Chapter 29 : Afternoon Tea Time (2)

Charlie sipped on her tea gingerly. She heaved a satisfied sigh as she gazed at me. "The tea was delicious, big sister. You said it's your first time, but the taste is almost as good as when Mia made it."

I tilted my head. "Who's Mia?"

"Our head maid. He was a kind woman who already served our family for years. She made the best tea and snack! Of course, big sister's is very good too!"

The fact that the Gardners had a head maid somehow didn't surprise me. I always thought that they were one of those wealthy families anyway, so it was not surprising for them to have one.

"She must be very skilled if you praised her so much. I would love to have a taste someday." I said without further meaning, but Charlie perked up upon hearing that.

"Why someday? You can have a taste right now if you want to, big sister! Come back with me and I will tell Mia to prepare something for you!" She said as she reached out to me from across the desk and tugged on my sleeve.

Oops. I needed to think twice before speaking next time.

"Haha, unfortunately, I still had my homework to do, so perhaps next time?"

Charlie's brow furrowed as she pursed her lips. "Did big sister hate to come to our house?"

"No, it's not like that. I'm just really busy these days and need to focus. Not to mention the midterm exam is just on the way."

"Is there any need to be so cautious? There is no harm in playing a little." Charlie was more persistent than I thought.

"I couldn't bear to slack around since I need to keep my scholarship. Thus, my grades can not be any less than excellent."

"If my big sister did not have good grades, she can not go to school anymore?"

I smiled feebly at her innocent eyes staring at me curiously. "Well, it will be problematic for sure."

Charlie gasped in surprise. "Then big sister needs to study hard every day! So that's why big sister was so diligent."

"Right. That's why I can't play with you often. I am sorry." I said regretfully.

Charlie shook her head. "No, you do not have to apologize! I was just being willful, it is not big sister's fault."

Charlie hung her head dejectedly, making my hand unconsciously moved forward to stroke her head. "Charlie is really sensible. Thank you for understanding."

A hint of a blush crept out on her face. Her mouth curled up as she giggled sheepishly. It was an utterly lovely view. I wanted to keep her in my closet.

'Okay, stop that creepy thought, Eirlys. You looked like a pervert!'

Brushing aside the thought in my mind, I chose to bring up another topic. "You told me about your brothers earlier. Why were they arguing?"

Charlie's face darkened instantly at the mention of her brothers. Her tongue clicked in distaste. Truthfully, I didn't expect her to be able to make this face, so I was rather surprised.

"Oh big sister, it would be better if you didn't mention them. I almost forgot about it, but now I'm in a bad mood again."

"You dislike them so much you didn't even want to talk about it?"

Charlie opened her mouth to say something, but before the words came out, she seemed to change her mind midway. With a more neutral expression, she heaved a sigh. "No, it is not like I hate them or anything. I like them, they are my brothers after all. I just hope they stop being so immature every time. It's tiring to even look at them."

"What exactly happened to make them argue so much?"

"Just for some stupid reasons like stealing the other's snack in refrigerator, or playing music in stereo volume which bothering everyone, or forgetting to return other's things, and other mundane reasons. Seriously, can't they grow up already?" Charlie massaged her temple as she mentioned a few reasons for her brother's arguments. Her face oozed tiredness all over. "They should learn a thing or two from big sister."

She looked like she was in so much distress. When Charlie said something like this, she appeared like a little adult. I thought about this before, but her behavior resembled a mother worrying over her children.

I imagined the little Charlie with both her hands in her hip, scolding her two older brothers while huffing. It was so cute I needed to restrain myself not to laugh. "It just means that they are very close right? They said the more you fight, the more you are friendly with each other."

"Big sister, if only you knew how much mess they caused by arguing every day. This is because they had nothing better to do at home and they started poking each other for fun!"

I giggled. "It's always better to spend the weekend with your family at home."

"No, you don't understand. My third brother usually doesn't linger around the house in the daytime, but he is being unusually annoying lately. I think two weeks of suspension got him bored and frustrated."

"Wait, suspension?"

Charlie nodded her head, then reached out for more cookies in a laid-back manner. "Yes, my third brother is a delinquent. He got suspended by his school again recently. He is usually busy playing around outside, but he was forced to loiter around the house these days."

The amount of indifference in Charlie's tone was surprising, considering how much she loved Alex. I didn't think she hated this third brother of hers, but she didn't seem to like him very much either. Remembering how Alex talked so fondly about her siblings the other night, I always thought that these siblings shared a harmonious relationship.

"And my fourth brother is a shut-in. He didn't go to school and spent most of his time in his room. Whenever he gets out and meets my third brother, they start bickering like a divorced married couple. I pitied Mia so much for having to clean up their mess every time."

It seemed Charlie did have a valid reason for wanting to get away from her brothers. Upon hearing her rant about her brothers, Alex sounded more and more like an ideal big brother. No wonder Charlie adored him very much.

Hm? Wait a minute. "What about the second eldest? Doesn't he accompany you at home?"

Charlie's face turned even darker now after I mentioned that. "It's better to treat that one as non-existent. My third brother and fourth brother are unruly and troublemakers sometimes, but they are MUCH better than a person who is never there at all. They are better than that selfish and frivolous older brother of mine."

Different from her earlier complaints, this time there was a clear hostility in Charlie's expression. It seemed she got along badly with the second eldest. I wondered what her second brother did to make such a cute girl this angry?

Charlie was silent for a few moments, appearing deep in thought. When I started to feel bad for bringing up her second brother, she suddenly smiled at me. "Let's stop talking about my idiot brothers. I wanted to know more about you big sister! Aside from studying, what else did you do these days?"

Seeing a way out of the previous awkwardness, I hastily followed her deliberate attempt to shift the topic. "Nothing much actually. I usually spend my time reading or trying new recipes if I'm not studying."

"Big sister is good at cooking. I wanted to eat big sister's omurice again!"

"Haha, then do you want to stay for dinner? I could make dinner for you." I said, feeling very pleased to have her acknowledging my culinary skill.

Charlie pondered a bit, before shaking her head. "Hmm, I think I will pass today. I'm sorry big sister. I need to check up on my brothers so the house won't be destroyed when big brother Alex comes back."

I giggled upon hearing that. "After complaining so much, in the end Charlie loves her brothers very much, isn't she?"

Charlie avoided my eyes in embarrassment. "Stop teasing me, big sister. I was just trying to be helpful for big brother Alex. I won't let my idiot brothers bother him!"

I was grinning at her adorable reaction when she asked, "By the way, don't you have to work part-time today, big sister?"

It took me a few moments to register Charlie's question and realize I just messed up. If I think about it again, I told Charlie and Alex previously that I had to work part-time every day, and both of them didn't know I didn't have to go on weekends. How could I forget about that!

At that moment, I didn't expect to meet them again so I lied on the spot, but now it came to this, how should I explain it to Charlie?

My mind was busy formulating various reasons per second, but none of them sound convincing enough. As I felt panicky inside, Charlie was suddenly laughing.

"Oh, big sister, that look on your face was priceless!" She swiped a tear from the corner of her eye while grinning mischievously. "I was just teasing you. I know big sister didn't have a part-time job on the weekend."

I stared dumbfoundedly at Charlie who was sipping her tea elegantly. "H-how did you…"

"It's easy to guess. Anyone could tell that big sister was uncomfortable with the idea of coming to our house, so she lied about having a part-time job on the weekend, and about how she was busy studying." She said as she stared at me with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

I flinched as I looked down guiltily. She was sharp for sure. Now the cat is out of the bag, there is no reason to hide it any longer. "I am sorry. But it's not completely a lie. I did have a part-time job, but only on weekdays. And I truly am studying to keep my scholarship every day." I tried to explain myself, but Charlie just smiled at me.

"Why so serious big sister? It's perfectly understandable if you didn't want to come to our house. Big brother Alex and I certainly won't force you, but that doesn't mean I will stop trying. I still want my big sister to come to play at our house."

I scratched my cheek with my finger awkwardly. "I couldn't explain it, but trust me, it's better if I didn't visit your house."

Charlie raised her brow. "And why would that be?"

"As I said, I couldn't really explain since it's pretty complicated. But it's definitely not because I didn't enjoy spending time with you, Charlie." I said as sincerely as possible.

"I know. I could tell just from how big sister was smiling so much this afternoon. You didn't smile much, but In my opinion, big sister looks prettiest when she smiles. So please smile more!"

Oh. I couldn't react for a few moments. The way Charlie said that and how she smiled gently at me now, made me feel like she could see right through me. It's like she could unveil my hidden thoughts and weakness with her brilliant blue eyes, leaving me vulnerable. She was cute and adorable, but occasionally she would show her enigmatic side like this. What a curious child.

Usually, I would feel burdened and uncomfortable at the thought of people getting so close to me like this, but somehow I felt comfortable with Charlie. If I thought about it again, Alex also gave me the same secure feeling with his presence. It's amazing how I could feel so touched by people whom I barely know, making me wonder if I ever truly understand myself sometimes.

My mind was wandering so much, I basically turned listless after that point. I couldn't remember how it ended, but by the time the sky started to get darker, Charlie bade her farewell after giving me a jar of rose tea, leaving a lingering rose fragrance in the room.