In some sort of sick way, I loathed the love that Lucas gave to me. It was the kind where fake love wasted my time. I was a happy girl before him; I used to go on little dates then and there. I was comfortable with my paradise that mainly consisted of family nights and carnival adventures.

Other than the credulous past, I was glad that Lucas was alive, it was the hardest for Khai to lose Callum. Lucas was alive, which made me want to torment him to reciprocate the grudging hate that would make him as miserable as I was.

I was a baby back then. Although my age was young, I had a child side inside of me. He made sure to take advantage of my healthy personality. He was the onyx tint to my radiant colors; blocking every light that wanted to flash at me. He fed me lies and shattered idealization of love.

Khai supported me through cleaning his room. We had laughs when we splashed water at each other, danced as we mopped the floor, and had wide smiles when the afternoon came through.

"How are you doing in college?" Khai's eyes assessed me once we had finished for the time being. His damp face had color and his eyes alight in thoughts.

"It's going good, I got sick at first but I am fine now." Khai knew about my anxiety, so he reached out a hand on mine and I gave him a smile.

"Don't you miss college?" I inquired. Khai wanted to win league and get a scholarship to Willis College down the street.

"It's too late for me." He breathed out, his hand on the back of his head as he laid against the headboard.

I sat beside him, cross-legged, in an oversized shirt he lent me with the same straight jeans on. He stole some of my crisps, and I slapped his hand away.

"No. It's definitely not late. You are still twenty-six, you have time." I encouraged, biting on my molars. He shrugged with eyes forward on the fixed closet.

Here was the thing about Khai, he wanted things but in silence. He thought he wasn't deserving to go to college because he felt guilty over Callum. He had the deep thought that he could have saved him.

"I will have to see about that. Don't nag on me, Nay Nay." I glared jokingly at the nickname he previously picked for me.

"Oh, shut up." I groaned. I had forgotten about the others in college. I texted Reign quickly to let him know I was fine. Khai quirked an eyebrow in curiousity.

"Who are you texting?" He was back to his protective nature, as his protective side was portrayed in his misty eyes; the same eyes I wished I had.

"Just a friend." I quipped.

"I am pretty sure I wasn't born yesterday." He mocked. He placed a hand under his chin to annoy me, and I kicked my leg on the side of his thigh in response.

"He is. Dude, he is gay." in an ironic way, my brother was considered gay too. Khai's eyes flickered with curiousity, so I decided to play matchmaking.

"Here is Reign." I showed him Reign's profile picture, Khai looked like he wasn't interested, but the fast daze in his eyes was the traitor, and a quick smile on my lips made me notice my brother's cuteness when he changed emotions.

"He looks okay." Nonchalant Khai was the best one yet, he crossed his arms and had his bent legs over one another.

"Okay? I'm straight and I liked him, and you...being gay, you think he's okay." I scoffed. I loved making him uncomfortable when he blew raspberries in annoyance.

"Well, I don't think about the looks stuff." He muttered. I could tell it was difficult for him to think about any other guy.

"Same here, remember Candy Andy?" I lightly changed the subject, and we both burst out in laughter.

Candy Andy was my first crush ever since I was barely fourteen. The nickname stemmed from how he used to give me candy every week in school to show me how he interested in me.

Until the poor guy got scared shitless from my brother, who smacked his neck for giving me enough candy to make me sick. He never showed up with candy ever again.

"Who doesn't? the guy was popular around, the way he ran when he saw me, it was the most hilarious shit ever." He choked out, before he laughed some more.

Dad came in. I couldn't replace the way he smiled in warmth at both of us. Like he missed us both. I widened my arms when I rounded around the bed, and Khai joined in to form a group hug.

"My precious children. I love you both so much." He affirmed his love between our embrace. Khai's eyes held regret at what he made his father go through, but my cheerful smile made him better enough to confront dad.

"Dad." Khai tried not to break down by the way his lips pursed at each word, dad had his arm around his shoulder.

"I am sorry," his voice muffled, but we heard it enough. "–For making you suffer for me, I didn't mean to hurt you both. If it wasn't for Naya knocking some sense into me, I wouldn't have known what my life meant to you both." Dad couldn't hold himself as they both hugged it out.

My cheesy smile went affectionate at my number one duo.

"It's okay son, we are here for you and we are proud of you. You are so brave, Khai, I was afraid of losing you." For a fifty-year-old, my dad was a teen at heart. He knew us better than everyone, he had taken the effort to know us.

He was the best fatherly figure he could ever be. I wouldn't change anything in him for the world.

That was proven when Khai told my dad openly. "I want to get into rehab, and then start my life over."