Chapter. 31. Losing the ring.
Ren: "I'm sorry just....sigh~ listen to me Aai".
Aai: "If it's about brother asking you to do this then you don't have to. Just...leave. You're overreacting here, it's not like I'm bedridden".
Ren: "Aai what are you saying? It's nothing like that. I'm doing with my will... ".
Aai: "BUT WHY!? JUST WHY? Why are you so into taking care of me? Why don't you just ignore it? Why does it have to be you who comes to me? I can understand it's boring to look after a kid. Just say it na that, you are tired of looking after me and want to just leave". Aai clenched hard on the couch looking down. Her vision began to blur.
Ren: "....Aai why are you talking like this...?". He was about to walk to her.
Aai: "Don't You Understand!!? YOU JUST MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY WITH YOUR KINDNESS!!.....hic hic sniff just leave me alone, go away". She began to cry hard.
Ren felt a 'PANG' near his chest. He clenched his fist.
Ren: "Aai...okay see I'll leave just... don't cry okay....But let me tell you, be it the past or the present, I've always come to you with my wish. Not with anyone's request or words.....Take care Aai". Saying Ren took his coat and went out leaving Aai alone in the room.
Aai felt guilty for treating Ren like that. Her dog came to her whining and rubbed his face to hers. Aai hugged him. "I don't want this".
The next few days Max came to check on her. Chase and Ben too visited her and shared their school notes since they were of the same grade. Idris would call her. But there was no word from Ren.
Aai was recovering. One day when she got up from midday sleep in her room, she felt her house too silent. She felt heaviness near her chest. She got up and ran out of her room. Her leg twisted and she fell down the stairs.
"AH!". Her dog came to her. Aai seeing it suddenly hugged it and caressed her dog. The dog whined.
"Good boy". She got up and checked her leg. It was healing.
After taking her bath when she was dressing up she found her neck empty.
She looked around her room and bathroom. She began feeling anxious. It was a ring from her mother which she treasured. She wore it around her neck and never removed it.
"Where? Where did it go? Please... Please, don't". She ran to search the living. But still didn't find it. Her dog barked from behind.
"What to do, I looked everywhere but it's nowhere to be found, what should I do...please". She kneeled in front of the dog, clenching his chest.
The dog ran away and after a while came to Aai and shook her.
Aai sat up and saw the ring next to her. "Where?...Thank you, thanks...really". She tightly hugged it.
After as she was serving dinner she found the chain at the corner of the stairs. Picking it up she looked at it then kept it with the ring in her drawer.
After a whole week, Aai was almost recovered and began going to school and work. Unaware she would see around before leaving the school gates and wait after her work.
"Sure enough, he won't be coming to me now". Aai felt her chest heavy.
One day as she was working, she heard Elly and Neil talking.
Elly: "Hope our big boss recovers fast and returns".
Aai rushed to Elly. "WHAT HAPPEN TO REN!?".
Elly: "!!! Huh! That big boss is in hospital and..... Wait Aai!!".
Neil: "Hey!!".
Aai hearing Elly grabbed her things and ran out of the shop.
Elly: "? ? What was that?".
Neil: "Don't know".
Aai kept running to Ren. "Just leave me alone, GO AWAY!". Aai suddenly stopped as she thought about it. She stood on the spot, eyes blurring her vision. She crouched down.
"I'm home...? Aai?". Nair found the house silent. He walked up to Aai's room.
Nair: "Hey Aai, are you in there?".
Aai opened the door and ran on Nair.
Nair: "What's wrong!Aai?".
Aai held his cloths tight, face covered with tears, "Brother I... what should I do? Sniff hic hic, I wanna see Ren, what should I do...".