Aravella Celestine Dwayne's Point of View
I went home that afternoon, singing my favourite tune under my breath, the familiar rhythm lightening my steps. Right when I entered through the door, Dylan started running toward me, encircling my waist with his arms. His touch was warm—so warm.
"Hey, Dylan, are you okay?" I asked, gently placing my hand on his forehead. A wave of worry befell me. "You're burning up."
He sniffled and gave a small shrug. "Where’s Dad and Mom?"
I glanced at the clock, realizing they were still at work. "Not home yet," I said, brushing his unruly hair from his sweaty forehead.
He shuffled on his feet, casting his eyes down to the floor. "I didn't want to disturb Caspian because he's with his friend… vibing or whatever. And I don't want the nanny to babysit me. So, I waited for whoever came in first."
lightly, I blew out a sigh. Dylan has always hated to be fussed over by anyone other than me or Caspian. "Alright, but I have to talk to Caspian, anyway?"
He nodded weakly. I knelt down and scooped him up in my arms. I was surprised at how light he was for his height. He clung on to me, his head on my shoulder. I headed to the balcony where Caspian sat chatting with one of his friends.
I opened the sliding door using my foot. "Caspian!" I said. "Dylan has a fever."
Caspian turned to us, and for a second, a flutter of concern flickered in his eyes. "What? Is it terrible?"
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Before I could get a word out, my gaze went sliding to the person sitting next to him. My heart skipped a beat because I knew the face. It was Clementine. I breathed his name under my breath, though Dylan, still snugged in my arms, was the only one who heard it.
Caspian sprang to his feet. "I'll get the medicine and a basin of cold water. Back in a minute."
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As Caspian went inside, Clementine stood and walked towards me, hands loosely stuffed into his pockets. "Hey. Need any help?"
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I offered him a politely cheerful smile, adjusting Dylan slightly in my arms. "Thanks, but Dylan doesn't really like being held by new people. He's pretty picky about stuff like that."
Dylan looked up at me and nodded weakly, his face crushed against my shoulder.
 Clementine laughed softy to himself, his eyes warm and easy. "I wish I'd had a sister to look out for me like that when I was growing up."
 I hummed a small laugh. "Yeah, well, siblings have their own nightmares; it's not all hugs and fevers."
He looked out over the railing of the balcony. "Still. I think I'd like the good bits."
He leaned against the railing, gazing out into nothingness. The quiet was so thick between us that the chirping of birds from the treetops filled the air. The hum of cars driving by and the rustle of leaves danced through it. In all that noise and sound, there was space.
You know," Clementine said after a beat, "you're really good with him. Not everybody has the patience."
I looked down at Dylan, who was beginning to nod off against me. "He's a handful sometimes, but he is my handful, isn't he? It's hard to explain, but.I don't mind about him."
---
Clementine's smile softened. "That's a nice way to put it."
Before I could continue, Caspian returned with a bottle of medicine and a basin of cold water. "Here, let me take over."
I settled Dylan back onto the couch, trying not to jiggle him too much; Caspian started dabbing at his forehead with a wet cloth.
Clementine dawdled by the door-a little unsure as to whether he should be getting out of there or staying put. "You good?" he asked, switching his focus between Caspian and me.
"Yeah, we're good," I said to him with a small smile, gesturing him on. "Thanks though."
He nodded slightly, never taking his hands out of his pockets. "Okay. Okay, I'll get going. See you later, Ara."
The way he said my name – hushed, languid, as if savoured on the tongue – gave me a fluttering sensation to my chest, but before I could analyze and worry, he was gone already opening the door for himself.
It was only when the door had shut behind him that Caspian stretched out an amused grin on his face. "So. Clementine, huh?"
I rolled my eyes at him. "Not now, Caspian."
He laughed, but did any more. He just focused on cooling Dylan down, giving me time to sort through the sudden whirl of emotions that Clementine's unannounced arrival had stirred up within me.
"How is Dylan?" I breathed softly, sitting beside Caspian.
"He'll be okay," Caspian whispered, pressing the cool cloth against Dylan's forehead. "Needs rest."
Dylan stirred weakly, his eyes fluttering open for a brief moment. "Ara." he mumbled sleepily.
"Yeah, buddy?" I whispered, smoothing his hair back.
"Don't tell Clementine I was sick. He doesn't need to know I'm weak," Dylan mumbled, his words slurring again as he drifted off once more.
I smiled softly, a warmth building in my heart. "Okay, I won't tell him. It's our little secret. But it's pretty obvious," I chuckled.
Caspian chuckled under his breath. "That kid really looks up to you."
I slumped into the cushions of the couch, feeling a weird mix of fatigue and contentment. "I guess I'm just that good."
Caspian snorted. "Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."
I tried not to tell myself, but Clementine was still niggling at the back of my head—it was like a song that I couldn't get out of my head.
---
THE DINNER WITH CLEMENTINE
A little while later that night the sound of the lock on the front door seemed reassuringly familiar. Mom and Dad stumbled in, their tired faces lighting up at the sight of us. Mom smoothed out that errant strand of hair behind her ear, and Dad relaxed his tie and started searching the room for Dylan.
"We're home, kiddos!" Mom called out warmly. "How's everyone?"
I sat up straight from the couch and pulled the blanket up over Dylan, who was quiet now and sleeping soundly. "Busy. But.Dylan's not feeling very well-he's running a fever."
Dad furrowed his brow and knelt beside Dylan, his hand gently resting against his child's forehead. "Poor kid. Did he eat anything?"
"Not much," I admitted. "But we gave him some medicine, and Caspian helped with the cold compress."
"Good job, Ara," Mom said with a smile, brushing over my shoulder affectionately. Then her gaze shifted to the balcony door, where Caspian was leaning against the railing. "Who's that with Caspian?"
I felt suddenly self-conscious. "That's Clementine. He was hanging out with Caspian when I got home."
Dad traded an amused look with Mom. "Should we invite him to stay for dinner?"
Before I could even attempt to get a word out, Mom was nodding, already agreeing with me. "Absolutely. It's getting late, and he's probably starving."
My chest fluttered at the same moment my heart did, for I stepped out onto the balcony, where Clementine was swinging dully in the porch swing. In dim light from the house, his face became softly aglow, and he lifted his eyes as I came toward him, the soft smile curling around his lips.
""Hey," I said, awkwardly shoving my hands into my pockets. "Uh, my parents wanted to know if you'd like to stay for dinner."
He raised one eyebrow in surprise, but the smile never wavered. "Oh? Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."
I shook my head quickly. "You're not intruding. It's just dinner."
He chuckled softly. "Well, if it's just dinner, I'd be happy to stay."
We walked into the house. My parents were sitting inside as usual, beaming with their usual warm smiles.
"Ah, so you must be Clementine," Dad said stepping forward and handing out a handshake. "I am Derek Dwayne, and this is my wife, Hannah."
"Good meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Dwayne," replied Clementine shaking Dad's hand firmly.
"Just Derek and Hannah," Mom said sweetly. "We're so glad you could make it to our little soiree tonight."
Before you knew it, the dinner table was set with all this food — steaming portions of sinigang in large bowls, garlic fried rice, and grilled tilapia. The comforting smell went through the room and immediately made my stomach groan.
"Sit, sit!" Mom said, nudging her toward a chair. "We don't do fancy dinners around here, but I hope you'll enjoy it."
"I'm sure I will," Clementine said warmly as he settled across from me.
Conversation was so smooth that we could easily have dinner. Mom inquired with Clementine if he had some plans, and did he work part time to save for college.
"That is quite impressive," Dad nodded in accord. "It takes discipline to plan ahead like that."
Through dinner, Clementine was correct and interested, answering easily to their questions and recounting trivial stories. One may quite see why Caspian should enjoy him. And by the look that my parents exchanged with one another, one might think they did as well.
Mom turned to Clementine at one point with warm smile. "You should visit more often. It's always nice to have company."
She gave me a quick look, then smiled back at her before she said, "I think I just might take you up on that."
After dinner was over, Clementine helped me clear the table, again over my objections.
"You really don't have to," I told him as we stood side by side at the sink.
He grinned. "I know. But I want to."
Doing the dishes with Clementine felt oddly. ordinary. Like we'd been doing this forever, even though we were only doing it for the first time.
We sat with my family in the living room when we finished the dishes. Dylan was awake but still snuggled up under the blanket, still bad enough with a fever, just low-key enough.
Clementine waved at him happily. "Feeling better, little man?"
"Yeah. Thanks for being here," Dylan said, nodding slowly.
Anytime, buddy."
As the night wore down, Mom and Dad thanked Clementine for joining us, insisting he come by again soon. Caspian walked him to the door, but just before Clementine stepped outside, he turned back to me with a smile.
"Thanks for having me over, Ara. Dinner was great."
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"Anytime," I replied, meaning it more than I expected.
And with that, Clementine disappeared into the cool of the night, leaving Caspian to stroll back into the living room. And there he was - grinning up at me like a huge dope, a teasing look plastered all over his face.
"So. Clementine, huh?" he teased, waggling his eyebrows.
Ugh. I groaned and threw a pillow at him. "Not you too!"
Caspian caught the pillow easily and grinned more. "What? Mom and Dad already like him. You might want to hang on to that one."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't squelch the smile that spread across my face. Maybe Clementine was a friend for now, but something made me think I shouldn't expect much.
"Beat it, Caspian," I grunted under my breath, but my brother laughed and started walking away. He left me standing there, alone with this hollow flutter in my chest -- a feeling I couldn't quite place.