“Prove it to me.” She said, rather seductively as she stepped closer to me.

      I should have seen this coming… and the more we talk, the more I started to regret this choice.

      But I had to push that aside. I had to make her believe this.

      It was the only choice I had.

      Well, my other option was to take my father’s side… and that was something that I just couldn’t do.

      This whole time I have been focusing so hard on making this real, convincing myself that I was angry with Aathy.

      And though it was so hard that I was forced to give up on my sensitive hearing and smell so that I could focus on making this real… I knew that I was angry at Aathiray. She really didn’t understand me.

      But deep down, I felt differently. Though I kept it out of Jasmines reach, my heart knew that I loved her nonetheless.

      In reality, this was just another fight her and I had. It was nothing. I was angry, but all I needed was to see her smile and that anger would fade away.

      But Jasmine couldn’t know that.

      Serena and Serpethion were right. If Jasmine took the wrong side, I would be ruined. I needed to do this. I need to use her to get what I want.

      Just this once.

      I would apologize to her once this was over.

      But right now… I needed to make this real.

      So I kissed her.

      After all these years, I had forgotten how enchanting her kiss was. It always has been like that. That’s what I remembered if I ever thought of her kiss. It was a kiss that made your heart race and your head spin, plus, it confused the shit out of you.

      What was I doing? What was I speaking to her about again?

      I closed my eyes and tried to think straight, but I couldn’t. All I could think about were her soft lips and beautiful smell. I wrapped my arms around her as I let the pleasure and emotion take over. It was all so familiar, the kiss, the smell, even the shape of her body, nothing had changed.

      What if this was right? What if Aathiray didn’t love me for me… she didn’t understand me. What could I do when Aathiray, someone who lived all her life with a father who loves her more than anything, didn’t understand? I tried to think of possible reasons that would support my anger for Aathiray, but I couldn’t… I couldn’t think straight.

      She deepened the kiss, pressing her whole body against mine and wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

      Maybe Jasmine and I were meant to be. Why wouldn’t that be true? She fit perfectly into my arms and no matter how much pain she inflicted on me, she could still make me so weak with only her kiss.

      I wondered if Aathiray’s kiss made me feel this way. No, Aathiray was not like Jasmine, she would never be like Jasmine.

      And that was a good thing.

      Aathiray’s kisses were sweet. They were shy and cute, like she was. Her kisses made my head spin, they made my heart race too, but Aathy’s kisses made me want more. Her lips were not like Jasmines, they were warm and much softer.

      Tempting… and fragile.

      Kind and understanding and enough to make my heart race with so much love that I wished I could kiss her forever.

      I placed my hand on her cheek, hoping with all my heart that it was hot because of her shyness as it always was. But it wasn’t. I felt the cool, calm cheek under my hand and felt a prominent cheekbone rather than Aathy’s full cheeks which were the result of her smiling.

      Aathy always smiled when she kissed me, even if she was mad.

      I lifted my other hand up and tangled it in her hair, hoping that I would feel soft, thick curls that I could easily grip onto. But I didn’t. Instead, I felt the straight hair that was too silky to keep a hold of.

      I bit her lip, hoping to hear that giggle she always let out when I did that… but instead, I heard a moan of pleasure.

      Jasmines moan.

      I felt a terrible pain erupt in my heart as I tried to make this right. I regretted it, I regretted letting Jasmine kiss me and I regretted feeling any sort of pleasure.

      Jasmine could never be Aathiray.

      Please! I prayed. Please make this right… please let me open my eyes and find myself looking into Aathiray’s, please let me see her hide her face from me because she is shy and please let me laugh at that.

      I opened my eyes and my heart sank. How could I have doubted Aathy? How could I betray Aathy?

      I was about to pull away as fast as I could, but then the door open.

      I didn’t even need to look to know who it was.

      And all I wanted to do at that moment was yell.

      Yell at the god-damned universe for bringing her here right now.

      Why now?

      But I couldn’t show any emotion.

      Jasmine couldn’t know I was lying.

      So I just stared.

      She was wearing her favourite pair of navy blue skinny jeans… she was always the strange girl who felt more comfortable in denim then sweats.

      She was also wearing her favourite large purple Sponge Bob Square Pants sweater which shielded her from the now cold Canadian nights. Winter is coming… I remarked. It felt like I haven’t been to her world in so long, though I just came from their recently.

      And then her thick curls framed her face.

      As she stood there crying, she looked so much like a little child.

      Maybe it was because of the huge sponge that was grinning at me on her sweater.

      Or maybe it was just because she was crying.

      Aathy hated it when people saw her cry.

      For as long as I knew her, she always tried to hide her tears. If she couldn’t hold them back, she would run to her room and cry under her covers or do something… whatever she could to get away from people.

      And because of that, for some reason, she always reminded me of a child.

      And after a long time, I was the one who had made her cry. If I hadn’t forced myself to blank out as Aathy stood their crying, I would have probably ran over to her and tried to hug her.

      I knew she wouldn’t have let me though.

      I blinked, trying to blank out some more… it worked only a bit… but it was good enough for me to keep up the act.

      And when Chirpy came to hug her, I felt some relief. I didn’t want her to feel alone.

      I would explain it to her later.

      I would make her understand.

      But then she said something that hit me hard.

      “I’m not sorry.” She said.

      She pulled out of Chirpy’s arms and wiped her face with the sleeve of a sweater that was one or two sizes too large for her. Her tears didn’t stop coming though.

      And when she spoke again, I was thoroughly convinced that she was furious with me.

      It hurt so badly that I wanted to yell at her… that for a second, I didn’t regret what I did.

      “I would never… never love someone who wanted to kill their father… A father who loved them more than anything else in the world.”

      But as she ran away my anger faded as I realized what I had done.

      “She didn’t know?” Jasmine asked.

      I looked down at the wrapped up object that Aathy threw at me, wondering what it was, but I pushed that aside for a moment. “She knows now.”

      Jasmine smiled before she gave me a quick kiss. “This was quite the night, but I have to go. I will see you tomorrow?”

      I looked back down at the wrapped up object. “Yeah.”

      And with that, she left.

      The second she was far enough for me to concentrate, I felt all my strength disappear as I collapsed onto the floor.

      Serena and Serpethion ran over to me, speechless.

      I threw my hand over my face and closed my eyes tightly. “Fuck.”

      For some reason, that pissed Serena off. “Fuck?” She yelled. “That’s all you have to say? Fuck?”

      I didn’t say anything, I just kept a hand over my head.

      “You stood there and watched her cry.”

      I took a deep breath, not wanting to be reminded of that.

      “She will never forgive you, Keroshan.”

      I moved my hand and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I thought I was doing this for her.”

      Serena scoffed. “For her? Oh hell no! You… you… imbecile! You… coward! You were doing this because you are too cocky to face your father!”

      And now it was all my fault.

      “She was standing there sobbing her eyes out… I have never seen her like that…”

      I was shocked when I heard Serena sniffle.

      “The second she came you should have changed your mind. You should have preferred to take your father’s side!”

      Serpethion just watched Serena carefully, as if he was preparing himself to stop her if she said too much.

      “Keroshan, you said you hated your father because he left your mother for another woman.” She said.

      And that was Serpethion’s queue. He grabbed her arm. “Serena.”

      Serena pulled away. “Well fuck you because that’s almost exactly what you just did, whether it was real or not.”

      I looked at her, feeling as if my heart had just been ripped out of my chest.

      “You’re a fucking hypocrite!” She sniffled again, turned around and left the room.

      Serpethion watched her rush out of the room, and then looked at me, and then back at her.

      “Just go.” I said.

      Serpethion hesitated. “You better be thinking of talking to Aathiray.”

      “Just go.” I repeated.

      He hesitated again, but ran after Serena.

      I picked up the thick wrapped up object, which felt like a book now that I was holding it.

      I flipped it over and saw that she wrote “Kero” in big letters on it.

      Perfect. I thought. She came so that she could give me a gift.

      I hesitated and stared at it a little longer before I worked up the nerve to open it.

      And when I did, I found myself grinding my teeth together, trying to hold back my own tears, as Aathy’s crying face flashed before my eyes.

      It was a book with a bind made of sparkly strings that Aathy often uses for her projects.

      The cover said: “100 Reasons for Why I Love Keroshan Aarvind.”

      I blinked hard, momentarily unable to believe Aathy’s craziness, but then opened the book.

      A note fell out.

      I lifted the piece of paper and unfolded it, taking a deep breath before I opened it.

      Dear Keroshan,

            So this was supposed to be a birthday gift for you…   which is why the binding isn’t as awesome as I imagined       it to be… and rather than 100 reasons for why I love                  you, there are only 53. LOL!

            But no worries. I promise I’ll finish the rest of it         before your birthday, bind it properly and give it to you       again. He he!

            I probably already told you why I’m giving you         this… but in case I missed something, I decided to write       it all down so you can read it:

            I’m so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry for saying what I did. It was mean. And… well, I       guess I didn’t say what I meant properly.

            You probably think I don’t understand what you’ve   gone through with your father… and you’re right. I       would never be able to understand it. I would never even            dream of having to go through what you had to go through.

            But what I want you to understand is that he’s your   father… whether you like it or not. I’m not trying to       make you mad, Kero… I would never want that. I hate    making you mad and you know it.

            And I know you probably don’t want to hear it, but    your father is your father. You’re going to have to face       it. And no matter what he did to you, you’re a part of him           and he’s a part of you. That will never change.

            He will always love you.

            Now, you’re probably wondering how I know this.    And unless I told you already, this is going to be a big       surprise.

            I talked to your dad! Crazy, right?

            And I want to tell you everything he said in person,    so don’t expect to read that part here on this note! ^.^

            Anyhoo, the point of this note was to apologize to you            and to remind you that your pops will forever be just       that. Your pops.

            You can’t run away from that.

            Now, this GIFT is to remind you of how much I love             you. He he!

            Enjoy, my sweety pie <3 XOXO

                                                                        I love you!!!!!!

                                                                                    Aathy

      And then I spent the rest of the night reading her 53 reasons for why she loved me… and also wondering if she’d ever finish the rest like she said she would.