Celeste returned to Rina's room after taking a quick shower and changing into one of Lana's borrowed oversized shirts. Her hair was still damp, and she rubbed at it with a towel as she pushed open the door.
What she expected: a sleepy Rina scrolling on her phone.
What she got instead: all three of Ash's sisters sprawled across the bed and the floor like it was a full-blown pajama summit.
"Oh no," Celeste muttered under her breath, too late to turn back.
"There she is!" May beamed, patting the empty space between her and Lana. "Come here, we were just waiting for you."
Celeste gave them a smile, cautious but polite, and sat down between them. Rina, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a bag of chips in her lap, immediately spoke up.
"I really can't believe Ash already has a girlfriend," May said, scooting closer on the bed. "And he's been hiding this since Christmas?!"
Celeste gave a small laugh, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I didn't know I was such a scandal."
"Oh, you are," Rina added, raising an eyebrow. "He always told us he wasn't seeing anyone. We just thought he was being shy again."
"But like… we want the real tea." Lana smirked, settling down on the floor cross-legged.
Celeste froze.
Rina leaned forward.
"Did you two already do it?"
Celeste chuckled but internally panicked.
Should I lie or should I die?
"Rina!" Lana scolded, smacking her sister's arm.
Celeste almost sighed in relief.
Thank God, someone—
"I do want to know, though," Lana added, casually biting into a cookie.
Never mind.
"Hey, hey, stop asking those kinds of questions, okay?" May interrupted, shaking her head, though the teasing smile never left her face.
"Yuh, yuh, sorry. We're just too glad," Rina said.
"It's fine," Celeste said with a laugh, still trying to keep her cool despite her ears turning red.
May tilted her head thoughtfully.
"We're just surprised, honestly...Ash was always too soft. Even our neighbor once said he might be gay."
"Yup," Lana agreed. "But Ash didn't care. He never even reacted to rumors."
"Well, we couldn't blame anyone for thinking that," Rina said, arms crossed. "He grew up with us—three loud sisters, no brothers to balance him out."
"But our father was there," Lana said with a nostalgic smile. "At least Ash had a man beside him."
Celeste glanced at her, quietly listening.
"They were always together," Lana continued. "When Rina was in college, May and I were in high school, and Ash was just… what, ten or eleven? He and Dad were inseparable. Every day after school, Dad would pick him up, but instead of going home, they'd disappear for hours."
"Our mom used to get mad because they'd always come home late," May added, chuckling. "She'd be like, 'Did you two start a secret club or something?'"
Rina laughed. "I remember that! They'd come back smelling like fried chicken or gasoline."
"And their excuse was always something like, 'We just went to fix the car… and then maybe ate… and then maybe walked around…'" Lana added with an exaggerated imitation of their dad's voice.
Celeste laughed too. It was the kind of story that wrapped around your heart—something tender, unshakeable. You could feel the bond even in the way they told it.
But then Lana's voice softened. Her smile faded slightly.
"But… when our dad passed away…"
The room quieted.
"…Ash took it the hardest."
Celeste's breath caught.
"It was sudden," Lana said gently. "Car accident on the way home from work. It was raining."
Celeste's heart ached.
"Ash was only thirteen. He stopped talking much for a while. He still went to school, but he barely spoke. Never cried in front of us either."
"He let his hair grow out, too," Lana said. "Didn't care about how he looked. We were honestly worried."
Celeste's head turned at that.
"He'd just sit at the dining table," May continued, "his hair getting longer and longer. He said it didn't matter anymore."
"He looked like a sad anime character," Rina muttered. "We didn't even recognize him for a while."
"But then one day," May said, smiling, "he just came home and said, 'I cut it.'"
"We cheered like he just passed a board exam," Rina said with a laugh.
"He got used to it, you know—growing his hair out," Lana said, chuckling. "By high school, his hair was getting long again. Not idol-long, but long enough that people started asking if he was in a band."
"He just kept trimming it to make it look 'intentional,'" May added, making air quotes. "Then college came, and he still had that artsy-boy vibe going on. Even at work! We thought he'd never cut it again."
"But now that long hair's gone." Rina said gently.
Celeste stared down at her lap, her smile soft but thoughtful.
Damn, Ash… I still have so much more to learn about you.
The image of a younger Ash—quiet, withdrawn, with long hair falling into his eyes—settled in her chest like a pebble dropped in still water.
So much of him was quiet.
So much of him was hidden.
And even though she knew his voice, his laughter, his hands, his touch—
She realized there were still entire chapters of his life she hadn't even opened yet.
Then suddenly, Rina clapped her hands.
"OKAY! Enough of the drama. Time to embarrass Ash!"
Celeste blinked. "Wait—what?"
"Childhood stories. You need to know the cursed files," Lana smirked. "Like how Ash used to—"
"Oh! Oh! I know one!" May said, eyes gleaming.
"Oh no," Celeste muttered, both scared and delighted.
"Ash used to pee his pants whenever he laughed too hard!" May declared proudly.
"No!" Celeste gasped, giggling. "You're lying!"
"I swear," May said, hand on her chest. "There was this one time, he was like… five? We were watching this dumb cartoon, and Rina made this fart sound with her armpit—"
"Classic," Rina said, proud.
"—and Ash started laughing so hard he just… full-on peed on the couch. Like a waterfall. No warning."
Celeste laughed so hard she almost fell over.
"That's nothing," Lana said, grinning. "He also used to play 'Waiter' when we had guests."
"Oh my God—" Rina wheezed.
"He'd take our plastic toy tray, grab whatever snacks were on the table, and walk around like, 'Good evening, madam, would you like another chip?'—with that shy little voice and a towel on his arm."
"I would literally pay to see that," Celeste said through her laughter.
"Once, he slipped on the floor doing it and spilled orange juice on Aunt Cane's lap," May added.
"I think that's when he retired from the Waiter game," Lana laughed.
Celeste wiped tears from her eyes.
"I can't believe this."
"Oh, it gets worse," Rina said. "When he was seven, he cried because the moon 'looked lonely' one night."
"WHAT?!" Celeste clutched her stomach.
"Yuh," Rina nodded seriously. "He stood by the window with this dramatic face and said, 'Do you think the moon misses someone too?' Like he was in a K-drama."
"He's always been soft," Lana smiled fondly.
"And sensitive," May added.
"And way too precious," Rina said.
Celeste's smile softened.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "He still is."
The teasing quieted. The laughter settled into something warm and full.
Then—
Rina leaned forward with a smirk.
"Okay, but seriously. What do you like about him?"
Celeste blinked. "W-What?"
"You've passed the childhood-embarrassment test. Now we want the romantic essay."
Celeste covered her face. "Why are you all ganging up on me?!"
"Because we're the final boss," Lana said with a wink.
Celeste peeked through her fingers, still smiling. Then slowly lowered her hands.
"No spell," she said quietly. "I just… like him. Just the way he is."
The teasing stopped.
"I like how polite he is. The way he talks—so soft and careful like he's afraid of breaking something. I like how he behaves like a gentleman, even when he acts a little like a shy girl sometimes."
She glanced down, heart pounding.
"I love the way he moves, like he's always trying to disappear into the background but ends up standing out anyway. I love how he listens. How he remembers every little thing."
May, Lana, and Rina fell utterly silent.
"I like that he's kind. That he doesn't need to be loud to be heard. I like how he cooks for me like it's the most natural thing in the world. Like taking care of someone just comes easy to him."
She gave a small laugh.
"I guess I like… everything."
For a second, no one spoke.
Then Rina dramatically wiped fake tears from her eyes.
"Okay, now I feel bad for bullying you."
"She's officially part of the family," May said.
"No take backs," Lana grinned.
The three surged forward into a warm group hug.
Celeste laughed, hugged back, and in that moment—she didn't feel like a guest.
She felt like home.
Her phone buzzed.
It was from Ash.
Ash:
Are you good there? Did Rina ask too many questions?
Celeste laughed softly and typed back.
Celeste:
Don't sweat. I'm fine.
And yuh, they're asking a lot…
but it's fun.
________