Life was going normal but it can't be for a long time if Ian Henderson is your best friend.

Ian and I are standing at the door of Lia'a apartment. We both wanted to have some fun and my friend here thought that it was awesome to come and ruin their party. They had mentioned that they two were having there so-called outing or a movie night at Lia's apartment because Lia said that apparently Allison needs to talk about some 'problems', not being very discreet that it was Ian. The two love birds just glared at her and Ian tried to knock her coffee off.

"Ian, this is a very bad idea. We should return. I am, actually! I don't even know how you persuaded me. Its not right to show up at her house like this!"

"Please Stellan! They are our friends and Lia is going to be cool about it. Like do you even know, she can be pretty awesome! You know what? I am just gonna call Alice first. We are not going to ruin anything. I am the star of the party, Mr. Party Pooper. And are you not my friend? You are gonna leave your brother alone in the war zone! Such a friend you are!" He kept a hand to his heart, looking all offended and then called Alice.

"Hey Alice.....you guys enjoying your girls night......oh pizza! You sure you can accommodate two more people....well we kind of might be at Lia's doorstep....yeah! If you could open the door.....no, not joking! You think Stel is a dude to-"

And he was cut off by Lia opening her door. She looked at both of us confused, up and down in her messy bun and pajamas. Soon came Alisson who just smiled at us.

"Whose idea was this?" Ophelia asked still looking confused.

"My idea but Stel did his part well though." That little bitch. I need to beat him up some day.

She just looked at me, raising her eyebrows and again with the whole 'deciphering me' thing. But she wasn't mad, she looked worried and maybe a little happy.

"Well, doesn't matter! We have enough space for two more people and food is not a problem but the next time just give a gentle reminder. I don't like having mini-attacks as you call us in the middle of night, waiting at my doorstep. I thought you guys were hurt or something. Anyways, come inside and make yourself at home. And welcome to my home, well temporary home but home nevertheless." She said welcoming us both idiots into her house.

It wasn't very large but not very small. Just gave away the comfy, warm feeling. Knowing Ian as he is, he dragged himself and took a seat at the couch. Typical.

I hesistantly took a seat next to him and maybe Lia saw it.

"Guys, its my home so no need to be all hesitant and formal but Ian you put your legs on the table, I will castrate you!" She threatened Ian who simply chuckled.

Now that we were all settled with pizza and cold drinks, I saw a very excited Allison running to the television.

"Please Alice! Not 'The Notebook'......you have seen it a thousands times. I even remember all the dialogues. Lets watch something like 'Mr and Mrs Smith'. That shit is awesome....." So I see we are at an impasse here but Alice wasn't backing down and neither was Ophelia.

"Oh come on Lia. It's a good movie. It's lovely. I don't know why you hate it?"

And Ian had to agree. "Yeah.....I have seen it once long back. It's a good movie. What is your problem?"

A very irritated but smug Lia looked at him. "Dude, I don't hate it! But you are watching it with Allison Martin. The Allison Martin. You surely don't' know the consequences but you know what, lets make you suffer today. You get your ass next to Allison and I can sit with Stel. Now she is your responsibility." Ian shrugged off and went to take a seat muttering something like 'wasn't that the plan'. And he said he was immune to ladies. Dumbass.

A very smug looking Ophelia came and sat next to me as Alice started the movie and we ate the pizza in silence with only the voice of the characters.

"You have watched it too many times, haven't you?" I whispered to a now bored looking Lia.

"Don't even ask. We argue, we watch it, she cries, I silently laugh, I give her tissues and then she cries again because she can't have a freaking Ryan Gosling. She is going to be the death of me. You tell me, have you watched the film?"

"I have....I guess twice maybe. With my sisters Natalie and Lillian, my younger sister. Then once with my brother Cole, because Natalie thinks its neceeassary for a guy to watch the movie to be a true man."

"Isn't he like 10 years old? A man, so soon?" She laughed a little at that.

"Oh you don't know us Walker men, Ophelia. We are a men the day we are born." I said looking all proud and maybe I would have puffed my chest as well.

"Oh really.....but are you sure about your friend there? Its like about time that she starts crying and will need tissue but I am not getting up because....she is his responsibility now. Hah! He will panic.....I am goddamn sure." She said looking mischieviously at Ian and Alice who were now closer to each other, almost holding each other and totally engrossed in a movie. I have ever seen him this concentatred in a movie. Not weird at all!

So we continued watching the ever romantic film with Lia making comments here and there making me laugh and totally spying on her friends and surprisingly Allison did not cry. Lia was shocked would be an understatemnt. I asked her if she really knew her friend, amused by her shocked face but she just gave a simple reply.

"I know my bestie enough, Stel. I guess she did not cry because she had a Ryan Gosling of her own." She smiled warmly looking at a now cuddling couple. Why the heck are they not making it official?

"But just tell him Stel, a tear from Alice's eyes and he will regret the day he was born." She said giving me her glare.

"Aye aye captain!" and so we laughed.

Finally the movie was over and we were ready to get back home. It wasn't office night but still we needed to leave, much to Ian's dismay. What else did he want?

"So, I guess we did enjoy the night. You can come some other time as well. Just tell me in advance so that I don't have to share my pizza!" One thing was for sure that Lia hated sharing food. So we stood up but I could see the sadness in both, Alice's and Ian's eyes. They hid it well, but maybe me and Lia had good eyes.

And maybe Lia hated seeing her bestie sad too much...

"You guys can stay if you want to. I mean its late and I have two rooms. You both take the guest room and we girls can sleep in my room. And don't look at me like that Ian, I am an awesome friend!" She chuckled as she went to lock the doors and set all the rooms. Those two could talk alone so while Lia went to the bedrooms, I sauntered to the many photographs on her wall, watching Lia's parents, Alice's parents and their friends. They sure looked happy.

"You look nothing like your parents." I told Lia as I could feel her presence behind me.

"Oh! I get that a lot and I know Alice looks just like her mother. They both are very pretty and lets not talk about Alex's beauty. He has major ego problems reagarding it." She said with a small but sad smile.

"You miss your family, don't you? You miss them a lot."

"Of course I do, Stel! You would too but my parents always wanted me to do what I want. Chase things in life and so whenever I felt homesick, they would just boost me up. I could not have better parents. Plus, I have a family here too. I have Allison, my various friends at office, books and Bella, the coffee shop girl, we have actually become pretty close you know. Then there are other friends and Ms. Kelly who treats everyone like a family and then there is Ian and you. Aren't you all?" She turned towards me with a little comfort, little warmth, little sadness and a little happiness.

"Always...."I said looking into her eyes and then so she introduced me to all her family at Crystal Lake before we all retired to bed.

I have this weird habit of waking up at the middle of night to fetch a glass of water. Even if I am dead tired, I would still wake up at night to have this glass. Now normal people would just put a jug on their bedside or something but me....I just want to cruise all around my house to have water. It's kind of weird if you ask me but I have always been this way. Can't change that now. I don't know how many times I have scared my siblings when they come to the kitchen to find a half asleep brother raiding the kitchen. Yeah, that's me. So again I found my way to the kitchen because the house wasn't that big. I quit my room carefully, not waking anyone up but stopped dead in my trackes as I saw Lia near the dining table with a canvas in front, brush in hand and a whole lot of colours on the table as she sat on a stool.

I slowly walked towards her trying to look what she actually was doing. She might have heard me as she turned around, finding me staring at her.

"Oh Stellan! You still awake or did the lights wake you up?" She asked diverting her attention back to the canvas which was covered with a picture of a rainy day with figures under umbrella. Even though it was blurry now because she still had to work on it, it still looked very pretty. Very, very good.

"No I just wanted a glass of water so I woke up." I said finding myself a glass of water and just stood there for a few seconds, watching her working on her art.

"Ask the question you are dying to ask, Walker." So she caught me, again!

"You paint?"

"Well, as you can see, I do. Its actually one of my many hobbies which I do in free time."

"But this isn't free time. 3 AM in the morning is not a free time..."

"Yeah.....but I haven't painted in awhile because of the busy schsdule. And I suddenly wanted to paint....inspiration you could say. I love rain so why not draw it. It's still work in progress though..."

"It is but it still looks every bit classy and beautiful!"

"Well thank you Stellan!" She looked at me for a moment and then back to the masterpiece.

"So what are your other hobbies?" She suddenly lowered her hands and turned towards me. I really hadn't asked anything wrong, had I? But she looked as if I asked something related to national security.

"Is it my last day on earth?" She asked very coolly. What the hell?! No, of course not!

"What are you taking about....no! Obviously NO!"

"Is it your last day on earth?" What is up with her?

"No Ophelia....I am not dying and neither are you..." She wasn't, was she? And suddenly I was all worried up. But a flashy smile from her and I knew it was alright.

"Yeah it isn't.....so what's the hurry! We have a long way to go so wait Stellan Walker. Patience is a virtue. You will get to know about me and my hobbies with time. Like you saw me painting today, maybe tomorrow you might find me skinning boys alive." And I think my eyes just sprang out of my eye socket! Skinning boys alive, and of course she burst into laughter.

"Oh my god! Your face Stellan...should have looked at yourself...DAMN.....don't worry..... you wont find me skinning boys, tomorrow or never...... But you wont see it, that doesn't mean...... that I wont do it." And the mischievious hazel eyes were back to which I have grown so familiar. I just chuckled too.

"So can I sit here or I am like, distrubing you...I can leave but I would like to see an artist paint!" I asked a little reluctantly.

" You sure you wanna see me paint and not stare at me?" The smirk of hers. I just shook my head with clear amusement but I did want to see her work because no one in our family was a painter and I personally sucked at it. But, maybe I just wanted to stare at her, at the way she held the brush like it was a part of her hand, gliding it slowly along the canvas with calm and stable hands, without a sound but just her own breathing amd humming.

"You can stay if you want to. I don't really have a problem because back at home, I had to paint with Alex singing in his horrible voice but you won't do that and you have good voice too, don't you?  And if you are, make yourself useful as well. Get me the red paint there."  And so I did.

She was painting but at the same time struggling with her very long hair. She flipped them once but hair are stubborn. Ask me, I have braided Lillian's hair. And it wasn't very pretty.

"Stel, look in that drawer there might be a hair tie." As she told me to do so, I searched my pockets and produced a hairtie for her. She looked confused and amused at the same time.

"Please don't tell me your secret business is selling hairties!" And that ought to bring a laugh out of me.

"No! Its just that my sisters have long hair and once we were at some walk or something and Nat's hair got all out of place and so she asked for a hair tie. Of course, I won't have one but she being the girl she is, scolded me all day and stopped talking. Don't even ask why, I don't even know myself. So after that, I carried atleast one hair tie because she can go mad anytime and she did but thank the lords I had the hairtie and then Lillian grew up and even she encouraged me too. So yeah, I carry around hair ties. Don't tell Ian though!" He will tease the life out of me and I waited for her to laugh but she smiled.

"You are a very caring big brother then. But why do I feel that you are tormented by all the women at your house....but you take everything with dignity!"

"Well, they are family. I could do anything for them and that's just a hair tie plus if it stops getting Nat all mad and crazy, I can keep them all! She becomes really dangerous when angry, so does Lillian!"

"You know what, I already wonder why you don't have a girlfriend....I mean I think you are an awesome guy." And it all went silent. She stiffened a bit with a change in the air, probably thinking that she hit the wrong chord.

"I...I am...sorry....its just I said it in a flow...."and I did not even hear rest of the apology. It wasn't her fault so there was no use getting angry on her but it still did hurt.

" And I thought I found an awesome girl. But I guess I just thought...." I lightly whispered. And I just kept looking at the floor for a few seconds until I felt her lightly nugging me out of my trance. She had set the paints and paint brush aside. She wasn't looking pitiful or anything else but just sad and that was better than pity. She didn't say anything but just looked at me.

I couldn't really tell her. Could I?

I mean it's not like a top secret thing.....people know about but Lia being Lia, just doesn't pay attention to all that stuff. I just....didn't do anything. Maybe we should end this here. It's not like she would enjoy listening my crappy story.

"Ah....leave it! I just was not in my sense. Its actually nothing big. So tell me, what are you painting.....?" I said as I looked back at the painting. She didn't say anthing for a few moments before picking up the brush and started working.

The room was heavy with tension. I didn't even look at her now. It wasn't her problem but I knew, once I looked at her, I would confess my darkess secrets, not like I have any and the deepest of fears. She didn't say anyhting as I continued to nibble on my lips and think about how to get over this freaking tension. Maybe I should walk away, let her work with peace. Yeah! That could work.

Real smooth Stellan.

But I didn't have to do anything much as she voiced her thoughts.

"You know Stel, when you fill a glass with water, you try that it carry's the most water it can but at some time its filled and then it all brims out. Just like that, our hearts are those glass, for memories and emotions, both happy and sad. But again, at some point it all starts brimming out and my mom always says that when words start slipping out and you don't want them to, then your heart there is now tired and you need to let it all out. Not because you need to but because you want to. To share some pain with the ones willing too. Humanity is not dead yet and I am not forcing anything on you Stel,  but I am always here...." She said, finally putting her brush down and turning towards me to look at me with those hazel, brown eyes. And just with the way she said it all....it all sounded calming in itself.

Ophelia had the 'come and confide in me' vibes. Its not something she forced but it merely happened. Its not really hard to tell that this girl carries a lot of secrets, some of others and maybe some of her own. Because there are times when she fades away and speaks as if she is miles away from here. You might not notice it. Alice might but she tries the best to not disturb her, probably because she knows much more than me.

But right now, as the brunette looked at me, I had just one thought.

I knew I could tell her. I knew I could.

Sure, many people knew about her and what she said but I rarely shared my side of feelings. Not because I felt weak but because I thought it didn't matter but sitting here with Ophelia, I felt like it all mattered. And so I let her know. Because maybe she deserved to know or maybe I just wished her to know.

Hi guys.....
Busy life, freaky life.....
I am literally dying because of my procrastination. But you get an update!

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And thank you for reading.
Bye!