"Well, I do know you will find a way." Melvin told her. "The first thing you asked me after helping me was 'Do you ship Quisse?' I asked what that was and, you told me, 'It's a couple name for Quin and Jesse.' I thought you knew I was gay when I heard those names. You know I hadn't come out yet that time. It scared me but, you stepped in and apologised for her behaviour." He turned to his boyfriend and kissed him on the cheek. "So yeah, you suck at starting conversations but, I know you are good at carrying on the talk. Or at least I don't get bored with you."
"Thank you. That is just what I needed." Melvin smiled and shrugged at Alek's response. "I will leave. You guys can enjoy, alone. You two look like you want to ..., I don't think I need to continue with what I was going to say, since you know what I'm talking about." She signed and stood up.
Melvin raised his eyebrows and, he and Alex also stood up. "Thanks, Alek." Alex told her. Everyone removed their wallet and removed the money for their drink. In between them, one person never paid for all of them since it would just be awkward. Hence, there was a silent rule that you pay for you ate or drunk. They didn't have a problem since they all had part-time jobs. Alek was a babysitter, Alex was a tutor online and, Melvin worked in customer service in a book store.
They knew how much amount of money they needed to pay as they always ordered the same thing for more than three years.
"Wait, I thought you guys were staying." Alek asked after realising they were paying too.
"Nah, we will leave. It's getting crowded, and I don't like it." Melvin looked around themselves. The table next to them that was empty was now full with five people. He also didn't like crowded places where he couldn't just communicate freely and lack of hearing. Crowds were like a silent tsunami.
"Okay." Alek said and, they all left the cafe to go to their destination. "I'll be going back to my house. What will you be going?"
"You know where we are going, Alek." Alec gave her the duh face and, Melvin winked.
"Ugh. Don't give me details." Alek told them and, they smirked. "My virgin ears."
"Please, my ass. Your ears ain't virgin. I'm sure you've heard a lot of nasty things in your life." Melvin looked at her with playful disbelief. "MY ears are virgin. That is what you call 'virgin ears'." Then he started making visual signs for what they were going to do after they reach their place.
"Aw, my virgin eyes! Mel, you are nasty!" Alek told her best friend and covered her eyes
"Your eyes are no virgin than your ears. And when did I tell you I wasn't nasty?"
"Gosh! Just take your boyfriend away, Alex. He's too much." Alec laughed at Alek's reaction and pulled his boyfriend into his arms.
"He made me this way." Melvin pouted his lips and pointed at the person who was holding him.
"Alex." Alek sighed when she heard that. "You dirtyfied him. He used to be pure back then, but now, he's nasty because of you. What have you done?"
"Hey, he was nasty and dirty from the beginning. It's just that you never knew." Alex told her.
"Just go. Bye. I'll just call or text you guys later." She had enough of them, but she hugged them anyways.
"Love ya." She sent a flying kiss to them as she walked away to the opposite way. They reciprocated her gesture and walked away, hand to hand. The way they were walking against the sun made Alek smile and, she snapped a picture before she hastily went on her way to her house.
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"Tadaima." Alek came into the house and found nobody in the living room, neither the kitchen nor the dining room.
'Weird'. She thought as she went to her room. But she concluded maybe not so weird because it was a weird time for all of them to be here.
Alek opened the door and saw her sister reading. "Hey." Alek told her and walked to her bed. Bia raised her eyebrows in response but didn't do anything. She was wearing purple glasses for computers and other electronic devices.
"Did Iris sleep here last night?" Alek asked after opening the bag she had brought to Alex's. She had dropped the bag when she came with him to wait for Melvin.
Bia shook her head and scrolled the tablet. Unlike her sister, she didn't move much when reading. Neither did she drink or eat anything during it. It was too much work.
"Okay." Alek didn't want to disturb her sister as she usually got a little annoyed when someone interrupted her while reading. "I'll be showering."
"Mmm." That was all Bia said as she continued to scroll down her tablet
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Alek came out of the shower fully clothed and found her sister in the same position she left her. "Where is everyone?" She asked, hearing no one.
"Mums and dads are out. I don't know what other people are doing." Bia told her as she sat down, removing her glasses. She had just finished a book that Alek recommended and, it took a long to finish it, even though she was a fast reader. But not as fast as Alek. When she was halfway, Alek would have finished the whole page.
"Oh. Why are they out?"
"Parents business, I guess." Bia turned off the tablet and kept it on the bedside table. "Anyway, how was your sleepover?
"It was good. Aunt Vicki made me a cake and Alex gave me gifts." Alek told her as she got closer to her sister and showed her the ring on her finger.
"It's pretty. Looks like it's custom made." Bia flipped her sister's hand and examined the ring. It looked delicate but strong. Simple but stunning, just like her sister. But she didn't dare to say it out loud.
"It is." Alek told her. "He said that his uncle made it for the three of us for my birthday."
"Melvin, Alec and you? So it's a friendship ring." Bia nodded.
"Pretty much." Alek withdrew her hand and went back to her bed to bring out the other two gifts. "He also gave these to me." Alek told her happily. "I am so lucky to have someone like him in my life. Now I have to prepare for him and Mel's birthday."
"Good luck." Bia told her and got off the bed to use the bathroom.
As Alek was alone in her room, unpacking the bag, she replayed about what happened in the cafe.
She removed her jeans from the bag and placed them next to the sunflower lion. That was when she remembered about her eyes shifting colours into yellow-orange. The lion's colour was yellow-orange and, it triggered her memory. That colour was for her brother's light!
Alek wanted to ask Bia about it, but since she was in the washroom and didn't want to disturb her, she just kept herself busy.
When Bia came back to the room, Alek practically ran to her sister. Bia dodged the sudden action by using her powers. She didn't like using her superhuman strength or speed while she was in her human form. She knew it would become a habit when something happens.
"What?" Bia asked her sister, who closed the door and locked it. "And why are you locking the door? We don't lock doors." They usually didn't lock the door because they just didn't feel like locking the door was a good thing. So they always left the door unlocked when it was closed.
"Listen. There is something I need to tell you." Alek dragged her sister to her bed and sat down. "I was daydreaming in the cafe when I was with Alex and Mel. I don't know what I was dreaming about but, when I snapped back to reality, they told me that the colour of my eyes was different when I was out. They said that it was yellow-orange." She looked at her sister expectantly. "I told them that I was wearing contacts. Do you think it has anything to do with all of this?" She meant anything supernatural.
"As far as I know, our second eyes don't come out unless we are forced to or by our own will. So, I don't know what to say at this point." Bia told her sister. "Are you sure you don't remember what you were dreaming about?"
"I feel like someone has taken that part of my memory." Alek told her honestly. "I feel like I know what happened but at the same time, I don't."
Bia thought for a while before she spoke. "Maybe witches could be involved. If that's the case, then I can't help you. You need to tell mum and dad."
"I can't do that." Alek told her in a haste.
"Why?" Bia asked in a calm face.
"I just feel like I shouldn't tell them. Not even to uncle, aunt, grandma or anyone. I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about this." Alek gripped her sister's hands.
"Then why did you tell me?" Bia asked.
"I can... trust you." Alek looked away from her sister and looked at their hands.
"Okay." Bia spoke. "It's your decision to make. Even though you just said that you couldn't trust our own family, I don't know the whole story so I am not in the place to judge." Her voice sounded cold.
"Thanks." Alek whispered.
"Now, let's start making supper." Bia released herself from Alek's grip and went out of the room