ALBEDO "the way i loved you"

chapter five

the loud sound of the rain splattering against the roof woke up the sleeping y/n in the middle of the night. her tired eyes stared at the wall clock, 3:34 am, it said. she got off from her bed and sat on the chair, opening her notebook to review yesterday's lesson. as minutes turned to hours, she flinched upon hearing the door open, revealing her mother, still in her nightdress — she had a glass of milk in her hand, she smiled gently at her daughter. "dear, did you sleep at all?"

the tone of her voice was truly motherly – something that you will still long for even if you're already in your twenties, thirties, or even sixties.

she walked toward y/n, "i hope you didn't overwork yourself, y/n."

y/n only shook her head and accepted the milk, drinking all of it in one gulp. "no, mom. the rain woke me up and i couldn't sleep back — but i did get a decent amount of sleep."

lie. she slept around one am after practicing her writing for the upcoming journalism contest – to calculate, she only had two hours of sleep and it's already six in the morning now which means she had to get up and prepare for school.

her mother caressed her hair, "that's great. what do you want for dinner?"

"hm, anything or maybe i'll walk by the cafe later to visit you."

"ah, that's great. then, how about we eat outside with your brother later?"

she nodded, smiling as if there was someone who caressed her heart – it's been a while since the last time they went out. "yes, i would love to."

"then, i'll see you later. take care at school, yeah? i prepared your breakfast and snacks, for the meantime i need to be at the cafe now."

"you too, take care."

her mother owns a small cafe at the district shop — they earn a reasonable amount of money, enough for them to live comfortably. they hit the jackpot as soon as the cafe was built since the district is always swarmed by people who work at the office or students who want to relax and study with their friends. her father passed away due to liver complications, she was still a mere child that time but it still pains her whenever she thinks of it. they said there are five stages of grief, it's been six years but she's still in denial.

"did you borrow my reviewers?" she asked her brother, the two of them were having breakfast in silence. it's still raining outside, though it has become weak and bearable. her brother, b/n, was wearing a black hoodie and has black long hair — the typical 'handsome' brother that many people like. he plays guitar, wears a necklace, nails painted with black, kinda does well in school but is lazy at home.

he nodded, drinking the milk. "yes, your notes are so well-detailed. i think i need to rest for weeks."

"what about it?" she raised her brow, "did you have the urge to study well for a better future or are you trying to impress a girl?"

b/n chuckled, "the latter."

"who?"