⌗ 34
third person ✎ᝰ
➸ Wednesday
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Andy takes the stack of neatly piled plates to the kitchen sink and smiles. "Here. I thought I'd help and hand these over to you." Mika smiles back in return and nods her head slightly to say thanks.

She runs the water over the plates. "Thank you. You're more than welcome to take a seat and enjoy yourself." She points to the lounge area where Renz takes comfort on the leather couch. "I'm sure that little miss has something to talk to you about or even a movie." Mika chuckled.

Andy passes her the foam sponge and shakes her head. "I'd feel silly. Surely there's something I can do to help out?" She shifts her gaze towards Riley. "I suppose she helps out often?"

Mika turns her head. "That kid amazes me." Riley wipes the table clean and uses her left hand to catch any crumbs. "She's been over quite a bit since Renz and I took over. Mason's parents are currently on a business trip in the city, took her sister with them. It's just been us three." She explained. "But Riley's over more often than not. Always has something to do whether it be her own little thing or if she reckons we need help she does everything and anything to do so."

There's a smile on Andy's face that forms that she doesn't realise. "You must be quite fond of her, no? Has she always been like that?" Mika wondered. Andy doesn't hesitate to nod at the question. "She must've been lovely growing up."

"Riley's always been a really wonderful person," Andy began. "I don't have one recollection of her where she wasn't super sweet or not helping out. I think she was just born this way." She chuckled. "It's easy to grow fond of her. Even now I realise that she has a way of making people fall for her."

Andy shifts her gaze once more. "She was terrified about moving here. I spent days on the phone with her trying to calm her down—to ease her mind and tell her 'everything's gonna be ok'. She felt really out of place in this new environment and I felt so bad that there was nothing I could quite do to help other than give her words of encouragement." Riley starts packing away the leftovers while Mason puts everything back in order onto the dining table. "Some time passed and she transferred to her school. She called me that night too." Her gaze is solely set on the brunette by the dining room. "Riley told me all about her first day. I was expecting her to come home crying to me like she had been but...it wasn't anything like that."

Andy looks over at Mason. She didn't realise how quiet the latter was. She was simply doing her own little thing while Riley finished up what she was doing. "She told me that there was this girl she'd met. She hadn't mentioned any names. Only that the girl she met was gonna be her tutor. She was the most excited I'd ever heard her since she moved. It's like all her worries washed away the moment she met Mason."

Mika rinses the soapy dishes and places them gently into the drying rack. There's an expression on her face that grabs Andy's attention. "Are you saying that my little girl managed to catch Riley's attention just like that?" She takes the hand towel off the rack and slings it over her shoulder.

Andy immediately nods. "Riley wouldn't stop talking about Mason. It was Mason this and Mason that. It went on for quite some time. It was some what comforting to know that even though she was away from home and everything she's ever known...she finally found a reason to love everything and everyone that was new in her life. Be it the town...the school...the city and even Mason." She points to Mika's cousin. "But most especially Mason. She helped Riley realise that this could be home too."

Mika walks around the kitchen and starts putting away pots and pans. "Hearing this shows me an entirely new perspective on Maisie. I don't even think I can use that actually," She laughed. "Riley made that nickname for Mace. That little one tells me all the damn time that Maisie is just a nickname that Riley can call her." There's an endearing smile on her face that leaves Andy to mirror her exactly. "I'm honestly surprised."

Andy watches the couple from a distance. Mika is beside her doing the same. Mason and Riley are standing under the kitchen lights. The eldest of the two is holding her phone in her hands while Mason is hugging her from behind, chin resting on Riley's shoulder as they giggle amongst themselves—as if they were in their own world.

"About what exactly?"

Mika shrugged her shoulders. "Mace has this thing. I don't know..." She clicked her tongue. "I always figured that she'd find it hard to love and just put herself out there in general."

"It doesn't seem that way." Andy chuckled.

"No it doesn't..." Mika chuckled back. "I was honestly surprised when she told Renz and I that she had feelings for someone. We both had a bet going on how long it'll last. Unfortunately I lost. I figured her crush would only last a couple weeks but..." Her voice fades as she points at them.

"Mason is in love." Andy answered confidently. "And so is she." She watches Riley intently. Her best friend had a smile on her face that somehow made her heart ache. Why? She couldn't quite pin point the reason for the heaviness in her chest. The mere sight of Riley had begun to make her feel sick to her stomach. She felt dizzy.

Andy closes her eyes for a brief moment and grips the kitchen island behind her. "I didn't expect her crush to last that long either." She swallows the lump that formed at the back of her throat. She feels a tension headache begin with tenderness all around her neck and shoulder muscles. Here I go again she wondered.

"Hey Mika um...could I have some water?"

The eldest looks back at her with worry but doesn't take a second longer to fill an empty glass with cold water. "Here. Are you feeling alright?"

Andy takes several deep breaths as she keeps her gaze upon the couple several feet away from her. She couldn't seem to strip away her gaze from Riley. Her presence seemed to be dreadful this time around. Andy was almost bewildered.

She takes a generous gulp of the water and nods several times. "Mmm, that was good. Thank you." She sets the empty glass behind her and diverts her attention to the girl beside her instead.

"Andy." Mika said softly. "Do you like Riley?"