Kaizer's POV
It was already 9 P.M. when I got home from Lux's house.
The front door was open. It meant she is home.
"Aren't you home early–"
I froze when I saw her sitting on the sofa lost in thought.
She sat curled up, her knees pulled tightly to her chest, with her chin resting on them.
"Iris."
She didn't respond.
I moved closer and sat beside her.
I lifted my hand in order to take her attention then paused.
I took it back and then said again.
"Senior Iris?"
This time I got her attention.
She froze for a moment.
Then smiled.
"You are back." She said softly.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
A lie. I could clearly see her watery eyes.
I stared straight into her eyes. She turned her head to the side.
I looked at her for a moment.
Something inside my chest felt heavy too.
"Cry." I said.
"Huh?" She snapped.
"I said cry. I know you want to."
She looked at me for a moment before resting her chin on her knees.
Tears finally started falling from her eyes.
She turned to the other side.
For a moment, there was no sound in the room except for her quiet sobs.
I just sat there, pretending notice to notice how she tried to hold them back.
What made you cry so much?
The question stayed in my head as I looked at her.
"Kaizer..." She suddenly spoke, her voice cracking.
"Hmm?"
She turned towards me again, her cheeks still wet.
"What..what do we do when we miss someone?"
That one question answered her sobs.
I also turned to my side to sit face to face with her.
"Remember them." I said as mom came into my mind.
"What if you can't remember them?"
That question... made my chest ache again.
I had no answer to it. How can she remember them when she don't remember how they used to be?
She was looking at me, maybe hoping for a answer, but beside being silent, I had no answer.
In that instance, my eyes went out the window and something came into my mind.
I stood up. She was surprised by the sudden movement.
I extended my hand towards her.
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"Just come."
She glanced at my hand for a bit, then put her cold palm into mine.
I took her to the front door, then remembered something and looked at the living room table.
I quickly went in and came again with my jacket that was lying on it.
I put the jacket on her shoulder before taking her hand again as we went out.
We walked through the neighborhood to the nearby park and finally the place of my memory.
It had been so much time since I have been here.
It was a deserted hilly area, where a very few people came.
I looked back at her as she quietly scanned the area.
I searched for a moment before finally finding the bench I used to sit on.
I took her towards it as we sat side by side.
From here, half of the city was visible and the sky...it was full of twinkling stars.
"There was a place like this in our city?" She asked, as this time a real smile formed on her face.
The heaviness in my chest also eased a little as she smiled.
"Do you see those stars?" I pointed at the starry sky. "My mom is there only."
I felt her gaze at me, but I didn't dare turn towards her.
"Doesn't it means that my parents... "
"Uncle and aunty might be there as one of the stars also."
She nodded as she looked above.
I glanced at her as she looked at the sky, searching for something.
"That... those two stars." She pointed to somewhere above.
"The one twinkling too much might be my mom..." She said as she chuckled. "My grandma told me that she was very naughty and cheerful.
I chuckled too.
"Then the serious and calm looking star might be my dad... " She again smiled.
"Your parents sound like one of those grumpy and sunshine trope from Lux's favourite T.V. dramas."
This time she laughed.
And my chest eased seeing her carefree for just a moment.
She was laughing.
Just for a moment.
The grief was gone.
The questions were gone.
The sadness was gone.
And for the first time that evening, she looked like herself again.
I found myself wishing the moment would stay.
We sat there quietly beneath the stars, each searching for someone we could no longer reach.
Around midnight, she fell asleep on the same bench.
I didn't try to wake her up.
I sat on the ground as she lay on the bench sleeping peacefully.
A memory resurfaced in my mind.
My mom, with a little girl, about 7-8 years old, in her lap. The little girl cried a lot that day too... while missing her mom.
Mom sang her lullaby while the little girl cuddled to her, slowly fell asleep against her.
"Mamma... I made your little girl sleep today too."
I glanced at the sleeping figure on the bench.
The little girl from my memories had grown up a long time ago.
Somehow...
I was still watching over her.
Iris's POV
My eyes snapped open at the rumble of clouds in the sky.
A skeptical view of the sky came in my view as soon as my eyes opened.
I got up and looked down at the bench I had slept at.
Soon my head restored all the moments of last night.
I turned my head in all directions. He was nowhere to be seen.
It was still pretty dark and the clouds were constantly telling everyone that it's time for a good shower.
"Kaizer..."
My eyebrows knitted into a frown.
As I was thinking about what to do next, a hand suddenly appeared on my shoulder.
I snapped back, ready to fight.
Then froze.
It was him.
"Are you awake?" He asked as he stood behind the bench.
I nodded and didn't dare to look at him.
My gaze fell on the black jacket resting against me.
A slow warmth spread inside me on the cold night.
I tried my best to hide the smile that was slowly forming on my face.
"Let's go home... it might rain soon." He said.
"Hmm.."
I walked a step behind him, as he guided me back home.
I glanced at his hand, then his clothes... and then at him.
His pace was much slower, his body was clearly showing lack of sleep.
He didn't sleep.
Because of me.
A guilt surged up inside me.
"Kaizer..."
He turned and paused and raised an eyebrow.
"Did you sleep?"
"Uhh..."
"You didn't?''
"It was not safe for both of us to sleep there... one has to be awake."
I frowned.
"Let's go home quickly, then you will have to sleep all day..."
He chuckled. What's their to laugh?
"Okay."
We started walking again.
---
As we reached near the neighborhood–
A loud metal sound caught our attention.
We turned towards it.
It came from a dark alley behind the neighborhood convenience store.
"What was that..?"
We rushed towards the sound as fast as possible.
And something shocking caught our eye.
A woman was lying there, blood was flowing from her head.
I covered my mouth as we both rushed forward to help her.
She looked quite young, maybe a college student.
I quickly kneeled beside her as Kaizer searched for his phone.
"Damn it... I didn't even bring my phone here."
In that instant of panic, my eyes swept towards the pole, blood was printed on it. That meant her head was knocked at this pole only.
"Let's take her ourselves."
He said as he tried to lift her up. I helped him to hold her steady as we rushed to the nearby hospital.
Gladly, the hospital was just two lanes apart and we reached there in 10 minutes.
We took her to the emergency room as the hospital staff took her for treatment.
"She hit her head on the pole, I saw a blood stain there."
"I think so too.."
We stood there for a moment, before I looked at him. He looked exhausted from carrying her and running all way here.
We took a seat near the reception as he leaned his head against the wall.
I looked at the clock. 3:47 A.M.
What was she doing this late in that alley?
She didn't even had anyone with her.
Was she drunk? Yet how much she drank to knock her head against a pole at the corner of the road?
The questions stayed completely unanswered in my head as we waited for an update.
Soon one of the nurse came to us.
"Do you guys know that girl?"
"No, we found her near a alley in this condition."
"Ohk... well she has hit herself quite hard. Her wound has been dressed, there is no internal injury."
"Thank you."
She nodded,
As the nurse walked away, I glanced toward the emergency room one last time.
The unconscious woman hadn't moved once.
Yet for a brief moment, I could have sworn her lips moved.
As if she had whispered something.
A single word.
"Alone."
I turned towards Kaizer.
"Let's go home, you have to sleep too."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you concerned about my sleep a little too much."
I stared at him. Is this the right time to joke? That too, his deadpan jokes?
"Yes, I am very concerned. Let's go."
He chuckled as we started going out of the hospital.
Suddenly someone called us from behind.
"Kaizer!"
We turned towards the sound.
It was a middle aged doctor who was not very familiar to me.
I looked at Kaizer as he smiled back at that man.
He went forward as I stood their confused about the identity of the man.
"You brought that girl here?"
Kaizer nodded.
I quickly went ahead and stood beside Kaizer as the man looked at me with a equally confusing look.
I looked at Kaizer and finally he introduced us.
"Uh..uncle this is Iris." He looked at me before looking back. "She is my good friend and senior."
"Ahh...so this is Iris." My confusion grew. How does he know me?
"Iris, this is Lux's dad."
Ahh..Now it is clear. So this is Lux's dad.
"Hello uncle." I greeted him politely.
He nodded before asking.
"What were you kids doing outside so late at night?"
We both paused then simultaneously looked at each other.
"We went to the convenience store... to buy coffee."
I also nodded.
"Yeah... the convenience store."
He looked suspiciously between the two of us before giving a suspicious smile.
"Ahh then it is ok."
And went back again.
Strange.
I looked at Kaizer again.
Before I could say anything–
"Yes let's go home, I have to sleep."
"Good boy." I said as I started walking ahead.
Suddenly he took my hand into his as he pulled me.
"Uhh... you were about to hit that chair."
I looked down. Ohh the chair.
Then he started walking beside me, still holding my hand.
Either he forgot to let go or either he–
No.
I am overthinking.
Yes.
I am overthinking.
And like this, we both walked back home, with something silently changing between us.
And this time, I didn't try to know what it was?
Because whatever it was, it was warm and comfortable.