Two heartbroken buddies

Jason's pov :

"I promise you that I'll never let her feel alone and I'll give her all the happiness," I tried to assure Ben and after all, that's what I wanted, too. I wanted my girl to be happy.

"Don't forget this promise! And don't repeat what you did today because I will never let you even see Lily if you'll behave like an asshole again!" His eyes were showing the intensity of his words. He threatened me like an elder brother was supposed to do.

My tongue couldn't resist saying what I was thinking since I met him. "Um, I was wondering that Lia hates it whenever someone calls her Lily but you call her Lily, and she lets you call by this name. May I know why, please?" My curiosity was at its pinnacle.

Ben grinned as he got me. "Do you know why she doesn't like this name?" He paused and looked at me in expectation of an answer. I shook my head as no and he sighed, "you should know it. She is beautiful but first of all, she is a strong girl. Lily thinks that flowers are supposed to be delicate but she isn't delicate, she is an oaky girl so she doesn't like to be called Lily."

I saw Barbie putting a little bit of the cream on Lia's nose, she was looking cute while giggling. I loved seeing her giggling and listening to her laughing. I was talking to Ben but my eyes were darted on Lia.

He continued, "I call her Lily because it's my favourite flower and she is my favourite person, no one can replace her in my life. And let me remind you for the last time, don't hurt my sister otherwise, I can be a jerk, too!" His eyes held a warning that he could kill me for his sister's sake.

He seemed intimidating whenever he warned me, I wished I could just erase the memory of the last one hour from his mind. It was the first time, I was going to see her family member whom she loved and I fucked up with my first impression.

Embarrassment snapped through my veins, I could behave better but…, all I could do was either regretting or improving. I chose to be a better man, and brother, and a person.

"I can understand your concern, I'll take care of her," I smiled gazing at her, nothing else came out of my mouth because I was not getting the words to tell him that I loved his sister more than him, more than anyone else but I couldn't deny the fact that he was my girlfriend's sister and had been the valuable part of her life since she came into the world.

Fiona embedded the cake on her beautiful face, Lia couldn't help but chuckle after widening her eyes in surprise. George and Alex were drinking the beer together, Theo and Barbie were offering cake to each other while smiling or perhaps blushing, I was unable to decide whether it was a smile or blush!

How could I forget that Barbie had got her freedom and own choices to make her decisions? She could handle her love life, I was nobody to take decisions on behalf of her.

"It's time to hide again in my world, I'll catch my flight and you take care of everyone," Ben yanked my attention from a delighted view where every special person in my life was happy.

"Why? What do you mean by hiding? I can drop you at the airport, let me just inform Lia and grab the keys to my car!" My sanity indicated to me that there was something mysterious about him, he came after two years but didn't meet his family.

He smiled and nodded his head as no, "I'm very bad at saying goodbye! Just take care of my sister!" Before I could insist on dropping him at the airport, he paraded to the door. I realized I was staring at him when he disappeared from my gaze.

Perhaps he didn't like meeting his parents like I didn't like seeing Mrs. Casano. I rolled my eyes at her thought and sighed. I didn't need to think about her after a dramatic day, all I needed was happiness of those people who were having fun in throwing cakes at each other.

I went to Lia and wiped the cream off of her face, "happy birthday, love!" She tamped the cake in my mouth and started giggling. I hugged her from behind, "Ben had left for the airport," I whispered in her ear.

"He again didn't tell me before leaving, I don't know why he always does that, I'm missing him," her lips drooped down in despondency.

I made her look into my eyes, "it's alright, baby! He came here just for you, isn't that enough?" I tried to console her.

"Yes, you are right!" She flashed. "So when are you going to apologise to Barbie?"

"Not now! Because she won't accept my apology that easily but I'll handle it, you don't worry! The first thing I need to know is the feelings of Barbie, she is already dating Derrick," I sighed and looked at them, they were dancing with George and Fiona. Alex was capturing a picture of them.

Lia took my hand in hers, "no one can force anyone to love somebody but all we can do is to try to know and make things clear, right?"

I just nodded, she started walking towards everyone else and I was following her.

I took a deep breath, "Theo, do you like my sister?" It was my time to be a good brother and settle everything down between them.

He smiled and nodded, "I have loved her only and now, I'm not gonna give up on my love."

I patted his shoulder, "I'm sorry for my silly moves, I won't interrupt anything if my sister also likes you but promise me that if she doesn't like you, you won't force her to like you."

When he bobbed in agreement with my words, I peeked at Barbie who was sipping her favourite drink, "Barbie, do you like Theo?"

"No! I don't!" She uttered after tossing it down in her throat. Theo's eyes met with Barbie's eyes and narrowed in suspicion, his lips parted to say something but then, he pressed his lips and turned his gaze at me while smiling.

"Now, you guys sort out your things. We'll go on the walk till Lia's house, her family must be waiting for her, she needs to leave." Barbie suggested so simply as nothing happened but it was hard for Theo to swallow the truth.

Lia came to me, "Barbie is right, I've to go home to explain why Ben didn't meet them and he already escaped from here, too." She hugged Theo and caressed his back to console his broken heart. "Well, it's my wish to see you guys again like before, won't you guys fulfil the wish of a birthday girl?" She eyed everyone.

"We'll but not tonight, I forgot to tell you one thing that I need to leave for Singapore tomorrow, I got selected in a competition so…" Theo emitted and I felt excited about it. He was waiting to get selected in that competition for years, he finally earned the opportunity to bang the world with his dance.

"Congratulations, bro! I'm so happy for you," I hugged him.

"And we'll go to Singapore tomorrow to cheer him up, I'm not asking or requesting, I'm ordering everyone to come along with Theo," Alex pointed his finger towards everyone else.

It was a great idea, it would be so much fun but Barbie…, I wasn't sure if she would come after knowing all the things.

"I won't be able to come tomorrow as the advertisement shoot is not finished yet, I'm sorry, Theo but all the best for the competition!" Barbie gave a tight-lipped smile to Alex and he sighed in disappointment.

"And what about school?" Lia would surely care about the school and study, she was a studious girl. When everyone shot her what-the-heck glares, she giggled. "Okay! Gotcha! We'll have a mini vacation there, okay?"

I chuckled to see her cuteness. Theo didn't say anything but tried to plaster a smile on his tensed face.

Theo was hiding the pain behind that smile while everyone was happy and everything was seeming like before, he wasn't happy because Barbie didn't like him. She was already dating that photographer, I was feeling that Theo was way too better than Derrick but I couldn't force her to like someone.

So I patted his shoulder to console his broken heart, "it's alright, bro! Your dance is also your love, right? At least we are together again, I missed everyone so much!"

Alex and George also loaded their bodies on us and we were enjoying our group hug after a hundred years, that's what it felt like. Even without explaining or saying anything, we were in a group again with two heartbroken buddies.