"Charlotte was planning to come over here, but she got caught up with work." Ethel informed. He plopped down on the sofa next to me and offered me a box.

"Here, she made a cake for you." I smiled as I grabbed the delicious-smelling box.

"Wow, yummy way to impress her sister-in-law, huh?" I teased E, making him cough and flush simultaneously. I opened the box and began devouring the scrumptious chocolate cake. Oh, how I missed those flavors!

I'd been discharged from the hospital since two weeks. Since then, I'd been on total bedrest in Ethel's condo. Mom and dad were adamant about taking me home, but after much persuading and pretty pleading, they eventually consented. Ethel's girlfriend, Charlotte, or Charlie, as I called her, was such a great company for me all those times. Not that my friends didn't visit me, because they did more than often. Especially Ivy, who stayed with me for quite a few nights. Let's not even bring up Senior Aylwin. Because, well, he was a whole different story. He surely visited me every day, to be precise, but it had been two days since he hadn't. I tried calling him, but he didn't pick up. Messages went unheeded. To be honest, it infuriated and outraged me. I was flummoxed as to what the hell was he up to?

"By the way, E, convey my heartfelt thanks and love to Charlie darling. She's the best. I highly appreciate her gestures, and I mean it, dumbo! " I said while stuffing a spoonful of cake into my mouth.

"Again Charlie? Her name is Charlotte, Soph. And yeah, she's coming over for dinner tonight. "

"You do realize that telling me her name is pointless since I'll still call her Charlie. The world can call her Charlotte, but I'm going to stick with Charlie. " I teased him yet again by cramming an enormous piece of cake into his mouth.

"Moreover, it's her name, and she hasn't had any issues as far as I know, so why are you being such a nosy ass with panda face, ah?" I stuck my tongue out at him as he shook his head in incredulity.

"Okay, Ms. Moody Ass, stop eating like a damn pig. Where's Lily, by the way?" Shit!

"Lily?" I shouted, summoning her, and we were soon approached by the sound of tiny feet tapping on the tiled floor. Lily eyed us with a big goofy grin on her face as Ethel scooped her into his arms and placed her on his lap. He tickled her, making her laugh out loud. Lily was gleaming with glee. How could God be so cruel to her? She was so innocent and beautiful, completely oblivious to the realities that surrounded her. How would she react if she learned the truth about her parents? How would such a delicate soul cope with so much grief? Her life had already been tough, and I feared it wouldn't get much easier in the near future, but nonetheless... My heart broke into two upon realizing how much anguish she had to go through at such a tender age.

The sound of the doorbell interrupted my thoughts. Ethel got up to open the door as Lily cuddled with me. The door opened to reveal none other than Senior Aylwin, looking as ravishing as ever, clad in a black zipped-up leather jacket, slacks, and matching loafers. His hair was neatly combed back. One word—delicious.

"Hey man!" E greeted him, receiving a nod from Senior. Senior's gaze shifted to me for a split second before returning to E.

Archie greeted us with a bashful smile as he emerged from the door, giggling. "Hi Lily!" he waved sheepishly as he noticed her.

"Hi Archie!" Lily smiled back, blushing.

I exchanged glances between them, wiggling my brows at them—'Kid, what's going on? Hmm? '

"Won't you show your sketches to Archie, eh, Lily?" She grinned as she nodded, and Ethel followed suit shortly after.

Childhood sweethearts, huh?

Two more figures stood at the door. Dressed in a deep magenta-colored flowing knee-length one-piece, stood a lady in her late twenties, cloaked in elegance and an aura of humility. Her baby blue eyes twinkled with the effervescence of bliss and delight. Next to her stood a man who seemed to be an exact replica of Senior Aylwin, albeit a few years older and considerably more carefree and smiling. It didn't take long for me to figure out who they were. Senior Aylwin's brother and sister-in-law.

"Soph, take a look..." Ethel walked into the room, refreshers in hand, but his words faded as soon as his gaze fell on those two figures. He stood frozen with a gaping mouth. The three of them stood staring at each other with wide eyes and jaws dropped. Their brows knotted and their bodies stiffened. The atmosphere turned too tight and dense.

"No fucking way!" All of a sudden, Ethel yelled, startling all of us. He exchanged glances with both the Eldred brothers.

"Fuck! How can I not guess!?"

"Almer, I'm not dreaming, am I?" The beautiful lady spoke out. While Senior Aylwin and I exchanged quizzical looks.

"Eldred? Sanders? "

What the actual heck is going on? Does he know them?

"It's Mrs. Eldred now, you stupid." The lady muttered in a soft voice.

"How silly of me to forget! Since I was the best man at your wedding, wasn't I Mrs. Eldred?" Ethel's words were tainted with mockery and repressed rage. The colors of the duo's faces drained out as they gawked at each other with remorse and shame.

How did he know them? Why hadn't he ever informed me about them? With each passing second, the tension in the room grew thicker. So, I took the great initiative of interrupting the awkward moment.

"Umm... Hello. Bro, will ya keep them standing there, or will ya welcome them in? Please ignore him. " Ignoring him, I walked over to them, grinning ear to ear.

"Welcome inside. Please make yourself comfortable. " Flashing me a kind smile, they all sat on the sofa. Ethel served them refreshers.

"So, you all know each other?" The trio exchanged glances before they nodded.

"Soph, he's Almer Eldred. And she's Tasha Sanders... Oops, Tasha Eldred now. My college mates, who vanished off the face of the earth after our graduation day. But see, the miracle! " He snorted sardonically.

Damn, I'd seen a thrilled Ethel, a sad Ethel, a furious Ethel, and even a broken Ethel before, but this side of Ethel was something else entirely. I hadn't seen him act that way before. He sounded betrayed, nostalgic, melancholic, and enraged. It scared me somewhat. They must be extremely close to him to have such an impact on him.

"Ethel..." He cut Almer off, "Please, Almer. Excuse me, folks. " With that, he got up and walked inside, leaving us worried, dumbfounded, and awkward.

"O God, Almer, this is so messed up. He's so hurt. Betrayed by us. " Tasha's voice broke.

"Excuse me, I'll check on him." I dashed towards Ethel's room, calling him out.

"E?"

"I'm here." He replied from the bathroom. I swung the door open, revealing a tired Ethel leaning against the faucet, his hands supporting him.

"What happened, E? Why did ya react in this way? " I placed my hand on his shoulder, rubbing his back gently.

"Ethel, Almer, and Tasha. The rocking trio of the campus. Best friends. Inseparable. I was the third wheel in their romance. And Tasha, of our bromance, you know. " He chuckled nostalgically.

"It was our graduation day. We had our ceremony, and then we were supposed to have a party. But it never happened. We were supposed to take graduation pictures. Sadly, we never took it. " His voice cracked, and witnessing his misery shattered my heart.

"Reason? They fucking disappeared, as if they had never existed in the first place. I tried to look out for them for months, but to no avail. First Ian, and... th-then they. I-I just felt completely lost. Fuck! " I embraced him from the side, firmly wrapping my arms around him, as he frantically wiped his welled up eyes.

"It's just I don't know how to react to this. I'd given up hope of ever contacting them. Meeting them like this... after three fucking years... is totally shocking."

His words just served to remind me of how bereft he must have felt after Ian's disappearance. I was still recovering from everything while Ethel left for his university. Thinking about it at the time was like enduring unwanted, worthless epiphanies. You know what made things a whole lot worse? It was the fact that I had never witnessed his agony and suffering. How could I have missed it? Ethel never said a word about it during all of that time.

"Why haven't you told me? Why did you hide it? "

"Thought it wasn't worth bringing up."

I was about to reply when a voice interrupted me, "I see, you're still the cry baby jackass." Tasha stood at the door, her eyes welling up with tears and a mournful smile on her face.

"As if you haven't betrayed me enough. Pfft! "

"Sophronia, can you please give us a few minutes alone?" It was Almer who asked. I gazed at Ethel, who was looking anywhere but at them. I reluctantly left the trio alone in the hopes that they would sort out their mess.

I entered my room, hearing the guffaws and giggles. Archie was hopping up and down with a firm grip on Senior Aylwin's hand while Lily sat on his lap. He seemed relaxed while talking with them. A perfect, serene glow oozed off him.

"Whacha doin' fellas?" I chirped in with a silly grin on my face. They stopped in their frenzy and grinned as they faced me. Senior shot me a questioning look, which I returned with an assuring smile.

"Biggie!"

"Girlfriend!" Archie rushed up to me, intertwining our fingers together. His teeny-tiny fingers entwined around my big, dainty ones.

"Now, for all I care, you can keep him." He smirked as his eyes twinkled with mischief.

Remind me again, people, what was his age?

"Nooo!!" Lily sprung off Senior's lap and dashed over to me. She clutched my other hand and glared at Archie.

"No, this is not fair! You do not get to keep both of them. " Archie whined and glared at her. And, boy, did they look adorable. I shot a glimpse across to Senior Aylwin, who was resting on the bed, amusedly watching the scenes unfold.

"Hell yeah! She's my Biggie! "

"No, my girlfriend!"

"My Biggie!"

"My girlfriend!"

"Biggie!"

"Girlfriend!"

"My!"

"My!"

"Mine!" All the voices were muffled by the new voice's involvement. Both of them, as well as me, faced the culprit, who had a devilish smirk on his lips. His eyes sparkled with pure, raw mischief, making my toes curl.

"Huh?"

"She's my Fresher. Period. " He spoke out, leaning on the bedrest with arms crossed and eyes fastened on mine.

W

T

F

!

"Is there something we're not knowing?" Lily asked, wiggling her brows at me.

"Something we should know, but we don't know!?" Archie smirked as he tucked my dress.

"Biggie-Bobo something-something, eh? Ohhhhh!!! "

All I could do was gape at them, and then an amused Senior Aylwin, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the whole show with mirth of merriment.

What the heck? Remind me again, what's their age!?

"Bruhh, that was so fun. But hey, the most memorable part was when Krish actually proposed to her. Man, he was so scared." Tasha exclaimed, as they all laughed.

We were all lounging in the living room. The trio talked for a while before they crashed with us. Beaming smiles and teary eyes graced us. They'd been conversing nonstop since then about everything and anything.

"By the way, are they still together?"

"Hell yeah, I've heard they're married." Ethel replied, with a swig of his drink.

Damn, I miss my coke.

After my accident, I was strictly prohibited from drinking my coke. And Ethel, Senior Aylwin, and Ivy made sure of it.

"Jeez, Ethel, only you're the left bachelor. Still on your playboy ways, I see, eh?" Almer said, cracking us up.

"Good thing Charlotte isn't here. And for your very kind information, Mr. and Mrs. Eldred, I'm very much of a saint and currently committed for a lifetime. "

Tasha feigned choking and laughed hard. "Saint? Really? You're very much of a playboy dressed as a saint. By the way, who's Charlotte? "

And there, they again started to talk about stuff.

"Ah, guys, what about Layla? After you guys, even she disappeared into thin air." As soon as those words left bro's mouth, the atmosphere of the room intensified. Their features were decked with a strange kind of uneasiness and discontent. They had a look that expressed distress and sort of something I couldn't put my finger on. Perhaps I caught a glimpse of remorse in their frantic, widened eyes. Guilt was bursting at the seams in those orbs. They exchanged anxious smiles as they glanced at Senior Aylwin and then at each other.

"I've got to make a call. Excuse me." Senior Aylwin stood up and walked away, not even once glancing our way. Something was off. Something didn't feel right. Who was Layla?

"Ermm... Layla is no more." Almer answered, his gaze hitting the ground.

"What? When? How? " A shocked Ethel stated.

"A few years back. Dunno the exact reason, though." And once again, the conversation came to a screeching halt. The once upbeat attitude and cheerful ambiance had unexpectedly become dismal and sour.

"Guys, Alana is waiting for us. We should get going." After a while, Senior Aylwin re-joined us.

"Alana?"

"Our sister."

"Oh yeah."

"Alright Ethel, we should take our leave. It was really amazing to meet you. God, I still can't believe we met... after so damn long.... This is insane. "

"Trust me, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this." He chuckled as he patted Almer's back.

"Soph, it was wonderful to finally meet you. I'm sorry we didn't get much of a chance to chat. But I promise, we'll sure have our time. " Tasha gave me a brief hug and a kind smile. She seemed to be a truly amazing woman.

"I'd love to. Thanks for visiting us. "

"Come, I'll walk you guys." They walked away, leaving Senior Aylwin and me alone.

"Are you alright?" I inquired, sensing his uptight demeanor. That girl's name elicited a reaction from him. Out of a guy who never reacted. It had to be something massive, right?

He faced me, walking closer and wrapped his arms around me. I instantly felt at ease in his embrace, engulfed by his warmth and tenderness.

"I'm alright." He drew back and delicately pressed his lips to my forehead. Soft, calloused fingers delicately stroked my cheek, eyes boring into my soul. I wanted to inquire about his whereabouts for the past two days. Why didn't he call me? No texts? Nothing.

The Aylwin Eldred I had seen two weeks earlier, who had broken down his barriers for me, had been once again lost in the maze of façade. He'd vanished. He was no longer there. All I could see was a man with a poker face who was as hard as a glint.

"I know what's going on in your mind. It's just trouble soul calls, y'know." Whispering, he drew back and turned on his heels. With that, he was gone.

"Take care." The last thing I whispered was as he was whisked away with the air. 

"Have ya taken your meds?" Ethel asked.

"Yeah." My thoughts had been wandering back and forth between the events of the day. It had been a long and grueling day.

"Alright. Good night."

"E? Wait! " I stopped him, tapping the sheets beside me.

Sitting across from me, he smiled. He looked mentally and physically drained. I feared how difficult it would be for him.

"How did it go?" I meekly asked, observing his demeanor switch from one of joy to one of pain and sadness. His brows creased, and folds on his forehead popped out. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his blond mess.

"I don't know. Mixed feeling, I guess. It's just kinda weird. So much has changed since then. They have a kid now, damn! " He said it in one breath. Zephyr got tangled in the lust of gusty waves of silence as they blew past us, shielding us from the havoc of words and emotions. However, they dropped us into the pit of perilous thoughts and dungeons of ruthless emotions. Eunoia was blindly betrayed by its descendants.

Result—devastating defeat of ataraxia.

"Soph?" Ethel's voice jolted me out of my reverie.

"Mhm?"

"Did you know Aylwin has lost his dad?" As soon as those words left his mouth, I was left in boketto. A sudden overwhelming feeling of saudade overdosed me.

"I-I... No." Everything inside me constricted, viciously slicing past my flesh and bones. Another tsunami of questions drowned me away with it. Was that the reason that changed him?

"It's just she truly cares about Aylwin after his mother..."

What mother? What did Freddie mean? Was she also...

"I don't know if I'm being paranoid or they're really hiding things." Ethel's voice jolted me once again. I didn't know about Almer or Tasha, but Senior Aylwin was certainly concealing a plethora of things. But, then again, wasn't I too?

It was tiring. The sheer maze of secrets was starting to aggravate me. I wanted to know everything, and the price in exchange? I had to sell off my secrets too. The more I thought I was peeling off his layers, the more he seemed orphic to me. At one point, all I could think of him was as a solandis, ensnared by the thorns of the past, and yet at another point, I had to start over. Slashed by kopfkino yet again, all I could do was sigh in despair.

"Who's Layla?" Since then, I've had another nagging question. The mere mention of her name plunged them all into chaos. It'd be a fool not to notice. The abrupt change in their behavior was apparent.

"A mate from college. She was crazy about Almer. They were about to be married, but I don't know what happened next. I was shocked to know she's no more. " Vague. Another piece of ambiguous information. I didn't know anything about the Eldreds. Everything about them was vague to me. They did have a history with Layla. Otherwise, Senior Aylwin would never have reacted the way he did back then. What was it? What was their relation?