Chapter 04

Shadawn was seated on the cleanly made single bed that stood on the left side of the perfectly organized room. He had not expected the room allocated to him to be this aligned with perfection. The right side of the room was decorated with shades of warm blue colors. The white walls on the side that were decorated with posters of different models of sports cars gave the room so much personality. He was not surprised, even as a kid Hyaté always had an obsession with vehicles of all kinds. On the glass cabinet neatly arranged were Golden, Silver, and bronze trophies and medals of all sizes.

The side he was seated on was mostly decorated using shades of purple.

"Well as you've probably already guessed, Hyaté and I used to share this room together. The purple one is my corner"

Hynata explained sitting on the purple-themed bed next to him but leaving a fair amount of distance in between. Shadawn kept quiet and continued looking around.

"I don't think he'll like purple Hy. What color would you like your curtains and bedsheets to be Shadwn?"

Hyaté spoke from the doorway with his arms crossed and curious.

It was a direct question. A question that he was supposed to answer since Yes or no would not have worked. And something in him said that the right thing to do was to answer them.

"Purple actually is my favorite color"

He mumbled loudly enough so they could hear.

"It's nice to finally hear your voice"

Says Hynata while at the same time Hyaté goes,

"Still? You and Hynata used to love purple as kids too! Why do I feel jealous again"

The two of them chuckle in unison at the mention of their childhood selves.

"Alright, we better give you some time to settle down. Will you be okay on your own? or do you want one of us to help you with unpacking"

Hynata stood up and looked over at him to see him shaking his head. Just as they were about to head out he spoke voluntarily for the very first time.

"Is it okay if I use the toilet?"

The twins instantly turned round in unison.

"Of course you can, it's the door on the right when you walk to the left"

directed Hyaté.

Shadawn knew where it was since Hynata had shown it to him earlier. But old habits die hard, he had to ask for permission.

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Shadawn was so tired that he did manage to fall asleep for a couple of hours after all. However as much as he craved deep sleep, even the slightest of movements would make him shoot up from it.

There was a knock on the door earlier where Hynata had informed him to come down for dinner, which he did, even though he really did not want to.

Shadawn sat in between the pair of twins. The chair opposite to him was empty, which he assumed was for Hyacinth, since the chair beside Rohaan was clearly for Cynthia. All of them chattered away animatedly and occasionally tried incorporating him to it, but his answers being limited to nods and head shakes along with his trade mark blank expression made them stop attempting.

He learned that Hyaté was having a swimming tournament next weekend which he was to captain the team through. Asithe was interested in knowing about all the happenings in his children's lives, and quite frankly, Shadawn felt jealous. He never did get an ounce of real attention from his father nor did he have any interesting achievements he could ever talk about in the same way Hyaté spoke with so much passion for the sport. All these years he had done absolutely nothing.

Shadawn looked down at the various items of food that were lined up neatly on the dark wooden table. He looked at each of the items individually with apprehension trying to figure out what they were called. The aromatic smell made his stomach grumble in hunger and repulse both at the same time. The dishes displayed looked colorful and appealing, the unique colors and textures raising his curiosity as to what they were.

The thoughts of what was going to happen next plagued his mind. He really did not know what to expect, which was something he was usually accustomed to, meaning he should not have felt like this was a new feeling. However, thoughts of seeing her couldn't stop being at the front of his mind the whole twenty minutes they waited for her.

How was he going to face her? What was he going to tell her? What was she going to tell him?

"Dada I'm starving"

Hyaté whined across the table.

"Okay, I can't. I'm eating. Shadawn, you wanna start?"

Shadawn quickly shook his head no even before Hyaté could finish his sentence.

"Oh uh. Okay. You wanna wait for mum?"

Shadawn went with the conveniently provided excuse.

"I hope you don't mind South Asian food. But in case you don't find it to your taste I did make some Lasagne."

Asithe motioned towards the two separate types of dishes, his left hand indicating the South Asian dishes while the right lasagna.

He must be South Asian

Thought Shadawn intently staring at the said figure.

The sound of the front antique door scraping open carried across the dining room as footsteps approached them.

"I'm back!~"