C5: Summer

[ Wednesday, June 22 ]

I put down my bag on my bed and lied down. As I lied down, I felt a gentle hop and small feet that approaches closer to me. My cat stretched its legs and lowered its body and sat next to me. "Hey there, how's your day? Were you bored without me the entire afternoon?" I caressed the cat's fur, tracing its body from head to tail.

The cat purred, loud enough for me to hear, pleased with what I'm doing.

"You must be hungry. C'mon, I'll feed you." I stood up and took my cat's cat food and placed some of it in its bowl. I wonder if the maid is feeding my cat too. Perhaps I'll bring this pet of mine tomorrow in the office. I'm guessing that Amethyst would appreciate it too. As far as I know, she's a cat person too, like me.

Amethyst.

I went out of my room and knocked on the door of Amethyst's room, calling her name.

Unfortunately, nobody answered, and I think I already know what's going on. For the past few days, she's been thinking about what's between Vaughn and Sasha, and now she's probably figuring things out. I can't say I'm surprised. If the person I love might have a secret affair with my own sister, I'd be bothered, and I won't stop there – I'd start a war against her. More or less. I can't let anyone steal what's for me. Amethyst should be like this too, I believe. Crying is definitely not the solution. Sure, it helps, but there has to be an action done.

I pulled out my phone from my sweater's pocket and rang her number.

The number you are calling is currently not available, or out of the coverage area. Please try again later.

Geez, Amethyst. You little fool, what on earth are you up to now?

As I head downstairs, mom blocked the door in our house's entrance. "You seem to be in a rush. Where are you going at this time of night? It's almost 12 am."

"Sorry mom, but I have to leave. I just figured that Amethyst isn't home yet, and I have to find her." I explained and I walked past her but she blocked the door for the second time. How I wish I can tell her, but I just can't. Not unless I know all the sides of the story.

"Your sister is a grownup; she knows what she's doing. Go back to your room and get some rest. It's been a long day."

"No, you don't understand. She's going through something, and I doubt that she can even think straight. I'm a grownup too, so please, just let me out and I'll look for my sister. It's not like I'm going somewhere else. Aren't you worried about her?"

"Five hours ago, she said she's going to Amber's house and eat dinner there, so I'm thinking that maybe she's on her way home and there's nothing to worry about."

"Five hours ago? What kind of person would spend five hours for dinner?" I walked past mom and pulled the door open and went to our house's parking area where my car is parked. I turned on my car's engine and drove straight to the park.

The city park was around 25 minutes away from our house, and considering that it was quite far, I hope that my assumption of Amethyst being here is right.

I parked my car outside the park and began searching around the place, looking for my sister. The park has only very few people in it and is almost deserted, which isn't surprising, knowing that it's past midnight.

Ten minutes later, I found the person I've been looking for, sitting on a bench, her eyes staring at nowhere, holding a flower. The petals of the flower were all pulled off, and they were scattered on the ground below her feet.

"Please don't tell me that you just played he loves me; he loves me not." I began, sitting next to her. She didn't move a muscle, not even giving me the slightest hint that she's aware of my existence.

"Amethyst, we should go home. C'mon, I'll give you a lift."

Still no answer.

I raised my voice as I spoke out my words. "Would you for once stop acting like a child? You're 23, act your age young lady!"

"Is it wrong?" she asked, still staring at nowhere, avoiding my eyes. "Is it wrong to play he loves me; he loves me not?" a tear rolled down on her cheek, her hands shaking.

"I'm not saying that it's wrong, but whatever the case, we should really be heading home. You need rest."

"Do you think he loves me, still?"

"What did the petals tell you?"

"He loves me not."

"I can't answer those for you, because I cannot read minds and it's not my thing to follow people around. I'm not basing everything on facts, but I'm concluding these based on my observations. I noticed Sasha's behavior whenever your fiancé's around. Her eyes were mostly glued on him all the time, yet you never noticed. I can't answer the rest of your questions. Go ask Vaughn and Sasha about that. You wouldn't find out without asking and sitting here alone won't help you accomplish anything."

"Easy for you to say. You don't know how it's like, don't you? I feel betrayed, you know? I can't believe that Vaughn has been keeping lots of secrets from me. What if we're already married? Will he still hide all of these from me?"

Amethyst's eyes reflected a pain that I can't imagine. Her inner wounds are soul-deep. I couldn't totally relate, but at some point, I do. Not exactly this way, but I have an idea about what it feels like to be disappointed because of someone, at least. The assumption where I thought everything would be perfect for us, but apparently, it's not meant to be. Expectations versus reality situations can be frustrating.

"I can't tell, okay? You see, we're living in a world where nothing's permanent. People come and go, that's a mere fact. Not everyone stays, but we must be thankful that they've been a part of our lives. Some people's purpose is only to leave warm memories." I closed my eyes, remembering some of the memories that we shared. It wasn't as painful as before, but the thought still upsets me.

I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts. This isn't the right time to think about him. It's not about the old us, but it's about my sister who couldn't think straight after figuring out the truth that Vaughn's keeping secrets.

Amethyst narrowed her eyes. "Wait, what are you implying? That you've been to what I'm going through?"

"Something like that, yes. But that's not exactly what happened. I was in a secret relationship two years ago, and I had big hopes for our future. But it didn't work because we have different priorities. It's just … the life that I wanted and the life that he wanted doesn't match. His passion is more important than me, basically. I can't be with that kind of person. I can't be with someone who can't even give me his time. Time is a part of every relationship. It matters. Without time, things will never work." Deep inside, I can imagine his face and his reaction when we had to separate. I couldn't help but wonder if he's even regretting that he chose his passion over me, or if he even sees me as a loss. I hope I can ask, but that'll remain a mystery for now.

Amethyst came back to her senses as her eyes widened, hearing a story that no one else has heard of. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry about that. I had no idea."

"That's why it's a secret relationship, right? Honestly, I'm not totally over it, there are still times that he crosses my mind, wondering what kind of life he has now after we … we didn't totally break up, you know? I honestly have no idea about what we are now. Things ended vaguely. It's really hard to explain but see, this isn't about me. It's about you. So, for now, can we just go home and rest?"

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[ Friday, June 24 ]

"I'll be at the mall after office hours. If you're interested, just give me a quick reply. I just want us to unwind for a while. A girls' night out – shopping!" I hit the small paper plane button and sent the message to Amethyst.

In ten seconds flat, a favorable reply came, which was a thumbs up emoji from her. Fair enough, at least she'll participate. Being friendly isn't exactly my thing and Amethyst and I aren't close, but I already see the need of making bridges than walls. She's my sister, therefore, we should mend our relationship as siblings. It's the right thing to do, and after all the heart to heart talks, I realized that we need each other's backs. It's not so me, but stepping out of my comfort zone shouldn't be that bad.

A few hours later, the clock struck at 5 pm, the cue that we're all free to go. I selected some clothes that looked appealing to me when I arrived our favorite shop. Amethyst was pretty late, so I decided to fit the flowy skirt in deep turquoise and paired it with a white fitted top, together with a black jumpsuit as my second option – Amethyst's signature clothing. She doesn't wear jumpsuits often, but I know that it's her favorite attire.

Meanwhile, when I was in the counter, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I know what you're implying," Amethyst rolled her eyes, but smiled at the same time.

"Right?" I replied in a playful tone. "I know that jumpsuits are your favorite, so I copied you." I winked.

"Oh, I'll show you that I can do better than that." she left me and looked for clothes, while I sat down on the bench outside the store as I wait for her.

A few minutes later, Amethyst got some clothes for herself, and she wore it as soon as she bought it, keeping the clothes that she was wearing in the shopping bag that she's carrying.

A black dress topped with a light brown coat, pairing it with knee-length boots, plus sunglasses. I gotta be honest – I'm so into these kinds of dresses and boots. What she's wearing is so me.

However, I don't wear knee-length boots if the location of where I'm heading to isn't air-conditioned, for I'm living in a tropical country. Wearing boots will just make my legs sweat a lot.

She walked towards me, removing her sunglasses. "Nice to meet you, I'm Summer Monteverde, the heir of The Crown." she greeted, imitating my voice.

"Good one. I like that," I assured. "I bought a Rosie Assoulin top for you by the way, just a gift to cheer you up. I'm so glad that we went out for shopping, it's a relief that Sasha isn't at sight as well. Seriously, that girl is an eyesore."

"Please, I had enough of Sasha. Don't even mention her name. Not today. Her name alone makes my ear bleed. It's earsplitting and a taboo." Amethyst complained, sighing.

"How long are you planning to set them aside? You can't ignore the two of them forever. Besides, let me remind you. Your wedding is just six months away. You can't act like that when strings are all tied up."

"It's only been two days," she defended. "I just need space for perhaps, another day or two."

"Are you hearing yourself? If you're in the real marriage thing, there's no way you cannot talk to your husband for two days. You'll be living with Vaughn under one roof. Working or probably running one company. You'll always see him. Stop your immaturity, young lady. Act your age. If you'll always be this moody, forget about marriage."

Her facial expression hardened, her mouth curving down into a frown. An awkward silence was between us for a minute or two. I may sound like giving her motherly lectures, but it's only for her own good. I believe that what I said made sense. She can hate me now and surely thank me later.

Amethyst looked at me, her eyes as cold as ice. "It's easy for you to say because you're not in my situation. You say that as if you fixed things well with your sort-of ex-boyfriend, that's hypocrisy."

"Really?" I sighed and looked at her with disappointment. "You know what, I may be a hypocrite, but I'm saying this because I don't want you to experience what happened to me. How do you think can I talk to my ex if I can't even contact him because he just disappeared, huh? Tell me how to fix that, I'd love to hear it."

She paused, letting my words sink into her. "I'm sorry, I forgot that it's not the same situation. But you're right. In my case, I have a choice to fix it, unlike yours. I didn't mean to call you a hypocrite. I was just … carried away by what I feel; I wasn't able to think about the words that my tongue will let out. I'm sorry."

Without any second thought, I pulled her into a hug, trying to comfort her. Thankfully, she just hugged back and didn't cry again like the other day. In this kind of situation, I couldn't think of a better solution to lighten up the mood other than eating something sweet and cold to relieve the stress.

"Hey, do you want me to treat you for some ice cream or frappe?" I offered.