Almost everyone.
My sister and her family were still away on their family trip.
But somehow...
Life had given me one more day with the people I love.
And honestly...
I couldn't have asked for anything more.