I didn't know time could move this fast. Well.. I did but I have never ever experience it. It honestly scared me.
It felt like only yesterday we were all at the spa. Mrs. May somehow convinced all of us to wear matching face masks.
Emma looked elegant even with green clay all over her face. Nena somehow managed to make hers look cool, but she was already cool.
I looked... Like a frightened avocado. They laughed at me for almost ten minutes.
I laughed too. Then we came home. We talked. Luca somehow fell asleep on the couch before everyone else. Jake threw a pillow at him.
Luca threw it back. Mrs. May threatened to kick both of them outside.
Dad laughed. We all laughed.
And then... We went to bed. That was yesterday.
Now... Morning had already arrived. How rude.
The sunlight slowly drifted through the curtains, slipping into my room so gently that it almost felt like it didn't want to wake me.
Golden light stretched across the wooden floor before climbing onto my bed.
The whole room glowed softly. Quiet. Warm. Peaceful.
I had been awake for almost an hour already. Not because I couldn't sleep.
Because I knew if I slept again... Today would come even faster.
I rested against the headboard, my legs stretched beneath the blanket while a novel sat open in my hands.
Page forty-two. Or maybe forty-three.
I wasn't sure anymore. My eyes moved across the words. Sentence after sentence. Paragraph after paragraph.
Then... I blinked. "...Wait."
I frowned slightly. I slowly looked back at the page. "...What even happened?"
I had absolutely no idea. I had been staring at the book for almost twenty minutes...
Without reading a single sentence.
I sighed.
Closing the novel carefully, I slipped the little ribbon bookmark between the pages before placing it on my bedside table.
"...Nice. I just wasted twenty minutes."
I leaned my head back against the wall.
The room became quiet again. Too quiet.
My eyes wandered around without really thinking. The drawing book was still sitting on my desk.
The pencil I used yesterday hadn't even been put away.
Beside it... My laptop was still open from where I had sent Mark the picture of my first proper sketch.
I smiled. "...He's probably still showing everyone."
Honestly... I wouldn't even be surprised if he framed it.
A tiny laugh escaped me.
Then... My eyes drifted somewhere else.
The bouquet.
Still standing inside the clear glass vase Mrs. May had brought into my room after graduation.
The white lilies had opened a little more today.
The roses still looked fresh.
Every time the breeze slipped through my slightly opened window, the room filled with their soft scent.
I smiled again. "...They still smell nice."
Then... Without even realizing it... I looked down. The bracelet. Still around my wrist. I lifted my hand slowly.
The little white beads caught the sunlight.
AIANA.
I couldn't stop myself.
I laughed. "You really had one job."
I turned my wrist from side to side, watching the bracelet sparkle just a little. "My name literally changed."
I whispered.
"But..." I gently traced each bead with my thumb. "I still like it."
Actually.. I loved it. Wrong spelling and all.
For a second... I wondered if I should take it off.
Just while he was gone. Maybe it would hurt less. My fingers reached toward the knot.
Then stopped. "...No."
I quietly shook my head. "I'm keeping it."
I rested my hand on my lap again.
Today. Ethan was leaving today.
The smile slowly disappeared from my face.
"...I don't want today."
I whispered it so quietly even I barely heard myself.
The room suddenly felt bigger.
Empty. I thought... Life had finally started becoming normal. Mom and Dad were together again. I had friends. Real friends.
Not classmates.
Not people who simply knew my name.
People who stayed.
People who argued over food.
People who stole my snacks.
People who made fun of me every single day.
People who somehow became family.
And now...
University. Everything was changing again.
Nena would probably return to Japan before university started.
She said she'd visit.
I believed her.
Still... It wouldn't be the same.
Mark had gotten accepted into a university in another city.
He'd probably bury himself in books and forget sunlight existed.
Liam... I wasn't even sure how he would survive without annoying Jake every day.
Emma would be somewhere else too.
Different campus. Different people. Different life.
Then... Ethan. London. Four years.
"...Four years. At least he's not doing Medicine it would have been seven to eleven years."
I repeated the words quietly.
They sounded just as impossible the second time. I hugged my knees against my chest. "...How is that even fair?"
Nobody answered. Of course nobody did. I stayed like that for another minute.
Maybe two. Maybe five.
I wasn't counting anymore.
The only thing I could hear was the ticking clock hanging above my bedroom door.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Every second sounded louder than the last.
Like the clock was personally reminding me that time refused to stop for anyone. "...You're annoying."
I muttered toward it.
The clock continued ticking. "...Rude."
I sighed.
Then slowly pushed the blanket away.
The wooden floor felt cool beneath my feet.
Not freezing.
Just enough to wake me up completely.
I slipped into my fluffy slippers before stretching my arms high above my head.
"...Okay."
I whispered to myself. "Enough hiding."
I walked over to the mirror.
My blonde hair had become slightly messy from lying against the headboard.
I gently fixed it with my fingers before adjusting my glasses.
"...Better."
Not perfect.
Better.
Good enough.
I picked up my phone from the bedside table.
No new messages. "...He's probably still sleeping."
Or maybe...
Trying not to think about leaving too.
I slipped the phone into my pocket before opening my bedroom door.
The hallway outside was already bright.
Morning sunlight poured through the enormous windows of the mansion, making the polished marble floor shine so brightly I could almost see my reflection.
It was beautiful.
When I first came here...
I used to walk through these hallways scared I'd accidentally break something expensive.
Now... It felt like home.
One of the maids walked past carrying fresh flowers.
She smiled warmly. "Good morning, Miss Ayana."
"Morning."
Another maid was dusting one of the picture frames hanging along the hallway.
I slowed down for a second.
It was one of our family photos.
Me.
Mom.
Dad.
Luca somehow making a peace sign behind everyone's heads.
Jake pretending he didn't want to be in the picture.
I smiled. "...We're weird."
Then... The smell reached me.
Pancakes. Fresh toast. Eggs. Something sweet. Maple syrup.
Mrs. May. Definitely Mrs. May. "...Okay."
I smiled to myself. "Maybe today won't be completely terrible."
Then... A very familiar voice echoed upstairs. "I REFUSE!"
I froze. "...He's awake."
Another voice. Calm and Elegant. "...Good morning to you too, Luca."
"I SAID I REFUSE!"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "...Here we go."
And somehow... Before I even reached the stairs... I was already smiling.