"Aira…"
"Why are you standing there, dear? Come in," Ian's mother called warmly.
Aira lowered her eyes to the bowl in her hands.
Some pieces were unevenly cut.
Others hadn't even been peeled properly.
And somehow…
that messy bowl looked exactly like the state of her heart.
"Yes, Aunty. I forgot something. Let me get it first," she said quickly, pretending she had truly forgotten something, when in reality, she was only trying to buy herself time. Time to clear the mess in the bowl… and the even bigger mess inside her heart and mind.
The moment she finished speaking, she hurried away before anyone could notice what the bowl truly revealed.
A few minutes later, she returned with a neatly prepared bowl of fruit.
Thankfully, everyone simply laughed it off as her being distracted.
Soon, the room filled once again with soft conversations and quiet laughter.
Aira sat among them silently, but no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts refused to settle.
One moment, her mind drifted toward her mother.
The next, toward herself.
And somehow, without even realizing it, it always wandered back to Ian… and the people around her.
For the first time in a long while, she felt as though her thoughts were no longer listening to her.
Perhaps this time, it wasn't her mind losing control.
Maybe…
it was her heart finally beginning to win.
Watching everyone sit together so warmly, laughing and talking as though the world outside that hospital room didn't exist, Aira found herself wishing the moment would last just a little longer.
Not the hospital itself, of course.
But this feeling.
This warmth.
This rare sense of togetherness and happiness.
It felt fragile.
Temporary.
Yet painfully precious.
Without even realizing it, she slowly drifted away from the conversation around her, quietly losing herself in the comfort of the scene before her.
Until suddenly—
her mother's shocked reaction to Shasha's engagement news snapped her back to reality.
"I think we also have some good news to share with you," Ian's mother said, a mysterious smile appearing on her face as she looked toward Shasha's mother.
"Right, sis. We've been discussing this recently and were waiting for you to be here before moving forward," Shasha's mother said warmly, glancing toward Shasha for a brief moment.
And just like any bride-to-be, Shasha immediately lowered her head shyly, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
With her fiancé sitting there as well, her embarrassment only grew stronger.
The moment Aira noticed the exchanged glance between Shasha and Ryan, she instantly understood what the announcement was about.
"We postponed the engagement before because of everything that happened," Shasha's mother said with a delighted smile. "But thankfully, the wait wasn't in vain. Soon, we'll officially become family. We're planning Ryan and Shasha's wedding."
The happiness on Aira's mother's face was impossible to miss.
For a brief moment, her eyes seemed to drift far away, pulled into memories only she could see.
Once upon a time, she and her sister had played with dolls together as children.
The same sister who had cared for her like a mother…
who tied her ponytail every morning before school…
who stood beside her through every stage of life…
was now sitting in front of her, announcing her own daughter's wedding.
Time truly had passed too quickly.
As her gaze slowly fell on Shasha, she could suddenly see traces of her sister in her.
And before she even realized it, her eyes instinctively moved toward Aira.
Her expression softened instantly.
Just yesterday, they had all seemed like little children running around without a care in the world.
And now…
they had all grown up.
"If I had known I'd wake up to such wonderful news," Aira's mother said softly, her eyes glistening with emotion, "then perhaps I shouldn't have slept for so long."
The room fell silent for a second before gentle laughter filled the air again.
Smiling through her tears, she reached out and pulled her sister into a careful embrace, using whatever little strength she still had after waking up.
The room that had already been filled with warmth and laughter moments ago now carried another emotion altogether.
Celebration.
Congratulations echoed around the room as everyone happily shared the joy with one another.
Aira did the same.
But the moment her eyes landed on Ian, she suddenly remembered how badly she had misunderstood his relationship with Shasha before.
And instantly—
every other emotion inside her was drowned beneath embarrassment.
She quickly looked away, silently trying to shake the memory from her head.
Yet as if fate refused to spare her, her gaze ended up meeting Shasha's instead.
Watching her usually fearless cousin sitting there all shy, flustered, and unable to even lift her head properly was so amusing that Aira nearly scoffed out loud.
Wahhh! Since when did my bold Shasha become this shy? Look at you blushing and not even daring to raise your head anymore.
And just then—
Shasha slowly looked up at Aira.
Their eyes met instantly.
Neither of them said a single thing.
Yet the look they exchanged carried more meaning than the entire conversation around them.
Where did the old Shasha disappear to? Aira teased silently, slightly raising a brow.
Shasha's eyes widened at once as if she had perfectly understood what Aira was thinking.
Shut up, her embarrassed glare screamed back instantly.
Aira nearly laughed right there.
Pretend all you want now. I'll just pray for this man, Aira thought jokingly, the corner of her lips lifting as she scratched her nose lightly, to hide her smile.
The way Shasha reacted every time she was teased had always amused Aira.
But somehow…
today, it felt especially precious.
The playful look in Aira's eyes slowly softened, and with the faintest nod, she silently congratulated her.
Shasha's smile widened instantly, happiness blooming so brightly across her face that even her cheeks turned red.
So lost in their silent conversation, neither of them realized Ian had been quietly spectating from the side.
He had caught almost every glance exchanged between Aira and Shasha.
And that entire secret yet somehow not-so-secret conversation brought a soft smile to his face as well.
"We can't celebrate such good news without sweets, right?" Aira's father suddenly said with a warm laugh.
Shasha's mother let out a helpless smile.
"You're right, brother-in-law. Everything happened so suddenly this morning that we completely forgot to bring sweets while sharing the news."
Sensing the atmosphere beginning to dip slightly, Ian's mother quickly stepped in with a smile.
"We can celebrate with fruits too, can't we? They're sweet as well."
Gentle laughter spread through the room once again.
But almost as if fate had been waiting for that exact moment—
Aira's father unknowingly became the perfect medium for fate's next move.
"No, how can this be enough?" he said excitedly. "This is the first wedding celebration in our family, and my wife has finally woken up too. We need a proper celebration."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he clapped his hands lightly.
"For now, let's at least order some sweets."
"I'll do it, Uncle," Ryan immediately offered, pulling out his phone.
But before he could place the order, Aira's father stopped him.
"If we order now, it'll take too long to arrive. There's a sweet shop just across the road." His eyes shifted toward Aira knowingly. "Dear, you've seen it before, right?"
Aira instantly understood the assignment before he could even finish speaking.
"Yes, Dad. I'll go."
Truthfully, she didn't mind the task at all.
In fact, part of her was relieved.
Buying sweets for everyone sounded far easier than sitting there while constantly trying to avoid even looking in Ian's direction.
But fate, unfortunately, seemed to have other plans.
Before Aira could even take a proper step forward, Ian's father suddenly stopped her.
"Aira, let Ian accompany you," he said warmly. "After all, this celebration is because of our family too. We should be the ones treating everyone."
The moment those words fell, Aira froze internally.
"No, Uncle…" she started instinctively.
"Right, Ian? Could you accompany her?" her father asked casually, completely unaware of the silent chaos between the two.
Aira's expression practically screamed refusal, but there was no way she could reject her father's request now.
At this point, her only hope was Ian himself.
Surely he would refuse… right?
Then again, how could he?
Both elders had already asked him directly.
Sometimes, the harder you try to avoid someone…
the more fate insists on pulling them closer.
the more fate insists on pulling them closer.
"Huh...?" Ian blinked, as though he had just been pulled back from his thoughts and caught off guard.
For the first time in a very long while, the usually composed Ian genuinely forgot how to respond.
Agreeing would make Aira uncomfortable.
Refusing would disappoint the elders.
Caught helplessly between the two choices, he could only sit there awkwardly.
And strangely enough—
the usually calm Ian actually stuttered before answering.
"I..."