Chapter 23

My face was illuminated by the beam of light that broke through the curtains. After bringing my elbow up to my eyes to shield them from the reflection, I slowly opened them to discover that I was in a new space.

Not at all!

As I sat up, I noticed that my almirah remained in the same spot and that my reading table, which had torn pages all over it, was still in the same spot from the previous evening. The pink curtains had disappeared when I looked up at my curtains. They were replaced with pale yellow ones. It nearly completely covered the window and was really... beautiful.. 

It makes sense why the intense light did not cause much pain on my face..

I closed my eyes and waited for my system to restart, then I raised my arms and yawned lazily.

When I stepped out onto the balcony, a refreshing morning wind welcomed me to a new day. There, in the flower-filled garden, were the vibrant butterflies.

I worked out my hundred glutes bridges every day and did yoga on the balcony. A pleasant Sunday morning was had. The wind tousled my hair and skin.

 When I came back inside to freshen up, I heard a knock on my wooden door.

 The door opens, and Raphael steps inside...On my reading sofa, he slouches.

"Good morning, Ashy," he said, glancing at the freshly installed window curtains.

 Grinning. "That is a nice one you have there."

 Which indicates that he did not get it for me, oh! My parent's brother, I think. Jayden. I guess the wolf incident alarmed him, because he bought wider and thicker curtains for my window.

"...and it will not ever leave this space. So get those animated eyes off it. 

 With a sneer, Raphael settles into his chair.

"Where is the pink one, anyway?" I inquired.

 "I have no idea." His creamy caramel face was filled with disgust as he looked around my disorganized room. "This place is a disaster."

 Raphael's frown gave the impression that the area was genuinely that messy, but since he was an extreme neat freak, I can only imagine how this little amount of dirt bothered and repulsed him.

 Last night, I was so bored that I watched a YouTube video on how to make paper flower bouquets. After creating four bouquets, I fell asleep.

 Playing with the flowers and inhaling their scent as if they had one, he grinned and said, "Well, I am proud of you, Ashy."

 "It is okay, but you are not getting my new curtains," I said as I started to tidy my room.

 Rapheal tosses his head back onto the couch and rolls his eyes.

"Where is Jay?" The absence of warnings or loud voices this morning could only indicate that Jayden was not home.

 "I do not know..." "Maybe visiting kailan," he said as he started to make a bouquet.

 "Who is that...?"

 Whoa, he had quickly made a weekend buddy already.

"Long-time friend" He was assembling the third bouquet. "Hand me the scissors, please."

I took out the violet shears Hannah got me for Valentine's Day.

 In New Orleans, Hannah was a classmate of mine. Although we were not the closest of friends, we were still quite close and enjoyed doing most of the goofy things together. From a young age, I have always loved designing and sewing clothes. Together, Hannah and I designed a few items together, including handbags, caps, and purses. For Valentine's Day last year, she bought me a complete sewing kit that included needles, scissors, knitting pins, and more.

 My former school was the greatest in town, with top-notch labs and knowledgeable teachers. I hope this new school will be consoling, because I really miss my friends in New Orleans.

With a long sigh, I said, "I am going to take a shower." I took my white towel and made my way to the restroom.

 He nodded and merely hummed.

Here, the water was incredibly warm and soothing. My bathing habit was to take a quick shower and get out after fifteen minutes.

 Whoa!

Raphael had prepared seven bouquets of flowers and was pressing his phone with a sly smile on his face. It is possible that he was chatting with one of his admirers when he made promises that they both knew he would never keep, like pledging to be a faithful boyfriend and to never cheat on her and....

"Are we going to a specific store?" I put one towel around my chest and another on top of my head like a turban as I made my way to my almirah, or wardrobe, where I store my clothes. Squinting, I decided what to wear and, of course, what to wear with matching shoes..

Not really, though. He gestured to indicate that the dress would be OK and said, "I think that dress would do.".

It was a short, ruffly dress in turquoise with my nickname, Ashy, printed on the back. It was his birthday present to me a few months prior..

He pointed to the white sneakers I had just picked up off the floor and said, "I think that is fine." Actually, I was torn between those and the shoe rack's Nike trainers. I grabbed the outfit my style-savvy brother had picked out for me and hurried to the closet..

I did not spend much time in the closet because I was soon trying to arrange my hair in front of my full-length mirror in the room..

With an angry expression on his face, he remarked, "Your hair is perfect, Ashy.".

"Just a moment, Raph." I checked my outfit again to make sure everything fit perfectly.A silver glittery necklace with a pixie dust ring that Jayden got me for my birthday, a black purse, a pair of white sneakers, and a turquoise ruffly dress.My blond hair cascaded down my shoulder and fell to my waist.I had all the answers.ect"We are not going to Sunday parties," he declared, grinning widely. Come on, let us go. We need to eat breakfast still.asI smiled and responded, "Raphael, I have to look good because I am a lady." I was wearing shimmer lip gloss at the time.It is not as though you are in a relationship or anything" He instantly raised his hands in response to my brash side-eye. He was giving me a cute little pout and I had to smile, "I am sorry, princess." Gazing at my makeup kit, I remarked, "Hmm... well I still need to glitter my eyebrows." With a shake of his head, Rapheal pulled me in the direction of the door.oo"That is not worth my time." "Relax!" We started laughing as soon as I joked and snatched up my handbag so we could go down the stairs. For breakfast we just opted for bacon and eggs. Given Raphael's lackluster culinary skills, Jayden probably prepared them before leaving this morning.o"Yummy..." For a brief moment, I shut my eyes and hummed softly, enjoying the delightful flavor the eggs gave me. "Ashira." With a gentle touch to my hair, Raphael said. I looked up at him, wondering why he was calling me that. When we fought or disagreed, he would call me derogatory names like fool and stupid, but ASHIRA never! He hardly ever called me by my full name unless he wanted to tease me.

He was saying, his smile dry, "You are going to be fine."

 "What is wrong, Raph?" It seemed like my life was in grave danger, and I was being reassured of their protection, but I detested this new version of my brothers and could swear they were hiding something from me.

"Nothin'..." Withdrawing his hand, he took a sip from his glass. "Have you got any bacon?" He was constantly blinking his eyelashes at me.

"No!" With a hiss, I gave him a glare.

He hummed softly as he picked up his plate and said, "Okay," flatly setting it in the dishwashing machine.

 It surprised me that he said that at all. Usually, he would have persisted and perhaps taken it without asking permission, but instead, he was just stating, "Okay, something was wrong."

"You are not going to take them?" I inquired, curiously turning to face him.

"I could not have them, you said." As he dried his dish with the towel meant for utensils, his back was facing me. "Are you through using yours?" He raised an eyebrow and turned to face me.

 "Nah. I extended my dish, which still contained bacon, to him and said, "You can have the remainder."

He said, "Thanks," and gobbled up the slices fast. After cleaning mine, he put it in the dish rack.

Following our arrival, Raphael shut the door. I was ecstatic to be going shopping because I was eager to explore this new city.