"Audrey. Hey? Audrey? Are you listening to what I'm trying to say?"
"H-huh what?" Audrey asked as she looked at her brother like she just woke up from a daze.
Levi sighed knowing that he has been talking to air all along then. He then handed a white envelope to her feeling rejected and said, "Never mind. I was just trying to tell you that this letter arrived earlier."
She then took it and saw that it was from Kyle. "A letter from Kyle! Awesome. Thanks."
"Yeah. Yeah."
"Hmm. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He briefly said as he stood up and picked up the plates on the table and went straight to the kitchen.
"It's really rare for me to see you to be under the weather like this. Normally you would get mad at me for not paying attention early in the morning." She said as she remained sitting at the dining chair as she follows Levi with a very curious stare.
Levi remained silent. After washing the dishes, he was about go upstairs to gather his things for school when he was stopped by Audrey.
"Are you okay? Are you perhaps not feeling well?" She said as she touched his forehead and added, "Did you perhaps skip your monthly check-up again?"
"I'm fine. Maybe I just lack some sleep because exam week is coming soon. Being a college student is not easy you know."
All of a sudden Audrey leaned her head on to his chest and embraced him that stuttered Levi who froze like a statue.
"W-what are you…" He said.
"Shh. I'm trying to hear if your heart is beating properly or not." She replied as she leaned her head more. She knows how he hates going to the hospital for check-ups that's why she's worried that something must have gone wrong. "Why is your heart beating so fast? Are you really okay?"
Levi seriously couldn't calm down. With Audrey embracing him like this and all, his heart would definitely beat fast. It's not like he can tell her the real reason why so he decided to come out with an excuse that he's hoping she would buy.
"Ah it's normal. Sometimes I have heart palpitations from time to time when I lack sleep. Don't worry it's nothing."
"Are you sure? I'm really worried." She said with eyes that look like they're about to gleam with tears any time soon.
She tends to worry a lot when it comes to her brother. When her brother had a panic attack two years ago. It was something she feared that might happen again.
She clearly remembered what happened during that time. Levi had an argument with their parents. She couldn't hear exactly what they were fighting over with because she was just about to open the door at their house from the school library when she heard them quarrelling.
Her mom was telling their father to stop when suddenly Levi fell on the floor helplessly. She rushed towards her brother and called his name a couple of times. When he held his hand on hers and felt him tightened his grip on to her, she thought that she might lose him back then.
It became one of her worst fears. She can't imagine her life without him. Yes, he might be overprotective about her and worries immediately but she understands why. He might be grumpy all the time but she prefers him to be that way than not because if he does not behave like he usually does that certainly means that something is wrong.
"Audrey. I'm fine. I'm just really sleepy. I swear." Well, he really is sleepy and it is true that he's been studying late at night for the exams but that is obviously not the reason for his fast paced beating heart right now.
"Don't push yourself too much. I don't like seeing you get sick."
"Okay."
"If you get sick who will cook breakfast and dinner?" She said teasingly as she let go. "You're really a great cook you know.
Levi smiled and said, "I know. That's one of the things that you love about me."
"Finally, you're smiling. You should smile often. You're more handsome this way."
"You think so? Hmm. Maybe I should smile more then."
"What? You agreed with me? Oh gosh something is definitely wrong with you! You always brush me off whenever I try complimenting you. I should perhaps take advantage of this situation and ask something then."
"What do you want to ask?"
"Hmm. Let me see." She said as she sat at one of the steps of their stairs.
"Can you teach me how to cook?"
"Are you kidding me?"
The last time Audrey cooked was a complete disaster. It was Levi's birthday. She volunteered to cook dinner saying that she learned already how to cook just for this day but what happened was total chaos.
The curry that she even prepared was so red that the smell itself could burn your eyes already. The mushroom soup that she was cooking turned into a witches' brew. The way it bubbles was like it's already screaming poison.
Levi doesn't want Audrey's hard work go to waste so he ate some of it. After 30 minutes, he was rushed to the hospital for food poisoning. So, whenever Audrey step foot at the kitchen attempting to cook again, he felt as if his life will always be in danger. After that, he told himself that he'll never let Audrey cook anything.
"It's not my intention to make you sick to your stomach. I really thought that putting extra ingredients would make food much tastier but it turned out that my theory is incorrect."
"You make it sound like I'm your science experiment."
"You're not. Geez. Why do I feel like somehow you are sulking today?
It is true that he is sulking today. It's just that he feels that Audrey is getting distant away from him. He then blames his lack of sleep for thinking such things. It makes him feel a little stupid at some point.
"Do you want to learn how to cook or not?" He asked. The moment he saw Audrey's eyes glisten with happiness he knew that she is definitely one of his weakness.
"Does that mean that you're really going to teach me."
"Yeah."
"Aw, you're really the best!"