章節 47: That Sweet Smile

Shaun headed upstairs as soon as he reached home. He put his bag down and slid down behind the door.

The dim surroundings of his personal space welcomed him. The blinds on the window were still rolled down. The bed was a mess, like he went out this morning. He's used to cleaning his room alone, so no one from the maids fixed it for him.

After a minute, he stood up and picked up his bag. He threw it somewhere near the closet and dropped his body on the bed.

The ticking clock and the empty atmosphere comforted him for a while. He sighed and stared at the ceiling. He extended his hands as if he's reaching something in the air. The moment he entered his room, he knew that everything would never go back to how it used to be.

He closed his eyes and started to feel his heavy eyelids.

"Shaun?"

That sweet voice tickled his ears. It's recognizable yet so foreign, like flames in the middle of the ocean. It's been ages since he heard that voice. Maybe it's only his imagination that's playing with him.

"Shaun, how are you?"

It goes again, sending some jolts in his system. A languid smile spread across his face the moment he recalled a glimpse of his memory in the past.

It was the first time he met her. She has long black hair touching her shoulders down. Cheerful eyes you will never get tired of looking at.

Just like the daisies in the field, she wore the sweetest smile. Every time she will call his name, Shaun will feel this unexplainable feeling mixing inside him.

Shaun remembered the time he spent with her. It was the last day of the exam. He went to the familiar convenience store blocks away from school.

"Welcome!" that sweet voice from the counter greeted him. Shaun nodded his head and waved his hands towards the pretty lady, who seemed to be the cashier.

"Band aids and alcohol please…add some gauzes too,"

The lady gazed at him in confusion. She paused and raised one of her brows. "Are you a medicine student? You're always buying the same every other day." She turned around and opened the cabinet behind her.

She placed a box of band aids and gauze on the counter and a small bottle of alcohol, then she calculated everything. "Shouldn't you be going to the drugstore to buy medicines too?" she asked again.

Shaun lifted his gaze from his wallet and read her name tag. "I'm not a medicine student, Miss Anna," he replied. "..But I have a very stubborn patient,"

Anna snorted a chuckle. "It must be hard for you. You can't understand patients sometimes. I agree that they're stubborn," she put everything in the bag and stated the price.

Shaun swiped his card for payment. He took the bag and said his thanks. "Thank you, I will surely come again." He was about to walk away when the cashier called him again.

"Do you want a discount card?" She pulled the drawers and picked out a brown card with the store name. "It will help you for sure since you are a student," she added.

Shaun halted. He went back to the counter and took the card. "Thank you, Miss Anna," he said with a smile.

The lady nodded her head and smiled, too. "Mind telling me your name?" she shrugged her shoulders comfortably, waiting for an answer.

The young guy felt obligated. He already knew her name from her name tag, so giving out his name won't hurt his pride, right?

"My name is Shaun," he bowed. "Nice to meet you, Miss Anna,"

The next Thursday, the young man came into the convenience store again, but this time, he's frowning really hard that his eyebrows were almost touching his nose.

He went to the counter and, as usual, ordered the same things.

"You look terrible, Shaun," Anna teased him while putting everything in the bag. The moment he entered the store, she already knew what he was going to buy.

"It's because I want to scold someone today. He is so stubborn!" he firmly said, taking out his card along with the discount card. He put it on the counter. "Today, I found a cigarette bud inside the bag he borrowed from me. How many times have I already told him to stay away from that gang outside the school?" he continued complaining.

After telling their names that day, the two of them got a little closer. Shaun mentioned his brother to the lady and complained about how stubborn he was every time.

"What did you do? Did you scold him?" she asked, swiping the cards this time.

"Of course I didn't..I don't want to pressure him. It's troubling me every night that I can't enjoy my games anymore.." Shaun sighed and rubbed his face.

Why would he scold Sean? He couldn't even bring himself to face his brother while he's angry. It's because he didn't want to put any pressure on him. Sean lived alone and away from his father all his life, so at least Shaun wanted him to lean on his younger brother just this time.

"It seems like you are the older one now. I bet he's really childish," Anna said again, handing the bag to the young man.

Shaun raised his eyes and observed the lady. "Miss Anna, how old are you?" he asked.

Anna gasped lightly, "Do I look that old to you? I'm just in my teens, like you," she answered, wanting to smack the boy.

"But at least you're at your legal age, right? Since you are working here," Shaun put the cards back on his wallets. "Don't you go to school?" he asked.

Anna knew that Shaun had no other intention behind that question, so she answered it. "I have some personal problems."

Shaun was slightly taken aback. "Sorry, I don't have any other intentions in asking you that," he explained himself.

"And I'm not asking for your explanations, either. We're good buddies, right?" The lady pulled a chair and went back to what she was doing. She opened the notes and started scribbling something.

"What are you writing?" Shaun got intrigued, so he leaned closer.

Anna smirked, "I am doing some self study. Don't you know that I'm an honor student?" She proudly showed the books to the young man.

"Do you want an extra job?" Shaun blurted out unconsciously that it surprised him too. However, before he could take it back, Anna replied.

"You want me to tutor you?...Sure, it's not a big deal,"

The young man shook his head. "Not me, my b-brother. Those books were the same as his." Shaun replied.

Anna giggled, "Then I will assume that we are the same age, right?" she flipped another page. "You don't need to pay me. Consider this as a freebie for buying and talking to me every day…I don't really have friends, you know,"

Hearing that he was considered a friend, Shaun blushed. It was surprising.

The lady stood up. "Why are you blushing?" she leaned closer and pinched the young man's cheeks. "Hey kiddo, I am your big sister too.." she teased.

Shaun rubbed his cheeks the moment Anna let go. "Do you want to visit my school, then? Like…this Friday? My brother stays longer on Friday, so I will manage to drag him somewhere," he explained.

Anna checked the calendar at the back of her notebook. "Hmm…let's see my schedule.." It took her a second before looking back at Shaun. "Sure! I have a longer afternoon break. I will go,"

"Really?!" Shaun suddenly brightened up. Finally, another human being is willing to give his brother hope.

The lady nodded her head and clenched her fist up, "Let's knock some sense to your brother this Friday, okay?" then she winked.

And just like that, Shaun exited the convenience store with a smile on his face.