Can't I Touch Your Heart?

Chapter 57 He Might Die

Ember, Loraine and Maple slept together on the bed, covered under the sheets. Both Loraine and Maple had hugged Ember as they slept. The maids were busy fawning over them as they stood outside the room.

"Why are you not going inside?" The head maid asked as she saw an entire mob of maids gathered at the room's door.
"All the masters are sleeping together!" One of them squealed with happiness, "I just peeped inside. They look so cute!"
"Alright, now get back to work. We have a lot to do," The head maid ordered and took them away.
              
After a while, Ember slowly opened his eyes and got up. He felt cold and his own sneeze woke him up. He looked down at himself and found that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Eh? Where's my shirt?" He looked around him. Maple and Loraine lay beside him.

"I'm sure I was wearing my shirt when I went to sleep," He started getting down from his bed when suddenly his leg got stuck in the sheets and he landed on the floor. He shouted and looked at his legs "What the hell is this?" The shirt struck was between his ankles.

"Maple still has that weird habit of undressing people while he is asleep,"
Loraine and Maple opened their eyes together and looked at each other while lying on the bed "Oh, you're up?" Ember was wearing his shirt.

"Ember," Both of them spoke together.
"Shut the curtains, it's too sunny outside. It's hurting my eyes," They were speaking together.
"Not so early in the morning,"
"Yeah! You be quiet!" They said to each other, together.
"Can you just stop?!" Ember, Maple and Loraine said together.

They started shouting and swearing at each other. Funny thing was, even the swears were perfectly synchronised. A maid entered the room and greeted them but they were too busy fighting for using the bathroom first.
"This is my room. Both of you leave me alone" Ember yelled.
"Shut up, ugly!"

After they decided their chance by rock, paper, scissors, they walked towards the dining hall together, "Why were you both sleeping with me today? I presume you have your own beds," Ember asked.

"I like it" Maple smiled.
"What's good about sleeping beside a grown-up guy like me?"
"Because I feel comfortable when I'm with both of you," Maple raised his arms.
"It's calming, you know. You, me and Maple, together, just like we were in mother's womb," Loraine said.
"Separation anxiety? I've heard that twins have that," The maid said as she followed them.
"We're triplets, ma'am," Loraine said.

"Does that matter?" Maple asked.
"Yes, it does. I hate it when people call us twins. We are triplets and we'll always be triplets," Loraine said.
"You're so hard to understand," Maple complained.
"Yeah, I know,"

"Ember, let's play video games together today!" Maple said.
"Nah, you guys play. I have somewhere I need to be,"
Loraine glared at him as he watched him leave after breakfast, "Bet it's that girl again,"

Ember pressed the doorbell and Neel opened the door, "What the fuck? Why are you here?"
"To see you," He smiled. Ember stood there in his blue, tattered jeans and a black half torn T-Shirt with his headphones hanging around his neck.

"Did you get into a fight?" Neel asked as he looked at his torn clothes.
"No! It's fashion," Ember laughed.
"Torn clothes? You could have asked me to give you some of mine. I was gonna throw them away anyway,"

Ember walked in with Neel and looked around, "Your mom is not home like always, huh,"
"Yeah, you really do remember everything,"
"Photographic memory,"
"The grass is always greener on the other side," Neel walked into the kitchen.

"Sometimes the grass is greener because it's fake," Ember said as he stood behind him, "You're making me something?"
"Some orange juice and sandwiches should do, right?"
"It's alright, just water will do,"

"Shut up and eat," Neel passed a plate to him, "I've unwrapped them now, and I just had my breakfast.
"But, I just had my breakfast too,"
"Then, I'll eat half of it, you eat the other half,"

Ember ate half of the sandwich reluctantly as they sat on the sofa, "So, why did you come here?"
He looked down, "I wanted to tell you something,"
"What?"
"I'm a little sick..." He looked into Neel's green eyes and smiled nervously, "For a very long time,"

"What is your disease?"
"I was born with an undeveloped stomach, I have gone two surgeries by now, one to fix the stomach and the respiratory canal when I was a few days old, and one to extend the stomach area, to make it of average size when I was eleven," 
Neel looked at him,

"But this time, they don't know what it is,"
"...Does Rhea know about it?"
"I can't tell her. She has other things to focus upon, that painting competition is important for her career and for proving herself to her family, you have to train her,"
"I? But I-"
"Please Neel, I know you are professionally trained, aren't you?"

Neel looked down, "I am, but I want to give up on painting and focus on things I really like,"
Ember smiled, "Like Rhea?"
Neel blushed, "I don't like her!"
Ember snickered, "Of course, you don't,"

"I thought you liked her?"
Ember looked at Neel, "My love is very temporary, Neel. Who knows, I can die tomorrow due to some sudden complication, I live on seconds, I can't promise love to anyone,"

"If you have to leave in such a cruel way, why even bother coming back? Our lives were calm before you came and upturned everything!"
"It's not like I want to go," Ember looked down, his long, blonde eyelashes covering his iris, "It's just, I have no choice. But you guys do, there's so much left to do,"

"I always admired how you always live in the moment without thinking about tomorrow," Neel said and Ember looked up at him, "But you know what-I know why that is now. It's simple really, you just don't want to think about tomorrow...Because you don't know if you'll have a tomorrow or not,"

"It's that way for everyone, Neel. You don't know if you'll see the sun tomorrow, you might die in a few seconds after I leave your home, who knows. Life is unpredictable, but that's where the fun lies, in mystery, in the thrill, in adventures," He smiled, "We are all...lost sunbeams, reaching for our sun," He got up, "Think about what I said,"

"You're going already?"
"I have my therapy," Ember wore his shoes and Neel stood behind him, "Listen,"
"Yeah?" Ember got up and looked at him,

"Let's hand out again," Neel smiled, "I'll make drinks,"
Ember laughed, "I'll be sure,"

- To be continued

Can't I Touch Your Heart?
Teach Me The Art of Living