Rhianne is in a good mood when she wakes up. Her mother cooked her favorite chocolate pancakes and topped them with fresh strawberries and chocolate whip cream. The look that Francis gave to her is full of silent criticism on the number of sweets she consumes every day. But Rhianne pretended she did not notice his gaze and proceed on enjoying her sweet breakfast.
Her father announced that he drives her to their school today. He mentioned their meeting location today is near their school so he decided to give her a ride and that they can spend more time together. Rhianne knows that her father is busy lately because he is trying to expand their business abroad this year. This will be the last huge project her father will handle for their company before he prepares to pass it on to her brother.
Tim is planning to retire as the CEO of their company next year and he will pass all of his work to Francis. Although he is still in his prime and can still handle everything in their company, Tim still wants to rest and enjoy his life with his family and doing the things he likes. But it does not mean he will dump all the work on his eldest son. Tim will still guide Francis behind the scene and give his insights for the improvement of their company.
When Rhianne heard about his plans, she quickly asked her father to have a date with her. Rhianne grows up closer to her family and she does not feel awkward or shy around them anymore. Tim naturally did not refuse his daughter's request. Her father is not saying anything out loud but Rhianne can tell that he already misses spending quality time with his wife and children.
While Rhianne is busy munching on her chocolate pancake, Francis asked her a sudden question.
"So is he your boyfriend now?"
The pancake that Rhianne is busying munching suddenly gets stuck in her throat. She coughed several times while patting her chest. When the food in her throat finally goes down, Carmie quickly gives her a glass of water and scolded Francis for surprising Rhianne like that.
"What kind of question is that?" Rhianne asked as she looks at her brother with moist eyes.
"A very serious question." Francis replied before reaching for his handkerchief and wiping the unshed tears of his sister. "You and that brat had a date."
"I know." Rhianne admitted.
"Tch."
"Why are you always like that with Keith? He did not do anything wrong to you though."
Francis did not bother answering her question. Rhianne will never understand it. Francis always feels like that brat will snatch her away anytime soon. And besides, he always views Rhianne as someone who is not yet ready for things like that.
He never says it out loud, but Francis always sees Rhianne as a child. He does not want her to get hurt in any possible way. The pool incident that happened four years ago should be the last accident that can hurt his little sister.
Calvin once told him that he is being overly protective towards Rhianne. Believe it or not, Francis is also thinking the same thing. But he cannot just easily erase the dread he felt when Rhianne had an accident and he cannot do anything but wait for his sister to open her eyes again. That incident really woke up his brotherly instincts the most.
"Keith is a good person, brother. You should know it because you are friends with Dr. Calvin." Rhianne said as she slice her pancakes into smaller pieces.
"Are you saying that brat is similar to Calvin?"
"I never said that. Keith is treating me way better than his brother. Dr. Calvin always finds a way to tease me every time we meet."
"And I told you before to hit him on his face if he does that."
"...I am not that violent, brother."
"Then I will just hit him in your stead."
"Hmm..."
"So about that brat..."
"Brother, you should taste it! Mom makes the most delicious chocolate pancake!" Rhianne said as she shoved a huge slice of chocolate pancake in his mouth.
"Rhianne—"
"Delicious, right? Don't worry. I am too kind to give you another slice of pancake!"
Carmie and Tim look at each other before shaking their heads. It is obvious to the three of them that Rhianne is still not ready to talk about Keith in front of them without getting flustered or feeling awkward. Their parents remained silent about it, but not Francis. He always finds a chance to bring up her relationship with the youngest member of the Lancester family.
"Rhianne, listen to me. As your brother—"
"Dad, I finished my breakfast! Can we go now?" Rhianne asked in a cheerful voice as she stares at Tim.
"Hmm. Alright."
Tim takes the last sip of his coffee before standing up. Carmie gave him his suitcase and kissed him on the cheek. As for Rhianne, she grabs two chocolate bars from their fridge before putting them inside her bag.
"Bye, Mom! Bye, brother! See you later!" Rhianne said as she kissed Carmie's cheek and wave her hand at Francis.
"Hey! I'm not yet finished—And there she goes."
Francis let out a sigh first as he wiped the cream on his face. That girl just shoved a pancake slice full of cream on his mouth before standing up. Aside from his concern about Rhianne's love life, maybe he should be concerned with her health too.
That pancake is too sweet! Francis will surely brush his teeth again after his breakfast. He really wonders if girls just like sweet things or they are only his little sister. But knowing Rhianne who can eat a lot of sweets in just a day, maybe his sister is just a little different from the others.
"Francis, you should stop lecturing your sister about her relationship with Keith." Carmie gently said as she spread her blueberry jam on a toast.
"Mom! Not you too! Rhianne is still a baby. How can I let some brat snatched her away from us? That's not fair."
"Rhianne is almost eighteen now. That child has already proven to us that she is capable of taking care of herself."
"She is still a baby in my eyes."
"Just admit it, Francis. You are just jealous that your sister no longer spends time with you."
"..."
"These days, Rhianne is spending more time with Keith than you. You are just missing your little sister, that's all."
Well... She is not entirely wrong. After Rhianne had an accident, the two siblings becomes closer than before. Rhianne will always stay in their library and sits beside Francis. Most of the time, Rhianne and Francis will talk about their dreams and the things they want to do in the future. Rhianne swears she will become a good movie director while Francis promised to supports her dream while helping their father with their business.
Sometimes, they will go to different places and enjoyed their time together. During those times, Francis understand his sister more and discovered a lot of new things about her. He also discovered to himself that being a brother really suits him best. Francis finally understand Calvin when he said there is joy in being an older sibling.
But when Francis started to become busy with work and Rhianne becomes a college student, they rarely spend time together and had long and meaningful conversations. And if they did, Rhianne will always tell him a story about the day she spent with that brat. Fortunately, his sister is blissfully unaware of that brat's feelings towards her. But that did not last long when he learned from Calvin that Keith finally gathered his courage and he is now officially courting his little sister.
"Keith is actually a good kid. We grows up with Rhianne and we witnessed how close they are with each other. You should know that Keith has only good intentions for your sister and he will not do anything to hurt her."
"...I know."
"Francis, Rhianne is going to be alright. You should also give Keith a chance. Maybe ask him to hang out so you two can have a proper conversation."
"Mom, aren't you worried that your daughter will be snatched by some random piglet out of nowhere?"
Carmie cannot help but laugh when she heard her son calling Keith a piglet. If Rhianne can only hear it, she will definitely defend that child saying Keith is too handsome to become a piglet. She will also try to scold her brother for comparing Keith to a piglet.
"Of course, I am worried. You can never stop a parent to worry about their child. But I also want to believe in Rhianne. She is now old enough to make decisions for herself. And I trust her decisions if she will choose Keith. You also know that Rhianne will never choose someone who has any bad intention towards her or to the people she loves. Right?"
Rhianne is a precious pearl in her parents' palms. She will always become their treasured daughter no matter what happens. But Carmie also knows that no matter how much she spoiled her daughter, time will still come when Rhianne will have to stand on her feet and make decisions on her own.
Carmie knows that the world can be harsh to everyone and she does not want her children to suffer just because they coddled them too much. That's why she is starting to let them make decisions on their own while watching them from behind. She will be there to support them and when they become lost or start walking the wrong path, Carmie will not hesitate to talk to them and give them any advice.
"Francis, I know that you really care for Rhianne. But you should also trust her. Maybe she is still a baby in your eyes, but Rhianne should start making decisions for her life. And if she will become happy with Keith, then we should show our support to her and give our blessings. Unless you want your sister to choose between you and her happiness. She will probably choose you because you are her family, but Rhianne will be sad about it. Do want that to happen?"
"...Of course not."
"Then you should do the right thing and stop trying to interfere much with her life."
Francis let out a sigh and massage his temple. This talk is really making his head hurt and to think it is only seven in the morning. With a sigh, Francis drinks his lukewarm coffee and looks at his mother.
"Mom, I thought Rhianne is the one who wants to be a movie director. How is it possible for you to come up with that kind of example?"
"Who knows?" Carmie replied with a smile. "I may or may not read Rhianne's books while rearranging the books in the library yesterday."
"..."
Does it mean their mother is reading the novels that Rhianne starts collecting ever since she announced to them that she wants to be a movie director? Rhianne collected a lot of novels in different genres saying it will be her practice reference while studying to become a movie director. Although Francis cannot really understand what she is trying to do, he did not say anything and just let his sister do whatever she wants.
Anyway, maybe he should start considering their mother's words. Although he knows Keith is not that bad, maybe he should really give that brat a chance to know him better. While drinking his coffee, Francis is starting to come up with a good plan.