154. Peace Of Mind IV.
Kim Teho
End of the last school year
After a delicious lunch with the whole family, Teho rested for a while. Laying down and looking at the ceiling, purely turning off his brain.
In the end, he packed his camera and went out to work. Clothed in a loose black sheen shirt, adding a dark red fluffy sweater to his bag.
Just in case I hung out again at some dark, moist, cold places.
The sun shone brightly as the summer was already there in its full intensity so he put on a hefty load of sunscreen, so as to not ruin the caramel tone of his skin. He thought of the upcoming trip.
...
"Please tell me you'll be free," Rupi tried to clarify with him during lunch. "I already paid every expense in advance."
Mum furrowed her brow at him.
"Alright, I'm almost done with this semester, you're lucky. A few weeks earlier and you'd be going alone. Why couldn't you wait until I'm free at last?" Rupi looked into her bowl like she didn't hear the question.
"She'll be off to the mountains the whole summer with her boyfriend," their mother explained and Rupi shot her an embarrassed look.
Mum, no.
"Wait, wait, wait... what!?" Teho put his hands up, astounded.
"End of discussion, we'll go tomorrow." Rupi took the rest of her meal away, where she wouldn't be interrogated while mum smiled.
Teho drank water to cool down from the shock.
"Did you know about this?" He asked Kyuri.
"I'm not a snitch," she said in a mocking tone.
"The girls in this household have a nerve, really," he mumbled to himself.
Kyuri petted his shoulder. "You still love me right, oppa?" Teho's heart melted.
Yes. I do.
...
The night was rough on him. The restless boy kept waking up, anxious but excited nonetheless. Wandering through the dark house, observing the moonlight, making a shadowplay in the interior just for him, Teho sat down on the cold floor looking at the rays of pale blue absentmindedly.
What is life about?
His sleepy, tired mind ran its course. Confused by this raw thought, which chilled him to the bone, he finally, uncomfortably drifted to sleep, the cold floor making his muscles stiff.
...
The vivid pink light of the upcoming dawn colored his hair when Rupi gently woke him up.
"Rise and shine."
She was already clothed, and both backpacks were neatly prepared by the door. She handed Teho a bowl with warm rice, egg, and vegetables. The delicious smell of the food made his stomach hurt with hunger, and his body contorted, every muscle screaming for help.
"What time is it?" he managed to ask, barely enunciating.
"Almost time to go," Rupi answered. "You'll have 40 minutes to eat, shower, and get dressed, will it be enough?"
His eyes opened like a kitten's, almost an unmanageable task to do. His hair was messed up more than usual, his fringe sticking to the side. Rupi put the first bite to his mouth, handed him chopsticks, and left, checking everything up again. Teho used all of his energy to get ready on time, yawning in the process.
...
The exhausted boy sleepwalked to the train station, crushed by the unfamiliar weight of his bag.
I'll for sure die.
He didn't remember how he got to his seat at all. Three-hour ride flew by and when he woke up, his neck was a little stiff.
"Tss," he hissed with pain, rubbing the overslept skin.
Rupi was up, reading a book, sipping coffee from her black thermos. Her eyes moved upwards from the text when her brother lamented. She threw muscle-easing cream at him.
"It'll help, you'll see, princess."
Teho put the lotion on the painful spot, waiting. It heated up fairly quickly. Loosening the sore muscle a bit and after a while, he finally could slowly move his head.
"Great start," he said, accepting a cup of scorching hot coffee.
"Careful, don't spill it, I don't wanna rush you to the hospital," she playfully mocked his annoyed mood.
The sweet, almond milk and cinnamon-flavored coffee brought Teho to life.
How do you do that?" he asked randomly.
"Do what?" Rupi gave him her full attention, putting the book back in her backpack.
"Oh sorry, brain malfunction," he laughed.
"How do you stay this fresh?" Teho clarified after a minute of painful thinking while Rupi laughed at him.
"Easy, I'll get to bed early and wake up without any problems." She smiled. "We're almost there." She went up to the window, rolling it down with force.
Teho looked out, seeing the mountains closer, their tops sparkling in a morning golden light.
Wau.
😳 Author's corner 😊
Do you like to hike?
...
🎨Illustrations of each chapter are available on my Wattpad acc, AO3 acc -klubickoArt