9 Are You Fine?

Aviana was alone in her room, holding a phone next to her ear. As she talked to the one on the other side of the line, there was a bright smile on her face and it was nothing like the forced smile that she often wore.

"Are you really coming home?" She asked; her smile growing wider than ever.

"Do you think I would lie to you?" The playful voice of the man from the other line echoed in her ears and Aviana Valos giggled.

"I know you won't lie to me," she said. "I'm just so happy to know that we will see each other soon. I really miss you."

"I miss you too. That's why I'm rushing my departure," the older brother, Austin Valos playfully said from the other line. Then he maintained his silence for a while and asked, "Is Dad still too strict with you? You can tell me anything."

Hearing the question, Aviana's smile slipped a little. "It's fine," she muttered. "I'm used to it."

For a while, there was no response from her brother, and Aviana understood why.

"I know you don't like it when I keep things from you but... it's really fine, brother. I mean it," she calmly said, trying to sound as convincing as she could.

"You always say that it's fine," Austin Valos remarked. His voice sounded somewhat... desperate. "Then tell me, Aviana. Are you alright? I will believe that it's fine but... are you fine?"

Aviana recalled how her mother often asked her this question.

'Are you alright?'

Was she? She didn't think so. Maybe because she was feeling so lost.

Hearing her brother's usual warm and considerate voice... it warmed up her heart much more than she thought. "You worry too much," she said, avoiding the question like she always did. "I'm not a kid anymore. I will soon graduate from school."

"Aviana -"

"I think you're very lucky, Austin," Aviana Valos muttered. She rose from her seat and walked towards the window. Standing there, she looked up at the sky where stars scattered everywhere.

"Why is that?" Austin Valos sighed.

"You always manage to meet Dad's expectations and he cherishes you too. You also love each other with the partner he chose for you but... " Aviana's voice trailed off and she narrowed her eyes. "No matter what I do, it is never enough to satisfy Dad. I don't know why he never sees my efforts no matter how much I try."

Once again, there was silence and Aviana wondered if she only made her brother worry while he was miles away. She shouldn't have said that.

"Brother -"

"Just wait for a while."

She suddenly heard her brother again and his words made her raise a brow.

"Once I come home, I will do everything I can so that you will get to live the way you want." He paused a bit and continued, "I'm mature enough now. So, just rely on me. From now on, I will protect you no matter what."

"Are you planning to wage a war against Dad?" Aviana asked. She tried to sound as playful as she could so that she could lift the mood. "That will only put me in a difficult situation. You should think twice."

Her brother remained quiet for a while before he said, "Anyway, I will be home soon. Take good care of yourself until then."

He deliberately avoided commenting on what she said and Aviana knew that. However, she still nodded. "Alright. Good night."

With that, she put down the phone and looked up at the sky once again. This time, the mesmerizing stars drew a small smile from her lips. For almost a minute, she stood that way with her gaze on the sky. Then she realized that she had a project to do and a text to send.

* * *

Evan was in his room, going through the topics that he learned at school during the day. His phone was on the table right next to his textbook and once in a while, he would glance at it.

It was almost 9 p.m now but... there was still no text from Aviana.

Did she perhaps... forget about it?

If that's the case, should he just text her first?

Nevertheless, he realized that Aviana had only taken his number. She didn't give hers to him.

Though he always had her number that he saved from the school's chat group, he knew that it would be strange and suspicious if he texted her first.

After all, it wasn't easy to identify her number in a chat group that had hundreds of students as members!

While he was debating on his mind and even lost his concentration on his studies because of it, he received a notification and he was more than quick to lift his phone.

It's really a message from Aviana.

This wasn't a dream, right?!

Though it was just because of the project, he was too excited that he opened it right away.

Aviana - 'Hi, it's Aviana Valos. I'm late, right? Sorry about it.'

Evan was a bit surprised that Aviana didn't talk about the project right away. This time, he gave some time to think of how to respond despite the pressure he felt. He didn't want to struggle again as he did at school earlier during the day. Then he finally typed his reply.

Evan - 'Hi. You're not late. I'm still up and I don't think I will sleep anytime soon.'

Staring at the screen of his phone, there was a little smile on Evan's face when he received a reply in less than a minute.

Aviana - 'Oh. I'm glad. About tomorrow... is 11 a.m alright with you? If not, you can tell me when you will be available. I'm okay with any time.'

11 a.m? Evan didn't have any other plans for the weekend, so he had no problem with it. It just still felt surreal to him that he will be seeing Aviana Valos on the weekend!

Evan - 'I'm fine with 11 a.m. and if it's okay with you, we can go to the Oasis Library in Clinton Street. I've been there a few times and their collection is great.'

Aviana - 'Okay. 11 a.m at Oasis Library. See you there!'

Evan - 'See you!'

Staring at the messages, a subtle smile appeared on Evan's lips. Now, he can't wait for tomorrow to arrive soon!