Looking at the handsome young man standing at the doorstep, Elize's eyes lit up with joy.
A brilliant smile spread across her face as she jumped into his arms "Darling!"
She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him like she hadn't seen him in years.
Brandon, though slightly caught off guard by her enthusiasm, let out a soft sigh as he returned the hug.
He felt her familiar warmth as he held her, and for a moment, the stress of the past few hours melted away.
"Aunt Elize," he murmured softly and his eyes closed as he absorbed the comfort of the embrace.
Elize finally pulled back just enough to look at him and playfully pinched his cheek.
"Did you finally find your way back home after being entranced by your Korean girlfriend?"
Brandon chuckled in response, shaking his head at her usual playfulness "Yeah… I finally realized my Aunt is more precious than her."
Hearing this, Elize raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Hm?" She tilted her head slightly. "You broke up with her?"
Brandon's grip on her waist loosened slightly as he let out a weary sigh. "You're sharp with things like this… Yeah, I broke up with her."
For a brief moment, there was silence between them.
Then, without warning, Elize burst out laughing "Pfft… BAHAHAHA!"
Brandon stared at her blankly as she mockingly laughed at him.
"HAHAHAHA!" Elize continued, clutching her stomach as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"What did you say before? 'I love my girlfriend so much… I'm going to live with her in her apartment. She's not like other women.'" She mimicked his tone, dramatically emphasizing each word.
Brandon's lips twitched, and a vein in his temple throbbed in mild frustration.
"Hold on, hold on…" Elize gasped between fits of laughter.
"I just… I can't believe you actually said that back then… Hahahaha…"
"Can you shut up for a moment?" he said, and gave a smack on her butt as her ass rippled.
Elize yelped in surprise. "Ahh!" She rubbed the spot where he had smacked her but didn't stop laughing.
If anything, the ridiculousness of the situation made her laugh harder "Hahaha! Oh my gods, Kael, I missed you!"
Deciding to put an end to her teasing, he crouched slightly and looped his arms around her waist as he lifted her off the ground.
"Waaah!" Elize squealed as he hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of flour.
"Kael! What are you doing?"
With a teasing tone, he replied "Let's see if you can laugh like this while hanging upside down."
Elize pounded her fists lightly against his back, still giggling uncontrollably. "Wait, wait! Hahaha! Put me down, you brute!"
"Not happening," Brandon muttered as he carried her across the threshold and into the house.
The familiar scent of lavender and baked goods hit him instantly, and he felt an odd sense of peace returning.
This house had always been a sanctuary for him, even during his rebellious phases.
No, It wasn't the house... it was the warmth that Elize brought to it.
Still dangling over his shoulder, Elize finally calmed down enough to speak between breaths. "Okay, okay, you win. Put me down before."
Brandon chuckled but gently lowered her to the floor.
Elize stumbled slightly before regaining her balance and her cheeks were flushed from laughing too hard.
"Geez," she muttered, brushing imaginary dust off her casual clothes.
They stood in comfortable silence for a moment before Elize's expression softened.
She reached out and gently touched his arm. "Joking aside, are you okay? You look… tired."
Brandon hesitated, unsure how much to say. "I don't know, Aunt Elize. It's just been a rough day."
Elize's eyes looked at his face, understanding without him needing to explain further. "Well, you're home now. We'll get through it."
"Mhm..."
With a nod, she patted his head "Rest a bit, I will prepare the dinner for you..."
As she spoke, she turned around and left for the kitchen.
Looking at her back, Brandon took a deep breath 'I hate this...'
He clenched his jaw, trying to keep the unwanted thoughts from taking root.
'I went to live with Yeon thinking that if I distanced myself from Aunt Elize, the feelings I have for her would diminish.'
'But now that I see her… Ahhh… Why is she so fricking beautiful?'
Though he called her "Aunt," Elize wasn't his blood relative.
She was his late mother's closest friend. When his mother passed away, Elize stepped in without hesitation.
She had raised him with care and patience.
She was his anchor during the times of his adolescence, the person who saw him at his weakest yet never judged or pitied him.
But somewhere along the way, as he grew older, the bond between them had shifted... at least for him.
What started as admiration and gratitude had deepened into something more complicated.
He didn't know when it had begun, but he knew he couldn't stop it.
'I tried to bury my feelings…' Brandon thought, pressing his palm to his forehead in frustration.
'I thought if I moved out, if I dated Yeon, I could suppress it. I thought being in love with someone else would make it go away.'
But even Yeon, with all her charm and beauty, couldn't fill the void that Elize occupied in his heart.
And now that Yeon was gone, the emotions he had tried so desperately to bury were surfacing again.
'Whenever I see her…'
Elize's laughter from the kitchen floated down the hallway.
She was probably humming to herself as she prepared dinner... a habit she had picked up over the years.
It was such a small, simple thing, but to him, it was one of the most comforting sounds in the world.
'Haa… This sucks.'
There was no one he could talk to about this—not even Riven, who knew almost everything else about him.
He couldn't imagine telling anyone about the emotions that filled his heart whenever he thought of Elize.
Because he knew, deep down, that Elize would be disappointed if she ever found out.
She had always treated him with nothing but kindness and respect.
To her, he was family.. a boy she had watched grow into a man.
She had no idea that his feelings for her had crossed a line that should never have been crossed.
Brandon sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned against the doorframe.
He could hear the sound of pots and pans clinking in the kitchen and the scent of something delicious already beginning to waft through the air.
'Well, fuck it...'
With a sigh, he walked back to his room upstairs.
His room, tucked away at the end of the hallway, had been exactly as he left it... simple, with a neatly made bed, a desk that still held a few old sketchbooks, and a window that overlooked the front garden.
The faint scent of lavender, a smell Elize always loved to infuse into the house, lingered in the air.
He closed the door softly behind him and let out a long, tired sigh.
Stripping off his clothes, he grabbed a towel from the nearby hook and headed to the adjoining bathroom to wash off the sweat.
---
Wearing white t-shirt and black shorts he stepped down the stairs and saw that Elize is still cooking in the kitchen.
Elize peeked out from the kitchen and smiled "Wait dear... Dinner will get ready in a few minutes."
Nodding his head, he entered the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
The fuck? Brandon blinked in confusion.
The shelves were packed with alcohol.
Dozens of beer bottles lined the top shelf.
Vodka, wine, and even a few bottles of whiskey took up the lower shelves.
There wasn't much room for anything else and there are only a few stray apples and a carton of milk pushed to the back.
"Don't tell me," he said, turning to look at Elize with raised eyebrows. "You were drinking even more after I left?"
Elize turned to him with an amused chuckle, wiping her hands on a dish towel.
"Yeah. Well, you left me all alone. I had to find some way to pass the time."
Brandon gave her a deadpan look "You really went all out."
Elize gestured toward the counter "The water's up there if you still want it."
Brandon grabbed a bottle and twisted the cap off, taking a long gulp as the cool liquid soothed his throat.
Elize leaned against the counter, crossing her arms as she watched him "Oh yeah, we can drink later tonight to celebrate your breakup."
Brandon almost choked on his water "Celebrate my breakup? Really?"
With a giggle, Elize replied "What? It's a good excuse. You're finally free from that girl. I say that's worth raising a glass or two."
He shook his head, but a small, reluctant smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "You're unbelievable."
"Come on, Kael," she teased, using the nickname she'd given him years ago.
"You need to loosen up. You've been moping since the moment you walked through that door."
"Moping is a strong word..." he muttered.
"Sulking, then."
"I'm not sulking either."
Elize arched an eyebrow "Brooding?"
"Now you're just throwing out synonyms."
Letting out a chuckle, Elize spoke "We are surely having drinks later..."
"Oh by the way, Charlotte is coming back today."
WHAT?
Brandon was startled to hear this. She is coming today?