Rhea looked ahead at the pavement, with her knees on the road, her hands tugging to the lock of her bicycle, she looked at Ember. He stood before her, his skin looked pink and his hair golden, just like he used to. But he had an air of transience to him, like soap bubbles, he seemed like a figment of her imagination.

She stood up and slowly walked towards him. She touched his red cheeks and felt the warmth. He was real, "You are here,"
He smiled, "Why wouldn't I be? Monsoon is finally over,"
"You weren't here just because it was raining?"

"Water is gross,"
Rhea kicked his knee and he fell, "OW!"
"Why didn't you reply to my texts then?!"
"Oh! Oh... I lost my phone,"
"You're so-I hate you!"
"But why? What have I done?"

"Shut up! Don't talk to me! Fucking idiot, you are!"
He got up and ran after her, "Rhea!"
"Get away from me!"

Rhea sat in the class and looked at him sleeping with his head on the desk. She drew his sketch at the back of her notebook. Now that he was physically there, she could notice the finer details. 'You didn't catch my eye right away, I can't deny that. But once you did,'

He slowly opened his eyes, 
'I swear I couldn't look away,'
She closed the notebook and looked ahead. He got up and stretched his arms, "That was a nice nap,"
She shook her head and got up. The class was over and they were walking out of the mall. AJ and Meenu walked behind them. Ember got on Rhea's bicycle, "I'll paddle,"
"No, I will,"

"What?" He seemed surprised.
"Shut up and sit behind me, you dumb blonde,"
"Okay," He laughed and sat back. She paddled slowly, looking at the dry roads, the sand storm slowly began surrounding them, "Ember," She spoke.

"Yeah?" He covered his eyes from the dust. Rhea stopped the bicycle and looked down, the sand was prickling her skin, she clenched her fingers, "Is there something you do not like about me?"
"Huh? Why would you ask that all of sudden?"
"Just answer, I want to know,"
He looked at her back, "Well, you yell a lot,"

She looked down, "And?"
"And you're too skinny, and I really hate your fashion sense too, plus you can't cook, and you're too tall, and your capricious, you're reckless and lowkey annoying sometimes,"
"I see..."

"But," He sounded as if he was smiling, "That's what makes you you. And that is what I like about you. Maybe I wouldn't like spending time with you if you were any different from how you are. But if there's one thing I'd like to change about you, that has to be...

Your last name,"

Her eyes widened. She turned to look at him, "You think it's funny?"
"A bit, yeah? Kinda,"
"I hate you so much,"
He laughed, "Me too," 
"That's such a sad thing to say"

He looked into her eyes, "Arorhea,"
Her face grew red and the dust storm behind them made her hair flow towards her face, and his bangs away from his forehead, they looked at each other. He leaned towards her and she bit her lips, pressing them inward. She held her breath but he didn't. She could feel his warm breath on her cupid's bow, "I want you to always remember this moment," He smiled.

She was confused, "...What?"
He smiled and moved back, "We have to keep moving forward no matter how much pain and disappointment we go through. It can't keep us from doing what we love. You gotta... appreciate the time you're given, you don't know when the expiration date may come and everything is gone...within seconds..."

He was talking about painting.

Right?

Memories flashed in her head, old memories, too old. A blonde boy, rain, blood on the streets, weapons, darkness. Everything came in a flash and left just as fast. She covered her eyes. His blue eyes widened, "Are you crying?!"
She shook her head, "Rhea, what happened? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I did-"

"No," She looked at him, "It just...sounds like you're gonna leave me again..."

Painting...Why did she stop painting? What exactly happened?

His eyes mellowed as he looked at her. She grabbed his pale hands, "You won't go away, right?"
He laughed, "Of course not! Why would I?"
"I don't know..."
"You're hurting yourself by thinking about the end of our journey. Live in the moment, Rhea. Look how much fun we're having, don't you like it?"
"...I do,"
"That's what matters," He smiled, "Also, I kind of need some help from you,"

. . .

Loraine, a little kid, probably five or six, sat before a piano. An old woman with silver locks and a wrinkled face stood behind him, she had green eyes, just like him.
"Why are you not playing?" She had a strong British accent. 
He pressed his tiny fingers on the keys and played a note, "I-...I want to go back home. I don't want to stay in London anymore,"

"Where do you want to go then? To your useless brothers, in that unsophisticated land of America where you'd end being nothing but a fat plonker who is only good at filling his gluttonous stomach?"
"My brothers need me. Especially Ember, he's sick!"
"He can die and I won't care! Shut up and play, Loraine. You have a performance next month. Your father is already a huge letdown, the least you can do is not decipher that stupid Danish side of your brain!"

"But grandma-"
"I said," Her cold green eyes looked down at him, "Play,"
He started playing and his grandmother slapped a ruler on his fingers, "Ow!"
Loraine moved his fingers away from the piano and pressed his fingers together, "That's a wrong note, where is your attention?"

"S-Sorry," He began playing again and she whipped his hand again, "IT'S WRONG AGAIN! WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET INSIDE YOUR THICK SKULL?!"

Loraine, now fifteen, sat before his piano and played a jolly piece while Maple stood behind the piano and enjoyed the music while shaking his head and tapping his feet. Once he was done playing, he looked at his fingers, no more ruler marks. He had perfected his skill in the most British and cruel way possible.

"That was so good, bror!" Maple clapped, "Teach me some piano too!"
"No, I don't wanna,"
"Oh come on, why?"

"Guys!" Ember entered the room, "Look what I got for you!"
Maple turned towards him, "Something to eat?"
Rhea walked in behind him. Maple smirked, "Yeah, definitely something to eat,"
Loraine rolled his eyes, "Why my room? It's gonna smell like curry now,"
Rhea clasped her hands, "You-"
"Loraine," Ember glared at him, "You promised you ain't gonna be racist,"

"I said I'll try," He crossed his arms.
Ember shook his head, "Anyways, we're going to be trying some classic Indian food!" 
"Indian food?" Loraine rose his left eyebrow.
"Indian food!" Maple clapped his hands, "Let's go!"

"Oh no, I'm not eating Indian food," 

Loraine soon found himself sitting before a small dining table in Maple's room, with an Indian meal plate between him. Ember had already started eating, "I love it," 
Loraine was still glaring at his plate filled with foreign substances, where was bread? And pie? Chicken? Fish? Meanwhile, Maple was staring at Ember to figure out how to eat what.
"What is all this nonsense?" Loraine picked a handkerchief like object.
"It's a naan," Rhea sat beside him.

"My only concern is not being able to swallow this,"
"You don't have to eat it whole," Rhea pointed at some chutney and shahi paneer kept in two different bowls, "Take a piece and dip it into both of those,"
He did as told and ate it begrudgingly, "My hands are getting dirty. Can't I use a knife and fork?"

"To cut a naan?"
"I don't think this is quite standard for you, to eat with your hands, I mean?" Ember asked Loraine.
"Nope, not for me," Maple blabbered with his mouth stuffed with a naan.
"I've been outclassed," Loraine shook his head and began chewing. All of them looked at him.

"...This is not how I expected it to taste," Loraine concluded.
They began laughing, "How does it taste?" Rhea asked.
"Salty. Too bad it didn't kill me,"

Maple clenched his eyes tightly as he continued chewing, "Are you okay?" Rhea asked.
"You need some water, bro?" Ember passed him a water bottle and he drank half of the bottle. Finally keeping the bottle aside, "How do you feel?"

Maple shook his head, "I don't really like the whole idea of...grinding green chilly peppers,"
"What the fuck,"
"You ate too much chutney I guess," Rhea looked at his plate. Half of the chutney was gone.
"It's okay. I'll take stairs to go down so I'm gonna burn it off,"
"That's not the only thing that's gonna be burning," Loraine took another piece of naan and shoved it into his mouth gracefully.

"So, for drinks, we have that. It's called raita," Rhea pointed at a bowl kept in a corner of the plate. Loraine took a spoon and took a sip of it.
"How is it?" Maple asked. He kept the spoon aside and wiped his lips with a tissue, "It's got a bit of a kick I guess?" Ember took a sip too.
"Yeah, except that you're getting kicked in the mouth, brutally," Loraine took another sip.

"Oh fuck!" Maple's face went red, "Oh God,"
"Feeling the heat from that, aren't we?" Ember snickered.
"Slight look of panic behind your eyes there," Loraine said and Rhea was dying laughing.
Loraine took another sip, "Does the spice get worse over time?"
"No," Rhea laughed.
Ember got a call and went outside to pick it up.

"Okay, for dessert, I got you some GulabJamun,"
"What-What-...What is that? How do you pronounce it?" Maple asked while Loraine looked at the two brown balls.
"GulabJamun,"
"I'm not gonna pronounce that," Loraine pushed his fork through them and took a small bite from it, "Hmm, quite unpresidential,"
"I don't even know what that means," Maple shook his head.
"It doesn't taste like someone's got a blowtorch in your mouth,"
Maple and Rhea started laughing, "So, I can eat it and actually enjoy it,"

"Why is he so funny? Is he always like this?" Rhea asked Maple while Loraine focused on the food.
"He's just British. That's British humour right there," 
"Aren't you British then? You're his brother,"
"Yeah, I never lived in Britain for more than 2 years so nope, ain't got any specific British qualities,"

Ember walked in, "Dad's calling, guys drop Rhea downstairs. See ya," He smiled and waved her goodbye. Loraine and Maple washed their hands and Loraine took her downstairs. They were quiet all the way and soon stood outside the main gate, waiting for Charles to get the car.
"It was fun, I enjoyed it," Loraine said.
Rhea smiled, "Really?"

He looked at her and smiled, "It's not very bad,"

-To be continued

Can't I Touch Your Heart?
Teach Me The Art of Living