Chereads / Stay next to me / Chapter 6 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Chapter 6

"Entertainment."

All night long, while waiting for Mom and Aunt Shelvie, the room was filled with Kiel's giggle and the sound of the song as both Clayden and I danced along with the beat. I stopped dancing for a moment to stare at the both of them, smiling at each other. 'Somehow, this reminds me of the first time I met Clyde. Seeing that he hasn't changed a bit puts me at ease. Now, I know why Kiel got along with him easily.' I thought. Clayden seemed to notice me staring at him and faced my direction, leaning in close; it forced me to close my eyes, and I noticed nothing was happening. I opened my eyes and saw him smiling at me.

"Something wrong?" He asked and made me move back instantly, placing my hand in front of my face to cover it before I stood up.

"Mom should be returning with the others anytime now, and I should prepare dinner," I said before striding to the kitchen. 'Sheesh, What was that, Raven!?' I said through my thoughts as soon as I stood in front of the kitchen table. I slapped both hands on my face and took a deep breath.

I suddenly received a notification from my phone. Zenji sent me a message saying he'd be coming for dinner since Aunt Shelvie asked him to come.

I remember when I had just arrived in Chicago, and Aunt Shelvie brought me here along with Royce while Mom was still recovering from Father's death. We originally lived in NYC, that's at least before Father died. I met Clayden and Zenji in this city, and I don't regret it. Clayden was really pesky but really fun to be with. It's nostalgic, really.

It was around October 2004. I was only five...

"Why hello there, Shelvie. I see some unfamiliar people behind you... Who might these two be?" A woman asked. It made me look up to look at her face, and she was gorgeous. She has long, hale navy wavy hair and bright yellow eyes; her pale white skin compliments all her features.

"These two are my late brother's children. I'll be looking after them starting today," Aunt Shelvie answered the woman and placed her hand on my back when I held her shirt. I stared at the woman, and she was smiling at me when a boy around my age started to peek behind her. "Well, hello there, Clyde. Rae, That's Clayden. Do you wanna play with him?" Aunt Shelvie greeted the boy before talking to me and asked if I wanna play with him. I immediately shook my head and hid behind Aunt Shelvie again.

A little later, I noticed Royce was slightly looking in my direction. I then looked in the same direction as he did and saw the same boy from earlier holding a small flower and handing it to me. I noticed the plant behind him that had the same flower. "You're really pretty." He said as I started to laugh. He just shrugged it off and smiled.

"Finally... Raven smiled." Aunt Shelvie sighed in relief. I held the small flower that I got from him, smiling as I stared at it.

"Can we be friends?" He abruptly asked; I looked into his eyes and hummed in response—He suddenly pulled me towards a playground, making me look back to see Royce following us. At the same time, Aunt Shelvie tried to chase him with a nervous look.

"He has never changed."

"Change in what?" I suddenly heard Royce speaking out of nowhere behind me, sending shivers down my spine. I immediately looked back and saw him with a nonchalant look on his face. I expected him to laugh at me, but no.

"If you're going to set the table, don't space out."

"I wasn't!" I shouted as I felt my cheeks heat up while covering my face with both hands. "And Stop acting like Zenji!"

"Sure."

"Oh, and Royce. Zenji said he'll be coming over." I told him as he dropped the plastic bag full of fruits he had bought for Kiel. It made me stare at him as he panicked to pick it up. 'What's that about?' I said through my thoughts while placing the plates on the table.

Mom finally arrived with Aunt Shelvie and Uncle Jerome after I finished setting up the table. A little later, the doorbell rang when we were about to eat. I immediately ran to the door and looked through the peephole to see Zenji wearing his glasses with a smile on his face, showing a box of cake from my favorite bakery shop. I opened the door and hugged him.

"Zenji! You're just the best."

"I happened to pass by the shop when I was leaving the studio, and I remembered you liking their pastries." He said as he placed his other hand on my back while I looked up and smiled at him.

"You're the best, Zen. Thanks for this." Clayden mimicked what I said and thanked Zenji as he took the box cake from his hand, making me turn around to look at him.

'Seriously, this guy.' I thought as I chuckled softly before removing my hand from Raven's back.

"Oh. It's you, Zenji. Come in, come in." Aunt Shelvie said as she peeked through the doorway after seeing Zenji by the door, along with Clayden and me. Zenji bowed and smiled at Aunt Shelvie.

"Good evening, Auntie." He said as he removed his shoes before coming in, while Clayden brought the cake box to the kitchen as I walked behind him. "By the way, Raven..."

I heard Zenji calling for me. I turned back to look at him and answered. "Yeah?" as he peaked in front and back to me, it was as if he was scanning me.

"Why are you wearing that?" He asked. It made me look at my clothes and realize that Clayden and I hadn't changed our clothes. Zenji started smirking at me before he continued to walk inside, leaving me in the doorway.

"Oh, Yes... Zenji, why don't you put on that onesie from the couch? I think you will look cute on it." Aunt Shelvie offered Zenji to wear a onesie. He looked over in Royce's direction and chuckled, seeing how he didn't wear any onesies from those two pairs on the couch that Auntie brought along with the onesies we were wearing.

"Is this really for Ezekiel's entertainment or yours? Aunt Shelvie?" He asked bluntly again with a smirk on his face as Aunt Shelvie let out a loud laugh while Mom was smiling before she sat at the table.

"Maybe, Maybe not. Who knows?" Aunt Shelvie answered as he just shook his head. He headed towards the kitchen table and sat along with Mom, smiling at Aunt.

• • •

Once we were done eating. Mom, Aunt Shelvie, and her husband had already gone to the balcony upstairs, chatting while drinking as Clayden hung out with our little Kiel by the living room—I noticed Royce and Zenji by the terrace, both wearing the onesie that Aunt Shelvie brought.

"What are you drawing right there, Roy?" Zenji asked me as I looked up to him and turned away to gaze at the sunflower outside that hadn't bloomed in front of the neighbor's house. I then showed him the half-finished sunflower in my sketchbook.

"Just that sunflower across the road..." I said, hiding my face behind the sketchbook I showed him. I then noticed that Zenji started staring at the sunflower across the road, just staring at it. "What's your favorite flower, Big Brother Zenji?"

He looked in my direction and smiled, and his gaze softened as he answered. "Sakuras." I then remembered his conversation with Big Sis, and somehow. I still haven't found out why he loves those flowers. I know it does bloom whenever it's spring in Japan; I've done my research, but I still don't know the exact reason why... yet I also don't wanna ask him. I thought as I stared at him, closing his eyes as he hummed, singing a melody. It's a song I never heard on a CD or television... A song he created.

"Kiel is finally asleep." Clayden groaned as he lay on the couch after returning from upstairs carrying Kiel, who had already fallen asleep. I then remembered how I always woke him up every morning to wake him up for school and thought I should tease him.

"That's how I feel whenever I wake you up in the morning, too. Clayden." I said. Narrowing my eyes at him while I sat on the carpet, he just avoided my gaze and turned to look away. "Can't accept that fact? Clyde~" I teased him more as he sat up and threw me a pillow.

"Stop with the teasing, Rae." He said as I noticed his cheeks turning red and started laughing. "What's so funny?" He shouted as I ignored him and continued to laugh, almost having a hard time breathing whenever I tried to speak while he started to growl.

"You can tease me, yet I can't. What's up with that?" I asked. I was still laughing as he threw me a pillow, and I dodged it. One of the pillows hit me in the face... but that only made me laugh more, and I threw the pillows that he threw back to him.

"Told you that they're having fun without us." I heard Zenji saying that as he ran behind the couch with Royce and jumped on the backrest to stand on the couch, As they both joined in that pillow fight. "Why are you even blushing, Clyde?" Zenji teased in a questionable tone. Clayden immediately threw him a pillow, and Zenji only caught it.

"I'm not!"

"He is probably embarrassed about something Big Sis said," Royce answered, and he was on point. Zenji started to laugh, and Royce joined in, too.

Clayden turned around, glaring at them, and looked at me next; he smiled with an irritated look. "You know what? Whatever." and walked away. I messed up, huh? 'Wait, Doesn't it mean he's embarrassed about something!?' I thought as soon as he walked away, and it also made me realize something. My thoughts were interrupted when Clayden dropped the board games on the floor as Roy and Zenji sat down on the floor.

"Instead of you guys messing with me, Play with this instead!"

To Be Continued...