My little sister

★Asif's POV★

I walked slowly. No –drifted, really.

The world around me felt distant, muffled behind a fog of warmth and light-headedness. My heart was still skipping beats from everything that had just happened. The soft breeze on my face, the crunch of gravel under my shoes, and the chatter of city life.. none of it mattered. My mind was playing the highlight reel of the date over and over again.

Ayesha.

Her silver hair swayed in the breeze.

Her smile when she laughed at my dumb jokes.

Her teasing words, her blush when I said I wanted to hang out again.

Even the way she waved from the car window, like something straight out of a drama.

It all felt like a dream I didn't want to wake up from. My feet moved, but my heart was still back at the station, clinging to the memories.

Then buzz.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I blinked out of my daze and pulled it out. An unknown number.

It was odd.

I hesitated for a second before opening the message.

> "Hey there Asif. It's Sara. I ain't giving her back to you, just remember it."

I stared at the screen.

What...?

I read it again. Then again.

"I ain't giving her back to you..."

What kind of twisted, message was this?

It didn't feel threatening, but it also didn't feel friendly. It was like some weird mix of declaration and warning. A strange kind of possessiveness. Was she talking about.. Tithi.

My eyes widened. Of course. That had to be it.

Sara had raised Tithi in my absence. To her, Tithi wasn't just a stepsister, she was her...her sister. Her responsibility. Her pride. It was clear even from our talk in the park how much she cared for Tithi.

But still....

I frowned and immediately typed a reply:

"What do you mean by it?"

No reply.

I stared at the chat for a minute. Two minutes. Still nothing.

A sigh left my lips as I locked the phone and finally picked up the pace. I needed to get home, maybe she'd explain it later. Right now, all I wanted was a warm shower and some leftover rice and curry.

I was still grinning a little, though. Even after that weird message, nothing could bring down my mood.

Or so I thought.

When I reached my apartment complex and walked up the stairs, I noticed something odd. The lights were on inside our unit.

Dad's home?

A rare sight on a Saturday evening.

A small smile crept back to my lips. After everything, maybe I could finally sit with him over dinner, maybe tell him I'd hung out with someone. Not the full truth, but maybe a part of it. He might not faint.

I approached the door and rang the bell.

Ding-dong.

Footsteps.

But when the door opened… it wasn't him.

I blinked.

A girl, much younger than me, stood in the doorway. She looked barely in her early teens. Her hair was tied in uneven braids,eyes were big, watery eyes. She wore a simple pink hoodie, oversized for her small frame.

She was staring up at me as if seeing a ghost.

And I was staring at her like the world had just flipped upside down.

Who?

"S-sorry, wrong house."

I stammered, instinctively stepping back. I turned to go as my heart was racing, panic was rising within my mind.

But before I could take another step..

Thud.

A small arm stretched forward and blocked the door from closing.

And then, without a word, she threw herself forward and hugged me.

Tightly.

My brain short-circuited.

What the hell is happening?

Then I heard her voice.

"Foolish big brother… I missed you."

My entire world stopped.

The voice was small, muffled by tears, but I'd recognize it anywhere. That nickname. That tone. That emotional quake in the words.

Tithi.

My Tithi.

The last time I saw her, she was only four. Clinging to our mother as she was dragged away from me.

Now she is here, bigger, but still small. Her face was older, but the voice, the emotions… it was her.

I didn't move for a moment. My arms just hung there in shock.

But then I slowly lifted them and wrapped them around her trembling figure gently and firmly. Like I was afraid she'd disappear if I let go of her.

A warmth I hadn't felt in years surged through me. The aching emptiness that had lived inside me for so long, finally , felt like it was being filled.

"Welcome home, Tithi."

I whispered, the words trembling out of my mouth.

My throat was dry. My eyes were wet.

I didn't care.