Nice Piece of Art
Ciarra
Lighting up a candle in the room, I stared at the photos of my family. Yula's younger self as he glanced at the camera, imitating a pose that he saw from a male model before, Leon's goofy grin as he ruined Yula's pose by riding on his back, my parents' laughing faces as they watch their children do silly things in front of them, and the look of the younger me, smiling happily in front of the camera, unfazed by the problems of the world.
A lot has happened over the years. Looking back, I can't help but remember those days with my family. Those moments where you wished that it wouldn't end. It doesn't matter how much you desire to be with them until the end, because one can only hope so much.
Like the endless sky above, it doesn't matter if it rains or if it shines. You can only hope to see a better tomorrow come.
Not all people live the same way. Some would savor the feeling as the sun hits their skin, while some would fancy the rain as tiny droplets would caress their face.
A beginning of a journey does not mean the end of another. Sometimes, it is connected, crossing paths as two individuals embraced their dreams, their goals, and the moments that they shared.
Glancing up when the door opened behind me, Yula stepped inside, holding a little ball of sunshine in his arms. My heart warmed seeing my brother carrying his daughter. She had her father's eyes. Out of all of Ambrose and Yula's children, this little one took in after her father. With blue eyes and brownish black hair, she looked just like my brother.
After four years, my brother got busy, taking in the job of impregnating his wife year after year. This little one in his arms is the last one, or so he said. Their firstborn was a son, who looked like Ambrose's male version. The second and third were all girls and had a mix of their features. This one is the fourth and is actually the spitting image of my brother.
With a boy and three girls, I'd be glad to see him suffer in the future. Considering how he was protective of me and Leon before, I would doubt that these girls would be nearing any other boy any time soon.
"Hey. Ambrose said that everyone's already at the estate. They're just waiting for us before starting the party." Kissing my little niece, I took her from him and gave him a peck on the cheek.
My brother and I grew closer than before. After everything, we understood each other better. There were even times that he treated me like the little sister I am, constantly spoiling me every chance he got. Especially when I was pregnant with the twins, when Ali was at work, he was the one who would constantly rush to me, giving me my cravings and helping me to get by.
Three years after the birth of our daughter, I got pregnant again to twins this time. We wanted to keep the gender as a surprise until I gave birth. Turns out, it was a boy and a girl. Yula was even jealous that Ali and I got twins, said that he wanted one, too. One look at his wife and he spent the night at my unit, saying that Ambrose kicked him out of the house.
We arrived at the estate and I was immediately greeted by children. Keith and Razel were also here, as well as Keiran and her husband, whom I met a while after Ali and I got married. He was in the army so he's always out of the picture.
After my recovery from the incident years ago, my cousin decided that they'll go back to Europe and stay there for good, but of course, with a promise that they'll visit from time to time. They just returned yesterday, and Ambrose decided to have a small gathering for their safe return.
Despite the original plan of a simple gathering, it turned out to become a mini celebration as the kids wanted to have a party. Aleck and Beck, of course, were the sole reason why this mini party was held. The boys wanted to meet their cousins and a few children that they've grown to like.
I spotted our eldest daughter in between Aleck and Beck. She was eating cookies while nodding her head to something that the boys' said. The boys looked flushed and panicked, as they patted her head several times and helped her wipe her cheek. Only then did I notice that she kept on wiping her cheek, a frown on her lips.
Shaking my head at the thought of these boys teasing their cousin again, I made my way to them, giving the baby in my arms back to her father. But before I even neared them, Keiran appeared behind them, eyes blazing as she gazed at her boys. They paused for a second, before glancing up at their mother. In a flash, they ran away, taking my daughter with them.
"That was quite a sight." I turned around and saw my husband, carrying the twins in his arms. I took our baby boy and kissed his cheek. He looked at me with those big hazel eyes, before smiling and reached his tiny hands to my face.
"It's a first that you're not troubled with whatever the boys were trying to teach your daughter." I glanced at him, kissing my baby girl in his arms at the same time.
"Nah. I know those boys won't do anything to harm their cousin. She was their little princess, after all."
He gave me a long look that had me blushing. Seeing my flushed cheeks, he grinned and kissed me on the lips. After a while of kissing me, he moaned and bit my lower lip, "Damn, I miss these lips."
I laughed hard when our baby boy slapped him on the cheek. It wasn't really a slap, more like he tapped his cheek, but the furrowed brows and frowny lips had me thinking otherwise.
Chuckling, he pinched his cheek and laughed when our little baby kept on pushing his hand away. "I may have a hard time with you in the future, little man."
He then glanced at me with a content look on his face, "You know, the first night we met, I thought you're a woman full of mystery." He looked at the distance, a small smile on his lips as he remembered that night.
Intrigued, I listened to the words that he said after, "You had these eyes that just held so many mysteries in them. The days that we spent before in Miami, I never saw your eyes so clear and bright like they are now. They were always clouded." He glanced at me, a look of relief and joy behind those green eyes.
"Thank you for sitting beside me that night. If you were not the one who sat beside me, I don't know what I'll be doing now. I know that the events occurred before and after that moment was something painful for you, but I wouldn't have it any other way." His words melted my heart. I never knew that he's been thinking about that night the same way he did.
"I should also say thank you to you." Hearing me say those words, he looked at me in the eye, "If you didn't glance my way, I still would've been miserable right now. At some point, I knew in my heart that I was able to overcome my downfall because I knew you never judged me. You understood my situation before. Despite the chances you were given to just forget me and leave, you didn't. And for that, I was thankful for you. Plus, I get to experiment on different positions in bed with you."
He laughed heartily at my last sentence. I chuckled with him and admired the sleeping twins in our arms.
Yeah, I wouldn't have it any other way.
