Hi! I come back with next chapter of this story and I hope I portrayed the emotions well. It is dedicated to @FreeThoughts271 as she gave me an idea what to do next in this story, so I wanted to say Thank you❤️

We came to the Whole Fish Cafe and I ordered two portions of fish and chips. Meanwhile, while I tried to sit opposite Penny at the table, I easily draw attention of myself and Penny to my brother. Charlie leaned on the counter, pretending he was helping Bronwyn, but I knew him way too good not to recognize that he was spying me. So I gently patted Penny's hand and with my eyes I paid her attention to my brother, just in the moment when he stuck his head curiously above the table we were sitting at. 

"Two plates for you" he announced as he put them down right before Penny's hand I was still holding. "You own me something" Charlie whispered quietly to me. 

"You wish, little brother" I snapped at him as he passed by. 

"Called it" he turned to me briefly with that cheeky grin of his he always used to have when he went to complain about something to our parents. Mostly about me. 

"Sometimes I hate him" I sighed grumpily as I turned back to Penny. She smiled at me as she shyly put the strain of her hair behind her ear. 

"You should really stop that" she spoked shyly, so quietly that I had barely heard her. "After all Charlie is your brother" she shrugged her shoulders when I measured her with cautious look. As far as I knew Penny didn't have any brother or sister. However she seemed to be talking from experience or was it just her manner?

"I think sometimes that you're lucky you don't have a little annoying" I said it especially loud "brother" I complained, but it quickly made Penny's smile faded. "Did I say something wrong?" I bet I was looking pretty stupid doing those puppy eyes of mine, but I couldn't help it seeing how Penny looked away for a brief moment, nervously bitting her lower lip. 

"No" she shook her head. "It's just..." her voice was threatening to break. 

"You don't have to tell me if you don't feel like it" I immediately assured trying to cheer her up a bit, bceuase somehow I felt the change in the air. 

"That's okay" she replied weakly, reaching her hand to her eyes to briefly wiped it. "You asked yourself why I don't like getting presents on my birthday. The excuse with too much attention" she made a quote sign in the air "isn't true. Or is partly why I have rather been spending my birthday alone for years" she explained, but even if it seemed to be explainable, it made me more confused. 

"What?" It wasn't me speaking, just my mind. I totally didn't understand anything and would vote with both hands for a normal explanation. 

"You see, birthdays are supposted to be a happy days, aren't they?" She spoked thoughfully. 

"One of the happiest of the year" I agreed without thinking. For me it was only because it was one of the few days of the entire year when I was allowed to briefly hug Penny.

"Then for me, it isn't" she confessed sadly. 

"Why? Did something happen?" I asked her worriedly, wiping the smile off my face. 

"Fifteen years ago" she started as I briefly calculated that since she was my age now I also had to be fifteen at the time she was refering to. "My mother was driving me to my birthday party at the exact same day as today. It was sunny and warm as for May. But..." she hesitated. I tried to meet her gaze to give her courage, but she lowered hers to the plate and fixed it on her hand, absent-mindly, playing with a fork. "My mother stopped on the signals, but the car from the other side didn't take notice of our car and he collide right in my mother's side". 

"But you made it?" I asked her without thinking, making a fool of myself, but at least it made Penny laughed and that was the only thing that mattered. 

"Of course I did. Or do you think I'm a ghoust?" She replied teasingly as a smile reappeared on her face for a short moment. 

"You should stop reading fantasy books" I countered. "What about your mum?" I asked after the awkward silence that was between us started to worry me. 

"She made it, but..." Penny hesitated onvce again, sighed heavily as she put her face in her arms. "But... my brother... he died" she finally spoke as she sobbed quietly. Without hesitation, I laid my hand caringly on her shoulder. 

"I'm sorry, Penny. I didn't know" I whispered as I tried with all my will to ignore Charlie's nosily look towards as I gently pulled Penny a little towards me to hug her. "I didn't even know you had a brother".

"His name was Shane. He was almost ten years old that day. I loved him and to this day still wished we had more time" she admitted sadly. 

"I understand" I nodded sadly. A past like that must have left its mark on Penny. 

"You see that's why I don't like my birthday. Every year I can't forget that he can't be here anymore. And well, you can't possibly forget when your birthday is, because someone will remind you about it at some point" she complained. "I can't feel the same way anymore because Shane no longer will wake me up with the sun rise to wish me happy birthday" she spoke again after Sam paid and hand in hand they left the Whole Fish Cafe. 

"But it seems for me like it was something deeper when you meant me and Charlie before, wasn't it?" I struggled to continue the talk not to pressure her too much with questions. 

"You still have time" she enlightened me. "I agree that Charlie is annoying from time to time. It is obvious when you two made fun of each other" she explained after she must have thought that my surprised expression was at least funny. "Shane also was like that. But he was still my brother, as well as Charlie is yours. That bond will always stay no matter how much you would wish for it to disappear" she concluded. 

"From where are you so wise?" I asked her to change a topic. 

"I'm your friend, Sam. And I don't want you to experience what I have to one day" she spoke calmy as she placed an encouraging hand on my shoulder.