A Girl's Talk

Jason stepped out of the car, turned around and held Selina in his arms. On their ride back home, she started dozing off. To make her sleep comfortably, he dimmed the lights in the backseat and covered her with a soft blanket. She was so tired she didn't even realize they got back home already.

Her eyes opened when she felt herself floating in the air. She rubbed her eyes, yawned and pressed her head back to his hard chest. He chuckled, "We're home. Did you nap enough?"

She nestled her head against his chest and sighed. "It's never enough when you're around."

"Then will the sleeping beauty take the honor to unlock the doors while you're comfortably wrapped in my arms?" He stared at the door and then the keys in her hands. Earlier, she refused to surrender to her sleepiness and found his keys to play with to prevent herself from falling asleep. Instead of staying awake, the dangling keys became a melodious lullaby to her ears.

"Hmm? Okay." She stretched her arms and rotated the keys in her hands to open the door. Once they entered, Celinda could be seen eating a carton of ice cream in the dining area. Her mood didn't seem too great, but a smile instantly curved when she saw her favorite couple walking into the house.

Celinda gasped and rushed over to Selina's side- worried she may be injured. "Selina! Are you alright?!" She ran over and took glances at every angle to see what was wrong with her.

"I'm fine. But I really want to take a shower. My hands feel so disgusting." She made a yuck face with squinty eyes and tongue sticking out. As soon as Jason let her down, she changed into her slippers and walked upstairs.

Although she tried hiding it, Jason could still tell her wrist was hurting from the way she massaged it on her way up the stairs.

"Dislocating his shoulder was too easy for him. I should have gotten both!" He mumbled.

Celinda turned her attention to him. "Dislocating whose shoulder? What happened?"

He walked her through the details about the mall incident. When she heard about Roger's cousin hurting Selina's wrist, she growled angrily. "How dare those sinners?! Brother, take him down. You should dislocate all his limbs!"

"Don't worry. I'm not letting any of them off. I'm giving Selina a big gift soon. Anyway, I'm going to prepare dinner. During her sleep, I made sure her wrist wasn't sprained. I know she doesn't want me to worry so..." He took out the first aid kit and handed her an ointment for bruises.

Smiling, she said. "I got it. I'll help her apply the ointment and have a nice chat with her. Who knows? Maybe I'll get some deep thoughts from her about how she wants to deal with those bastards. Then, we can avenge her for what they did! Hmph!" She wiggled her fingers, itching for some slaps.

When she got up to the fifth step of the staircase, she snuck a glance at her brother. "By the way, you should bring disposable gloves whenever you two go out. Those hand slap toys are very annoying."

"Noted." He tied his apron around his back and started gathering ingredients for dinner.

Celinda knocked twice before entering the room. She sat by the edge of the bed while she waited for Selina to get out of the shower. When the bathroom door creaked open, a cloud of steam followed Selina out.

Her dripping wet hair formed droplets on her delicate skin that slid down her collarbone. With those blossom tint lips, peach blush cheeks and dreamy eyes on her face, it was hard not to be entranced by her beauty. She was wearing a white oversized T-shirt that reached midway to her thighs. Still, it was difficult to ignore those nicely shaped legs.

Celinda gulped for a second and quickly snapped out of it when she caught the reddish area on Selina's wrist. She wondered what her brother would do if he ever sees this part of Selina. Celinda shivered at the thought of the consequences that might follow.

"Come here." She patted the empty side next to her.

"Hmm?" Selina obediently listened and sat on the bed.

In the next minutes, she felt a refreshing mint sensation on the irritated part of her wrist. She smiled, "You know I could apply the ointment by myself, right?"

Celinda laughed, "But would you? Sheesh, you tried avenging for me. The least I could do is to treat your injuries. Does it hurt?"

"Nope. It'll go away soon." Leaning her chin in her palm, Selina's curious round eyes shot obvious glances at Celinda.

"W..What's wrong?" Celinda couldn't stand that innocent stare she gives off.

"What's wrong with you? That's the real question. You were eating a carton of ice cream earlier." Selina knew how much of an ice-cream lover Celinda was, but she would never eat a carton of it.

"Damn. And I thought I hid it well. Sigh. Have you ever felt a sting in your chest when you see someone with a female close to them? Like you are friends with this person and then suddenly you find a girl who appears sometimes...They look intimate, but you're not in the right place to ask?"

As she continued describing the situation, she started rubbing a bit harder against Selina's bruise.

"Is this friend, a guy?" Selina saw the look on her face and instantly knew what she was talking about.

Celinda nodded. "You know him too. It's Bryan."

"Bryan?! Since when did you guys get that close?! When did you guys exchange contacts?"

"Well, it's been a while now. Ever since the first time we met at the hospital; we've exchanged contacts. Because of what happened with the gang incident, I've always wanted to get stronger, so I could at least defend myself when I'm alone. One time, I was walking around with a stack of fliers in my hands. I ran into him and he found out about it."

Celinda started blushing when she recalled the solo training sessions with Bryan. She cupped her cheeks and twirled circles on the bedsheets as she continued talking about how he offered to train her personally when he has free time.

She rejected his offer at first, but he convinced her with his skills. Considering how she jolts from a stranger's touch, she decided it would be better to learn defense skills from a person she wasn't as cautious around.

Following Celinda's movements, Selina also started lying on the bed with her back facing the ceiling. The two of them crossed their legs and waved it like a mermaid's tail. At the end of the conversation, Selina provided her opinion.

"Our family's Celinda might have fallen in love with him. Ah, young love. But you said that the girl came for a few minutes and then left? Bryan claimed the girl as his friend but never introduced you two. Hmm, did he ever say he had a girlfriend?"

She shook her head. "He never did. At the same time, I've been feeling like a marshmallow melting by the fire when I'm close to him. I know we are just doing regular training, but I can't help thinking how it'll feel if we become...but at the same time, I want to get over my dark past first."

Celinda exhaled deeply. Suddenly, she felt gentle strokes on her back. Selina smiled, "You don't have to rush anything. You've done nothing wrong in the past. It was all that bastard's fault. On the bright side, you are safe, and he didn't take advantage of you. Even if something did happen, it shouldn't hold you back from liking someone. If you are sure about your feelings for Bryan and he is single, then whenever you feel ready...tell him your thoughts."

"Mm...I'm taking my own pace in this. Ahhhh, why are feelings so complicated? Is this why my brother has been single all his life until you came in? Can we go shopping this week? I want to walk around with you and relax."

"Of course. I'll finish up the work I need to do and spend the day with you. It'll be a girl's date!" Both of them giggled and gave each other a tight squeeze.

When dinner was ready, Jason walked up to find them rubbing their chins in deep thought. Seeing their expressions, he knew they were up to something. Smiling, he knocked on the door.

"Dinner is ready."

The girls looked surprised to hear his voice out of nowhere. Selina held his hand while Celinda gave him a light push on the back.

"Dinner time!!" The girls said at the same time.