Chapter Four

The whole day went by quickly. Place to place, he visited his few friends, telling them about his departure. Some were happy to hear the news, others not so much.

Arriving home soon, he noticed more than just his dad's car outside. There were three more, each one he recognized. "So, they're here as well?" He frowned slightly. His eyes concentrated on a single van, from the three. It was his uncle's car, his dad's younger brother. He despised this weak man, especially his wife, who was a cousin of his moms. Parking his new car inside the garage, he entered the house.

"Alem, you're here." His mom approached him first, her eyes showed pride but also hinted at him to keep smiling. "Alem, for now just talk to them, no, just greet them atleast."

"No." Alem heard his mom whispering to him, but he ignored it all. "You talk to them if you want, but I won't." Without saying much else, he walked up the stairs, not even entering the living room where the guests were.

Seeing him walk away in a fury, she sighed a little. In the past, she would have beat him for such a reaction, but now, she couldn't. His reasons for this behaviour were truly reasonable. Turning around, she walked into the living room with a bitter smile. "Sorry, he went to his room, he is tired from being out all day." No matter what, she didn't want to make a scene, after all, the event was a happy event.

Alem's dad didn't show any reaction to this. He had already allowed Alem to act like this for the past few years. To him, it didn't matter since his son was in the right. "Well, it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Suddenly, a woman with short black hair spoke in anger. "What kind of behaviour is this? I'm his aunty, yet he doesn't even come to greet me? Is this the upbringing you guys boast so much about?" The room was filled with dozens of people, most were Alem's cousins and siblings, the other were his parents, and his pair of aunties and uncles.

"Let's ignore that for now, it is a happy time, right?" Alem's mom quickly spoke up when she saw her husband beginning to get a bit angry. She knew that things would just turn out bad when he got furious.

"Happy time?" Alem's aunt snorted.

"Aunty, relax, I'll go talk to him, alright?" A young woman suddenly spoke up. She resembled Alem greatly, yet she exuded a much more feminine look.

"Well, you better bring him down fast or else I'm leaving." Still snorting, she watched as the young woman ran towards the stairs.

Alem sat on his bed with his laptop on his lap. He was typing away, writing new things, his face showed a small smile.

Knock Knock

"Who is it?" He asked with a but of irritation. Today was supposed to be a good day for him, yet he happened to see his hateful aunt and uncle's car outside.

"It's me, Ruya." This was his older sister, the one just a year older. She was married, and had been for the past six years.

"Come in." He shut his laptop screen and placed the laptop on his bed. The door was opened slowly, and he saw her walk in with a helpless smile. "What is it?"

"Why aren't you coming down to greet them? Just do it once, it will be short." She went straight to the point, not even saying 'hello'.

"Why should I? Plus, what the fuck are they doing here?" He growled a little, his eyes becoming filled with anger.

"What do you mean? They are here after hearing about you leaving. They also want to say goodbye and spend some time with you." She said with a heavy sigh. "C'mon, they're your family, you can't push them away like this."

"I don't need such a family. After doing what they did, how could mom and dad even let them come? Especially since this event is related to me. I've warned you guys before, these people are not my family, they're resentful fuckers, whom I wish death upon." His chest rose up and down while he spoke. Veins were popping on his head as this occurred.

"Stop saying things like that, they're your aunty and uncle. That's just rude." Ruya frowned at his words, but didn't yell. She knew the reason behind his reaction, but it was all so long ago.

"Whatever." He picked his phone up and began to listen to music. "Go back down and talk or do whatever. I won't be coming."

"Alem…" Suddenly, a manly voice appeared from the door. Looking over, Alem saw his dad looking at him with a sigh. "Just come down and say hello, for me."

"No. Do whatever you want, but I will not see those people." He calmed himself down a little since the person was his dad after all. "I told you in the past that I wanted to cut ties with them, you don't have to do the same since he is your brother, but he isn't my brother."

"Alem, you're going to be away for two years, atleast meet them once. I promise, I will not ask you again. He is your uncle, and she is your aunty, they care for you a lot." His dad still spoke in a softer manner, trying to convince his son. If it was any other matter, he wouldn't try to convince, he would have dragged down, but this matter was a bit more sensitive to Alem.

"I don't need their care, never have and never will." Alem held persistent, and this finally made his dad frown.

"I'm speaking nicely with you right now, don't make me mad. I'm not telling you to hug or make up with them, just come down and say hello. I would rather not have a son who is considered disrespectful." Seeing his father growl, Alem still didn't budge.

Shrugging his shoulders, Alem got up and walked to his door. "I won't be coming down. Let them call me disrespectful, let them insult me, what else can they do? It's all they do anyways. It won't matter much to me." He said with a straight face.

"Don't push it Alem." His dad looked at him deep in the eyes, which did make Alem flinch a little. No matter what, his dad scared him, even though it was less than the past, the fear was still present. "Come down with me, I will not say it again."

Looking into his dad's furious eyes, Alem hesitated but finally gave in. "Fine, but I swear to God, this is the last time. After today, my connection with them is done, if you keep forcing me like this, I won't come back after two years, I promise you that." With that last comment, he walked past his dad and headed downstairs, his sister following close behind.

When they reached the bottom, his sister took the lead. "Just smile and greet them, no one is asking for more." With that, she led him into the living room. When he arrived, everyone looked at him weirdly. The room's atmosphere was a little tense. "Go and say hi." His sister whispered while pinching his arm.

With an annoyed sigh, he went around the room, greeting his aunties and uncles. After that, he sat down on a chair slightly further away from the others.

"Alem, are you really leaving for two years?" The one who spoke up was his other aunt, his dad's older sister. Her only son was his best cousin, plus this aunt was one he liked, still she was just a little strict in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll be leaving on the third." Alem spoke with a plain smile, not wanting to say too much.

"Wow, do you know where you will be going?" She asked, trying to settle the atmosphere a little. "Will it be in the same country or somewhere far? If it's close, you should try and figure out a way to let your parents visit. When Monu joined the military, I was still able to visit him, and your program isn't related to the military, so it should be possible." Her son joined the military at a young age, both out of interest and because of the pay, the family needed it.

"My situation is a little different, I can't have visitors, nor can I visit. It's just not possible, I wish it was." He said with a sigh. "Still, atleast I can finally be considered a doctor, right?" He smiled.

"Yeah, that's good." She smiled. "Make sure that you look after yourself properly. Try to call here a few times atleast."

"That's also an issue. I won't be allowed to contact anyone during the two years, like I will literally be isolated from everyone." He said with a bitter look.

"What kind of program is this?" HIs aunty looked at him with a frown. "Sounds more like a prison."

"Well, what can I say? I got selected, plus I want to do it, so it isn't an issue for me." This was a slight lie. He wanted to keep in touch, but it wasn't going to be possible. He would probably not even be on Earth during the two years. "Anyways, do you know whether Monu will be able to come before the month ends?" This was his closest cousin, they grew up together, like friends and brothers. So, out of all his cousins, he only wanted Monu to be there before he left.

"He said he will be here next week. He wants to see you before you leave as well." She smiled. Everyone knew how close the two were.

The conversations between everyone began from there. The atmosphere was much lighter than before.

"So, you got a million dollars from this organization?" Random things were brought up, most were about the gifts they received and much more.

Ring Ring

"It's Monu, give me a second." When Alem picked up his phone he smiled seeing the name. Getting up from his chair he walked to the side and answered. "Hello."

"Ma boi! I heard you are about to Leave? What's up with that?"

"Yeah, it was a little sudden, but hey, atleast I get paid for it." The way they spoke with each other never changed even though they were both older now.

"Yeah, I heard you are a millionaire now. Damn, you better not forget about me. Why don't you slide that million my way?"

"No problem." Alem said while smiling.

"I'm just joking. Just keep it for your parents, I know they need it."

"I'm not joking though." Throughout the whole day, Alem didn't just meet people, he also learned more about the ring in his finger. The funds inside weren't just a simple million, no, they exceeded that amount. It was to the point there was enough inside for him to buy all the countries and even more. The amount was almost endless. So, giving out a million, or even a billion would be nothing to him.

"Relax man."

"Monu, I'm not lying. This organization didn't just give me a single million, they are promising me wealth beyond both of our imagination. If you want, I could literally slip you any amount you want... you know what, give me a second." With that, he looked at his ring and began to concentrate a little. Soon enough, he entered the grey world once again, but now, it wasn't empty, rather he was surrounded by various things. He opened the List book, which was in his hands now, rather than the ground. "Sword!" The item he called was neither any money nor gems, rather it was a weapon. In his ring were actually a few weapons, some extremely dangerous looking, yet still very sick.

Select Sword!

The metallic sound entered his head, and he began to look through the various types, until his eyes landed on a certain sword which looked the best. Looking at the name, he called it out. "Black Rain!"

Back in the real world, Alem was holding onto a pure black sword, with the hilt having a raindrop pattern. There was a small cloth attached to the end of the hilt, formed of grey germs, which resembled raindrops.

"Hello?" He lifted his phone from his left hand and spoke into it.

"You wanted to show me something?"

One thing Alem learned about the ring was that the time spent inside was completely different from the time outside. Even if his mind spent a few minutes inside the ring, it would be less than even a second in the real world. It was a peculiar ring, but Alem found it extremely useful. "I'm going to start a video call; I want to show you something."

"Aight."

A few seconds later, Alem saw Monu sitting on a rough bed from his home screen. He smiled and titled the camera towards the sword. "What do you think?"

"Damn, that looks sick. Where did you get it? How much?"

"Right? I got it for free, and the best part… it's real." Alem spoke with a smirk.

"Bull shit, there is no way that is real. Plus, you can't even have a sword, that isn't legal."

"You are allowed one, right?" Alem asked.

"Yeah, but only because I'm in the military. Still, I can't carry one around."

"Well, this sword is for you. Only you're allowed to have one and you know I'm not a fan of these things. Plus, since it's real, you can even use it for combat." Smiling at his cousin, Alem waved the heavy sword a little. "It's a gift from me."

"Are you legit?"

Alem could see Monu standing up and looking at him with wide eyes. "Of course, just come quickly and you can have it. Plus, I have a few other things you would like."

"Shit!"

"Also, since money isn't a problem, why don't you leave the military now? You don't have to stay there anymore, so it would just be better to come back. I know you would like it like that." This was something Alem really wanted. His cousin was in the military to help his family even though Alem knew his cousin was a smart man. He could go to university and get a great degree.

"Alem, that money is yours. I know you are just saying that, but it's fine."

"Monu, I'm very serious. Come back and I will show you. I told you in the past as well, If I even made good money, I would never leave anyone behind. If you're concerned about how to leave, I can handle that. The people who are handling this program have high connections with the government. Trust me." Since he had the wealth, Alem wanted to use it as much as possible. After all, he would never be able to enjoy it properly, so he wanted his family to use it instead.

"I'm not sure."

Seeing him still unconvinced, Alem sighed. "Here, when you come next week, we can talk more about this. We will all sit down together and talk about it. Our family's circumstances are changing Monu, and now is the time to finally live a good life." With that, they spoke for a while longer before Alem ended the call. Walking back to the living room, he noticed everyone suddenly stop and look at him weirdly.

"Alem, what's with that?" The one who spoke was his brother, Cas. He was pointing at the sword still in Alem's hand.

"Oh this?" He looked down and wanted to smack his own head. 'I forgot to hide it.' There was another function of the ring he figured out. Not only could he take things out, but he could also put things inside. "I was showing Monu the gift I got for him."

"You got him that?" The one who spoke with Monu's mom.

"Yup, you know how he loves these things. Plus, the sword is real." Carefully, he passed the sword over to his aunt. "Don't touch the blade, it's sharp, like extremely."

"It's heavy. Where did you get this from?" She asked, a little stunned.

"The people from the organization gave it to me. I told them about Monu, and they gave me this." He smiled and explained.

"Wow, he's going to love it. Did you show it to him already?" Still entranced by the black sword, she spoke with a bit of happiness.

"Yeah, I was just showing it to him. He likes it, but still thinks it's fake." Alem shook his head. "Anyways, let's put it away for now, someone could get hurt." He took the sword back and placed it on top of the fireplace. It was the safest place.

"What did you get for everyone else?" Suddenly, the one who spoke was his other aunt, the one he had been trying to avoid.

"Nothing." Alem said with a plain voice.

"So, you only consider Monu important? What about my son? Nothing for him?" She looked at Alem with a frown.

"Monu is important. Which is why only he got something." Alem didn't even look at her and spoke while concentrating on his mom's face, who was looking at him with a helpless expression.

"What about your brother, I bet you got him something too." Her cold tone irritated Alem, but he kept his cool.

"Of course." Alem didn't even hide his bias. He didn't care. Out of all the cousins, he hated this aunt's son the most. He was rude, annoying, and just not a great kid.

Seeing Alem not even looking at her and even showing so much attitude, her glare began to increase. "Why are you favoring everyone except for my son? Is it because your family earned money and now you think you're all that?"

"Think whatever you want, my money, not yours. I can buy anyone anything I want." He finally looked at her with a mocking expression. "Plus, my siblings' values cannot be compared to anyone else's, so don't mention your son in the same sentence as Cas."

"Don't you think you are being rude? Is this how you speak with your elders?" Her voice became chilly, yet it didn't cause a single change in Alem's expression. Rather, it was his mom's face which changed.

"Alem, just speak politely. C'mon." She spoke with a helpless expression. "Iman, don't worry, Alem won't favor just one person. You should know how he is." Trying to amend the situation, she spoke up for Alem.

"I hope so." Nodding her head, she glared once at Alem before looking away. In the past, their relationship was very cordial, he never spoke to her in such a manner, but he suddenly began to show coldness and annoyance towards her. Before, she took it as a phase, but now it was upsetting and just disrespectful.

"Anyways, I'm tired. I'm going to my room for now." Alem got up and walked away without saying anything else. This time, his dad didn't stop him, nor did his mom.

"Ruya, why is Alem like this?" The cousins all went to do their own thing after Alem left. The elders were still in the living room, while the cousins were scattered across the house. "Like, why does he talk to my mom like that? He doesn't even talk to my dad anymore. He even ignores us." The one speaking was another cousin of Alem's. She was one of the daughters of his hateful aunt. The second oldest. She was also the prettiest of her sisters and the most objective person, atleast that was the words of Monu's oldest sister.

"I'd rather not say Moe. It's all in the past, let's not bring it up anymore. He's about to leave and none of us will be able to see him for two years. It would be better to just ignore any bad things." Ruya truly wanted to avoid conflict. She was also not a fan of her aunt anymore, but she still kept it polite, on the surface atleast.

Seeing Ruya avoid the topic, this cousin sighed. "Anyways, what's going on with this whole scholarship thing?" Everyone was curious about it, but only Alem's family knew the details, while Alem knew the most.

"My parents told me that it's a new program that is supposed to train people in various fields. It's backed by the government or something." Ruya explained with a proud smile. "Only Alem was selected from the various candidates supposedly."

"Wow, that's crazy." Moe also showed a smile on her face. "Still, is he actually going to be gone for a full two years? No contact whatsoever?"

"Yeah, that's what the chairman person said." Ruya sighed a little.

"What are you guys planning on doing in the meantime then? Like, any plans before he leaves?" She asked.

"My dad said that he's planning a small trip next week. A family trip just before he leaves." The two girls walked around the upstairs, talking and laughing.

"Ruya, come to my room, quickly." As the two girls walked and talked, Alem suddenly called Ruya from his room.

"Coming." Hearing his voice, she walked towards his room. "I'll be right back."

Moe didn't follow and just watched her go. For some reason, ever since Alem began to dislike her parents, he even began to dislike her. She didn't know why, since he always seemed like a caring cousin, wanting to make sure every single female member knew that he was there to help, but for some reason, he stopped caring for her the same way. It was subtle, yet she could feel it.

"What is it?" She heard Ruya's voice since the room wasn't too far. For some reasons, she decided to stand by the door and just listen. Going inside would be a bit too much, but listening wouldn't be as bad, after all, they weren't whispering, and the door wasn't shut. So, what they were talking about wasn't a secret.

"Look, this is what I got for you, mom, and Espen. What do you think?" Inside the room, Ruya saw that Alem's bed was filled with various jewelry, from rings to necklaces, and so much more.

"Holy, where did you get these from? Are they real?" She walked over and picked a few up and felt them.

"Of course, they're real." He smiled, seeing his sister's reaction. "These were the other gifts the organization wanted me to give you guys."

"Wow, these are so pretty." Ruya smiled brightly. "Which one is mine?"

"Doesn't matter, take any you want. If you want more, just say it. After I'm gone, I won't see you guys for a while, so might as well take everything from the program." He laughed happily. Like his dad, he was a giving person.

"What kind of program is this really? Why would they give so much? You haven't even started yet. Tell me the truth, did you win the lottery or something?" She looked at him questionably. It was truly unbelievable that such an organization existed. Atleast, she never heard of something like this.

"It's from that program, trust me." He smiled. "Plus, it isn't just a program, the chairman literally is my teacher now. He will be personally leading me through the program, making sure everything is done. They call it a program, but it is more like a place for people to be nurtured. He wants to turn me into the best doctor so I could help everyone."

"Well, whatever the reason, atleast we can leech off of you now." She giggled, not hiding her happiness.

"When did you ever not leech off of me?" He looked at her weirdly.

"True." She smirked. "Anyways, what about the others? Like Moe and her two sisters. Also, the other aunts and cousins?" Ruya was a little hesitant about one thing. She knew that Alem did not like the others, but she didn't see it fair that he would give them so much, yet them nothing.

"Give them stuff too, I don't care. I won't take part in it though." He snorted.

Moe stood by the door and couldn't help but glance inside a little. She saw the bed filled with multiple colored jewelry. From clear, to gold, to even blue and green. They were stunning.

"Here, I'll move these things to mom's room, just bring everyone there. They can take their pick." Hearing his voice, Moe suddenly ran from the door, not wanting to be caught.

"Sure, I'll go and bring the others." Ruya hopped a little before skipping away. Seeing her like this, Alem smiled. He was content with his life a little more. If he died right now, he would have no regrets. Giving his sisters, and mother jewelry made him feel accomplished.

After seeing her leave, he quickly pulled everything into his ring and walked to his parent's room.

"Moe, go and call all the girls and aunties. Hurry, Alem has gifts for us too." Ruya found Moe sitting on the steps, and she couldn't help but excitedly grab her shoulders.

"Alright." Moe nodded her head and went downstairs to inform the others. Soon after, the whole family began to appear in the bedroom. "Oh my God." Moe couldn't help but whisper this under her breath. Even Ruya was shocked. The volume of jewellery was almost two times what she saw from before.

"Ruya, what is this?" Her mom couldn't help but ask with excitement and shock.

"Alem said the organization gave him these things for us. So, he said to let everyone take a pick." Ruya spoke with her eyes glued on the various boxes. It felt like she was in a jewelry store, and not just any store, but a high end one. After a few seconds of not moving, she looked at the rest and smiled. "Guys, you can choose anything you like. Alem said everyone can take whatever they want."

With that, the cousins began to move, the aunties on the other hand were a little hesitant. "Where is Alem?"

"He is in his room right now." Ruya smiled before leaving the room. She wanted to find Alem. "Alem, what are you doing now?" Behind Ruya were Alem's two aunts and his mom, also Moe.

"Writing a book, why?" He looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"Bruh, why are you still doing that?" Ruya shook her head a little. Everyone was so excited about the jewelry and changes, yet her brother was writing away.

"Why wouldn't I write?" He looked at her weirdly. "Who knows if I will get a chance once I leave." This was truly a concern he had; one he wasn't lying about. If Shameless was going to force him to train, when would he write? Would he even get the chance?

"Will it be that restricted?" Alem's mom asked with a bit of concern. Alem had only one hobby; writing. If that was taken away from him, she would feel extremely worried for him. Writing was his life, as a mother, she knew he loved writing more than anything.

"Likely." Alem sighed. He didn't have a choice in this though. "Anyways, what's up?" He just wanted to get back to writing.

"The jewelry, they wanted to know if..." Ruya was about to say something, but Alem smiled at her.

"Don't worry, the program sent it for everyone. Whoever takes what, doesn't really matter to me. After all, I don't like jewelry." He smirked before focusing back on his laptop. "If that's all, you guys can go and just choose as you please. I just want to write."

"Alright." Ruya nodded her head before turning around. "Let's go."

Everyone began to leave, yet only Moe stayed behind. She entered the room and suddenly sat on the edge of his bed.

Alem looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Are you excited?" She asked with a smile.

"About?" He focused back on his laptop as he saw who it was.

"You know, the whole being away for two years." She said while watching him write away.

"Sure." He said plainly. "Aren't you going to go and pick something out as well?"

"Later." She said while looking at the various posters in his room. She got up and walked around, looking at the various things in the room.

Alem heard her steps over and over again, which was starting to annoy him. Putting his laptop on the side, he got up and looked at her with a bit of annoyance. "Moe, do you need something from me?"

Turning around, she looked at him and shook her head. "Not really, I'm just hanging around."

"Can't you go and do this somewhere else? I want to write in peace." Hearing her words, he felt even more annoyed.

"Oh c'mon, I'm not even talking. Plus, I thought you liked talking about your books. Why don't you explain what you're writing? You used to give summaries of your books to me in the past, remember." She said while picking up a book from the shelf, quickly looking through the pages.

"I did that only once. Anyways, I'm not in the mood, so can you just leave? I want to write as much as possible." He said with a slight frown. In the past, before he distanced himself from her, she would rarely talk to him, and now she wanted to hear his stories? What was the issue?

Seeing him become annoyed, she sighed and nodded her head. "Fine. See you around." Her reason for wanting to talk with him was because she wanted to know why he became the way he did. Hating her family, avoiding them like a plague, and basically becoming a mystery altogether. She was curious and also wanted to fix this problem before he left. He was family and a younger brother to her.

Watching her finally leave, Alem began to concentrate on his writing. He decided to pick up some of his older books, which were almost complete. He wanted to complete as many as possible.

A full three weeks have passed since the family gathering. Everyone still came to his house every single day, including his hateful aunt. Since this was the case, he remained outside for most of the part.

"Alem, you can't keep avoiding them." Two young men sat in a car, talking with smiles. It was night outside, the moon high up in the sky.

"Technically, I can." Alem replied with a smile.

"Dude, c'mon. Sure, they called your sister during her wedding and insulted her and even cursed her whole wedding, but that was six years ago. They apologized to her about it and everything." Monu spoke with a sigh.

"That doesn't matter, they did what they did, and I will never forget. For my older cousin, my family broke their back and helped with everything we had. We didn't have much money, but we put the sweat and work into it. Yet, when my sister's turn came, not only did they not help, but they also insulted all of us, basically calling my sister a whore for marrying someone she liked. Aunty even called her and insulted her; my brother-in-law supposedly heard all of it too. How the hell could I forgive them for that? I already ignored so many things they've done, but insulting my sister during her wedding? That crosses the line" He spoke with annoyance as he remembered the past.

"Still, it's been literally six years. It's all in the past. You have to forget about it man." Monu still tried to convince him, but seeing him getting angrier, he stopped. "Fine, I won't say anything more, but remember, this is your last week here. Try to atleast leave with everyone smiling."

"Yeah yeah." During the past three weeks, many things happened. Most of them were related to gifts and future planning. Monu was convinced to leave the military and go back to university after finding out more about the money Alem got.

"How far is the restaurant?" Currently, they were all heading to dinner. It was only the cousins, a treat from Alem before he left.

"Just a bit more." He looked at the GPS on his phone, which showed his car quickly approaching the restaurant. "Alright, we're here." The matte black car pulled into the brightly lit parking lot. Stepping out the car, Alem and Monu smiled at one another. Both of them wore black pants and fancy shirts. Monu had a checkered vest on with a grey tie, while Alem wore a black vest with a white tie. Since Monu was in the military, his hair was short, not even compatible, while Alem had slightly longer hair, which was tied into a small man bun. "Let's go in, everyone is likely here already." Both of them walked into the restaurant with smirks. They rarely ate out in fancy places, but since the money rolled in, there was no hesitation.

Entering the dimly lit restaurant, Alem began to look for his family. "Over there." Monu quickly found them and began to point at them.

"Let's go." Both of them arrived at the table and sat down. Other than the cousins, there were also significant others. Alems brother-in-law was present, and so was Moe's fiancé. Not only that, but Moe's older sister and her husband were also present. "Hey guys."

"Why did you guys take so long?" Ruya asked with confusion. Everyone was dressed up, wearing fancy clothes and all.

"I got a little lost. My GPS was bugging out, I don't know." He shook his head. "Did you guys order yet?"

"I did." Ruya smirked and spoke.

"I tried to tell her to wait, but she doesn't listen." Ruya's husband smiled helplessly.

"It's fine. Let's just order for now then." Everyone nodded and began to select what they wanted. There was no alcohol being ordered since Alem didn't like these types of things, plus some of his cousins were underage.

"So Alem, are you going to find yourself a girl or something before leaving?" The one who spoke was Ruya's husband. Alem was still single and everyone in the family knew that his marriage time was here. He was already a doctor too, so all that was left was getting him a wife.

"Nah, I don't have the time. Once I'm gone, I won't even be able to talk to her, so what's the point?" As he spoke, he suddenly saw someone from afar. His eyes brightened a little. Everyone saw this and turned around.

"Who's that?" Ruya and Moe asked with questioning expressions.

"No one, just someone I worked with before." He smiled and spoke.

"No way, Alem, is that the girl you were jokingly flirting with? The one you told me about?" Monu asked with wide eyes.

"You did that?" Ruya looked at her brother weirdly.

"Yeah, but just for fun. She was pretty and all, so I just went with it." He smiled sheepishly. "But that was a long time ago."

"Then why did you get excited?" Monu asked with a smirk.

"It's my first time seeing her outside of work. I joked around with her, so it's only a given." He smiled a little. "Anyways, let's ignore this for now."

"No way, go and talk to her." Monu said with a smirk.

"Forget it, I told you it was a long time ago. Plus, it was all just for fun, nothing serious." He said with a helpless smile.

"Either you go, or I will call her over." Ruya's husband, Damon, spoke with a smirk. He was close to Alem, after all they were in-laws.

"No, you wouldn't…" before he could finish his sentence, Damon turned around and looked at the group.

"Hey guys, do you know this person?" He was so loud that everyone turned around in the restaurant.

"Damon, what the heck!" Massaging his forehead, Alem looked down at his menu, feeling a little embarrassed,

"Alem?" The voice of a girl entered his ears.

"Hey Nora." Looking up, he saw Nora looking at him from afar. He had a bitter smile on his face as he got up from his seat. As he walked past Damon, he couldn't help but look at him with annoyance. "That was messed up."

Damon laughed lightly and focused on his food which arrived. Seeing this, Alem shook his head while making his way towards Nora. He was just going to say hello and then leave right after. He did have a crush on her in the past, which was why he also flirted with her, but he never did anything more. It was just a crush; he didn't see his future with her.

"Alem, what are you doing here?" When he got to her table, he smiled at her, as she smiled back. There were two other girls on the table, both of them pretty, yet Alem only nodded at them once.

"Just came for dinner with my cousins. This is my last week here after all." He smiled. "What about you?"

"Just the girls night out." She smiled and replied.

"Well, I'll leave you three alone then." He didn't know what else to say. He didn't even want to come in the first place, it was Damon's fault that he even came.

Nora watched as he walked away. "Hey, who was that?" After he left, the other two girls began to ask.

"Remember that guy that I told you about? The one that quit and stuff?" She said with a smile.

"Oh, it's him? He isn't that terrible looking, why don't you go and talk to him more?" one of them said with a slight smirk. "Who knows, maybe something good would happen."

"Nah, me and him aren't like that." She said while shaking her head.

"Just go and try. Didn't you tell us he used to flirt with you? Joke or not, if he did it, that means he was interested at one point." They tried to convince her with this.

"Maybe, but he did stop. That just means he's done with that phase." Nora sighed a little. She was slightly interested in Alem, after all, his way of talking was very smooth and he was a funny guy. Plus, when he flirted with her, it was done in a way which always made her feel good about herself.

"Just go and try, you have nothing to lose. He's going to leave right? So maybe you can use this as a chance to start something. Worst thing that could happen is it doesn't work out. You move on and so does he." They continued to persist, almost giving Nora a headache.

"Alright alright, jeez." She got up from her seat and walked towards Alem's table. She had a slightly red face, which made her look stunning, atleast in Alem's eyes.

"Nora?" Alem looked at her with a weird smile, while also glaring at his cousins who kept looking at him teasingly.

"Excuse me, can we book a table for two?" Damon suddenly called a waiter over with a smirk.

"No problem. That table over there is available." The waiter pointed at a corner table, right next to the window. It was close enough for everyone to see them, but not enough to hear the conversations they would have.

"Damon…" Alem looked at his brother-in-law with a sigh.

"Just go." Ruya also encouraged him.

"Nora, do you…" He didn't know what to say really. She was out with her friends, and he was with his cousins. She might have just come to say something, while being forced to go and sit alone.

"Sure, I don't mind." She said with a smile. Her face was still a little red, but she followed him to the table.

"Wow, who would have thought that Alem was good with girls? Especially with such pretty ones?" Ruya spoke with a slight smile.

"Do you think he's going to try and marry her?" Moe asked suddenly.

"Not sure, he is very traditional. He won't do anything with her, and once he does, then we can basically be certain he wants to marry her." Ruya nodded her head. She knew her brother. He always said that he would never cheat on his girl, and in his mind, having a dating history was a form of cheating. He was very weird like that.

"Still, I'm shocked he actually went and spoke to the girl. Damon, you did great." Lifting her thumb, she smiled at Damon, who smiled proudly.

"Of course, I could tell he likes her." He picked up a glass of water and began to drink, while looking at the two who seemed to easily find something to talk about. It didn't seem awkward at all. A perfect match, from his angle atleast.

"Oh c'mon, he isn't that bad." Both of them were laughing while thinking about past events.

"He is. I've known him for a while, he is a freak. I remember when…" They continued to joke. "You hungry?" He asked her, seeing that none of them had eaten yet.

"I can eat later, it's fine." She said, declining politely, yet Alem could she was slightly hungry.

"It's fine, just order whatever you want. Waiter." He suddenly called a young waiter, who was walking around the restaurant.

"What can I get for you two?" He asked politely.

"Can I have this lobster ravioli and this…" He made a few orders.

"And for you?" The waiter then looked at Nora.

"Umm…" She didn't know what to order, after all, she didn't bring much, just enough for a few drinks she could have with her friends.

"Order whatever, it's on me." Alem smiled and spoke.

"Are you sure?" She asked while feeling a little weird about this.

"No issue." He placed his hand under his chin and looked at her weirdly.

Seeing his expression, she couldn't help but focus on her menu. "I'll just take this…"

"Alright, just give me fifteen minutes. Would you like me to bring you any drinks while you wait?" He asked.

"I'll just take another water, what about you?"

"I'll take the same." She smiled in response. The waiter nodded and walked away, bringing two glasses of water after a while. They began to talk a bit more. When the food arrived, they ate slowly.

"Alem, we're going to head home now. You just take your time here, alright?" Ruya suddenly walked over.

"Are you sure?" Alem asked.

"Yeah, no problem." Ruya then looked at Nora with a smile. "Hi, my name is Ruya, I'm Alem's older sister."

"Hi, I'm Nora. I work with him, or I did." She said with a smile.

"You should come over to the place some time, my parents would be happy to meet you." Ruya suddenly said this, making Alem become a little flustered.

"Ruya." He looked at her and said with helplessness.

"Anyways, enjoy your night." With that, she walked away, leaving the two in an awkward atmosphere.

"My sister is a little straightforward, you can ignore her." He said with an awkward smile.

"It's fine." She didn't mind, rather she actually was happy to hear such a thing. Soon enough they fell back into their conversations, just for a while longer.

"Alright Nora, let's go." Her two friends walked over with smiles.

"Well, it's time for me to leave now." She said with a bit of reluctance. They were having a great conversation, plus he would occasionally slip out some flirt, though subtle and accidentally. Yet, when it happened, she found it very pleasant.

"No problem." He said with a smile, getting up as well. "I'll walk you." With the two girls leading, he walked outside and led her to her car.

"Well…" She looked at him with a sweet smile. She wanted to lean in and do something a bit more, but she could see him taking a step back, making her sigh a little. "I'll see you later. I had a great time."

"Me too." He watched as she sat in her car before he walked away. The bill was paid before he entered the restaurant, so it was fine to leave like that. He entered his own car before starting it up. "It was fun." He said to himself before driving away.