Tithi and Ayesha

★ Ayesha's POV★

After finishing lunch, Asif leaned towards his sister.

"Hey Tithi, wanna go somewhere?"

Tithi, still munching on the last piece of fried chicken, grinned. "Hmm… Amusement park?"

Asif raised an eyebrow. "You serious?"

She wiped her mouth, nodded seriously like she just signed a contract. "I am still a child after all."

But then… her gaze turned to me.

"You're coming too," she said, pointing at me with that mischievous smirk on her face.

I blinked. "Eh?"

I looked at Asif. He had that usual awkward smile again, the one he wears when he doesn't know what to say but is oddly happy. Tithi didn't even wait for a response... she just assumed I'd say yes.

"I-I mean… okay."

I had already spent more time with Asif today than I expected… my heart was doing cartwheels since morning. But now? Now, I was going to an amusement park with him? With them?

Still, something about Tithi's energy made it hard to refuse. Or maybe, I just didn't want to.

As we walked to the park together, I noticed something odd in my chest. A weird feeling.

I was happy. But also… was I intruding on their happy moment?

We reached the gates of the amusement park. Asif leaned closer and whispered, "Thanks… for keeping her busy."

I looked at him and smiled. "No problem."

The afternoon breeze was light. Children were running past with balloons. Laughter echoed from the pirate ship ride. Mascots waved their huge arms as we walked past them. Asif even posed beside a giant chicken mascot for a photo. I laughed so hard I thought my stomach would pop.

We took the merry-go-round, the mini rollercoaster, and the classic spinning cups. Asif almost threw up after that one. Tithi took pictures of him lying like a dead man on the bench. She even put a fake RIP on one of the photos.

Then came the moment.

Tithi suddenly pointed to a vendor, "Ice cream! Big brother, go get some!"

Asif stared at the line. "But it's super crowded."

She didn't blink. "Exactly. We'll wait here."

He sighed, dramatically walked off, mumbling, "This is not fair..."

As soon as he disappeared into the crowd, Tithi turned towards me. Her eyes... they were way too sharp for a girl her age.

"Big brother's gone for a while," she said. "So let's talk."

I stiffened. Something in her tone told me this wasn't going to be just about rollercoasters.

"Do you like my brother?"

My heartbeat exploded. My mouth opened, but no words came out.

She stared. Unblinking. Waiting.

I couldn't lie.

"…Yes," I whispered.

My cheeks were on fire.

She giggled. "Well, then that's okay."

I blinked. "Huh?"

She smiled softly. "I don't want to know how you two met or anything… I just want to know what made you fall in love with him."

That question. It caught me off guard. No one had ever asked me that before.

I looked up at the blue sky, as if the answer was floating there.

"…He's kind. He's affectionate, though he acts all awkward and stiff. He tries his best for everyone, even when no one notices. But honestly…"

I paused. My voice got quiet.

"…it's also because he's cute. Like… stupidly cute."

Tithi burst into laughter.

"Pfft! That's what I thought you'd say."

I chuckled awkwardly. "You did?"

"Yeah." Her smile faded slightly. Her tone grew softer.

"You know… I wasn't with him for years."

I looked at her.

She continued, "We didn't grow up together the way normal siblings do. I only remembered clinging to him as a child. But now that I'm older… I don't even know what he likes. What makes him happy. What makes him sad…"

Her voice cracked a little.

"So when I found out he was chatting with a girl… I wanted to know what kind of person it was. What kind of girl caught my big brother's attention."

My chest tightened. I hadn't thought about their history before. But now… it all made sense.

I see… maybe Asif is confused too. He tries so hard, probably because he doesn't know how to act around her either…

I looked down. "I'm sorry. I think… I'm getting in the way."

Tithi shook her head hard. "No. It's not your fault. I asked you to come."

She smiled. "Actually… I wanted to meet you."

My eyes widened. "Wait… was it you messaging me this morning?"

She bit her lip. "Oops… yeah. It was me. But big brother wanted to see you too! He just couldn't bring himself to say it."

I chuckled softly. "That sounds like him…"

"But I'm glad I did it." Tithi added.

She sounded so sure. So peaceful.

Before I could reply, Asif returned with three ice creams in both hands like a juggler.

"One strawberry vanilla cone for the queen," he said, handing it to Tithi with a bow.

"One mango mix for the… uh…" he looked at me nervously, "...for you."

I looked at the cone in my hand.

Mango is my favorite, but how did he know?

"Thanks…"

I said smiling.

We sat together on a bench under the painted sky. Tithi munched on hers, eyes twinkling as she glanced at me. I could barely stop staring at Asif.

Eventually, the sun began to dip. The day slowly started to fold into dusk.

As we reached the exit, Tithi suddenly spoke.

"Hey, we should exchange contacts."

I blinked.

"Huh?"

"Y'know, in case big brother faints again or something."

I laughed.

"Sure."

We exchanged numbers quickly. Just as Asif looked confused.

"When did you two become so close?"

Tithi stuck her tongue out,

"When you went for ice cream.

You found a good person, big brother."

I turned red, again.. so as Asif.

Tithi just laughed.

As we walked away and I headed towards my bus stop, I looked back at them, Asif waving at me with his stupid grin, Tithi smiling beside him.

I wondered…

Will he ever remember how we met eight years ago?

Even if he doesn't…

I could never forget.

Because that one encounter...

It changed everything.