I knew he wouldn't pick up.
Tarik never answered when I needed him.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmE5bSy2DQi
Not when I was calling to leave the gym.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyUK7Arm5T
Not when I was stuck outside in the cold.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnKpSdM5Zr
Not even that one time I broke my wrist and called from the hospital with my left hand.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsl87shQyh
But if he was bored in class?36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQQNJvYO6s
Suddenly, I was his emotional support animal.
I tapped my thumb against the steering wheel, phone pressed to my ear.
Voicemail. Again.
I hung up, leaned my head back against the seat, and stared at the roof like it might offer answers.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcYH1hFEye
It didn't.
I let out a breath through my nose. Then killed the engine.
I grabbed the keys and slammed the Jeep door shut behind me.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLz7wSrUtW
Hoodie sleeves shoved up, palms still raw from deadlifts.
My phone buzzed in my pocket—probably not Tarik.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrkG0bXhcS
Of course not Tarik.
I crossed the lot, boots hitting pavement in steady rhythm.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09xLF7NvV2
Going to get him.
Because he wasn't allowed to go home alone.
That was the rule.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu0AUt1FDK
Our rule.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSkZiVr6hH
Never spoken. Never broken.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hMdfvdwFd
Not if we wanted to make it through the night.
Zmaj's familiar glow lit up the block like always—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uMP21cHNx
Greasy ćevapi, over-salted fries, and too many TVs mounted crooked on the walls.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcj91AxexQA
The scent of charred meat drifted from the vents overhead, and I could already hear the low hum of teenage chaos inside.
And sure enough, through the fogged glass, I spotted them.
Same corner booth.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvAKNtJwM5
Same chaos.
Tarik—hunched over a worksheet he was definitely pretending to care about.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFkFpAJCvu
Adem—leaning back, wearing that permanently unimpressed face of his.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCAmgfxHWD
And Amina—
Right in the middle of them, like she'd been born to orbit both boys at once.
She was half-turned toward Tarik, brows pulled together in that stubborn little way she had when she was scolding him.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyNTXYB69W
One hand pointed at the paper.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWtEUihhcq
The other wrapped around a drink she'd probably stolen from Tarik.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yyu9gTH0O
Her mouth moved fast—expression alive with frustration and something gentler buried underneath.
Love.
That was the thing about her.
Even when she was yelling, it felt like being protected.
Even from here, even through the glass—she stood out.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylrtZHDaoo
Not in a way that asked for attention.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYcOpk06fz
Just... in a way that made you pause.
Like something in the room had shifted.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXGIztaPpT
Like she pulled focus without trying to.
She always did.
I stepped in. The smell hit hard—fried meat, somun, and adolescent despair.
"It's a simple concept," Amina was saying as I walked closer, voice steady but on the edge. "Think of electron repulsion. The lone pairs push the bonded atoms down—tetrahedral becomes bent. Just follow VSEPR. You've done this."
Tarik squinted at the worksheet like it had insulted his entire bloodline. "So... the electrons are like... fans at a stadium?"
Adem didn't even glance away from the screen. "What kind of stadium has fans circling like vultures? Maybe she should draw it in crayon."
Amina whipped a straw wrapper at his face. "Shut up, Mr. 97 in chem. Not everyone wants to marry science."
"Never said I wanted to marry it," Adem said. "Just not allergic to critical thinking like some people."
Tarik muttered, "Geometry doesn't belong in chemistry. That's betrayal."
Amina narrowed her eyes. "Tarik. I swear on my mother's life—"
"M-Mine too," I cut in, stepping up to the booth. "If he s-survives the n-night, it'll b-be a mir-miracle."
All three heads turned.
Amina's eyes flicked up to mine—surprised, but only for a second.
Then that smile crept onto her face.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtq1O8WVinG
The one she didn't even know she gave me.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1MuupcEUM
The one that always said she missed me, whether she'd admit it or not.
She always lit up when I was around.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXz5duKejnM
Everyone knew it.
"You came in," she said simply.
"Be-because he d-didn't an-answer," I said, nodding toward Tarik. "A-again."
"He's not ready," Amina said, jabbing a finger at his worksheet.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgx722eUzq
"We've got a chem test tomorrow and he still can't tell the difference between sp² and sp³ hybridization. He drew water as linear, Talha. Linear."
Tarik threw his head back. "It has two atoms!"
"It has two lone pairs!" she snapped. "It's bent, genius. VSEPR? We've been over this."
"I'm done," Tarik muttered, sliding the worksheet away like it had personally offended him. "If I don't know it by now, I'm not gonna."
Amina turned to me like I was reinforcements.
"He's being impossible."
I looked at her, then at him. And then—at the worksheet.
It could've been written in another language.
Hell, maybe it was.
Tarik gave me the look—wide-eyed, hopeful, full of fake innocence.
"D-don't ," I warned.
"But I've been sitting here for two hours."
"Then s-sit for one m-more," I said, dropping into the booth across from them. "If sh-she says you're n-not ready, y-you're not rea-dy."
Tarik groaned and thunked his head on the table. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I a-am," I said. "Th-that's why you're fin-finish-ing the w-worksh-sheet."
Amina smirked, satisfied. Tarik sighed like he was being tortured.
I stared down at the notes again—bond angles, hybrid orbitals, lone pairs marked like landmines—and shook my head.
"I d-don't know wh-what any of th-that m-means," I muttered.
Amina didn't even look up. "Neither does he."
"I hate this family," Tarik muttered.
"You love this family," Amina said, poking his arm without looking up.
"You just hate being held accountable like a functioning human being."
"Same thing," he grumbled, sliding lower in his seat like he was trying to escape the conversation entirely.
"Leg day hit that hard?" Adem asked, giving me a once-over as I stretched out my legs under the table.
I rolled my shoulder and let out a breath.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AooskRHf0
"Y-yeah. W-was temp-ted to l-leave Tarik h-here. Let h-him get hum-humbled b-by the st-street dogs."
Tarik didn't look up from his worksheet. "Joke's on you. I am a street dog."
"You're a house cat with delusions," Amina muttered, not even looking up.
Tarik didn't bother arguing. Just stared at the worksheet like it had ruined his life.
"Bet you still had a better night than me," he said, nodding at the paper like it had drawn blood.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADMp4mwCPd
"She chucked a book at my head earlier."
"It was a softcover," Amina replied, clearly unbothered.
"It had corners."
"Y-you angry to-today, Mino?" I asked.
She met my gaze—calmer now, but with that familiar spark in her eyes.
"Depends," she said. "Will you finally let me ride your bike this Sunday?"
I laughed—low, automatic.
"Y-you'd crash it in f-five sec-seconds."
She grinned. "So that's a no?"
"Tha-that's a hell n-no."
"Then yeah," she said, sipping her drink. "I'm furious."
The bell over the door chimed.
A group of boys from their school spilled in—loud, half-zipped jackets and half-finished stories. One of them—Nermin—broke off immediately and made a straight line for our table.
Didn't look around. Didn't hesitate.
Just saw her—and came.
"Hey, Amina," he said, all confidence and way too much cologne.
His eyes barely skimmed the rest of us.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmHDFY483w
"You coming on the class trip this weekend?"
He leaned on the edge of the booth like he'd done it before.
Like this was a conversation they'd had more than once.
Amina looked up and smiled—sweet, but thin. The kind of smile you give when someone's trying too hard.
"Working on it," she said, tilting her head slightly.
From beside her, Adem's head snapped up like he'd just heard a threat.
"Working on what?"
She didn't miss a beat. "The class trip. I might still go."
"No," he said flatly. "You're not."
Tarik didn't even look up. "We already talked about this. You're coming to Mostar."
"I haven't decided," she said, playful now. Almost daring them to keep pushing.
"Pretty sure we decided for you," Adem muttered, eyes narrowed.
Nermin shifted, finally catching the shift in the room.
"She can come to both, can't she?"
"She can't," Tarik said, finally glancing up. "She'll be busy."
"Doing what?"
"Cheering me on," he said with a smug grin. "Obviously."
Adem didn't even blink.
"Go take a walk, man," he said, voice low and flat, still watching the game like Nermin wasn't even worth turning his head for.
Amina groaned. "You guys are unbelievable."
"We're protective," Tarik said, like it was a badge of honor.
"We're looking out for you," Adem added, voice calm but final.
"You're controlling," she snapped.
None of them argued.
Not even me.
Because they were.
And sometimes, she let them be.
I leaned back, watching them bicker like always.
Couldn't help myself.
"Y-you know wh-what I'm g-gonna say."
Tarik groaned immediately. "Bro—again?"
Amina didn't even look at me. Just sighed into her cup like she'd heard it a hundred times.
"Per-perfect for ea-each-other."
"She's like a sister, man," Tarik muttered.
"Y-yeah," I said. "And y-you're an idi-ot."
Amina shot me a warning look across the table. I ignored it.
"Y-oh think g-girls like her g-grow on tr-trees?"
"I can hear you," she said, sipping her drink without missing a beat.
"Good."
Tarik shook his head. "Just because you think she's perfect for me doesn't mean—"
"It's n-not about wh-what I thi-think," I cut in, voice low. Tired. Sharper than I meant it to be.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RXHvDC5Dy
"It's obv-ious. To e-every-one but y-you."
Adem glanced between us, slow. The humor was gone from his face.
"Funny," he said. "I didn't realize we were taking applications for my sister."
Amina turned to him. "Adem—"
He held up his hands. "Just saying. If we're doing arranged marriages, I'd like to be consulted before he volunteers my best friend."
Tarik dropped his pencil and leaned back, giving me a flat look.
"Can you not?" he said. "She's finally getting to the part where I understand things."
I smirked. "Just s-saying—f-for a guy w-who claims he d-doesn't like h-her like th-that, you get r-real Terri-torial."
Tarik raised an eyebrow, slow. Then, without breaking eye contact, he threw an arm around Amina's shoulders.
"She's the sister I never had," he said. "And always wanted."
Amina made a face. "Lucky me."
Tarik grinned. "Damn right."
I leaned back, watching her walk him through another example.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzImZNJJDGs
Her voice had that edge—firm, sharp—but underneath it, there was patience.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzw1F6FsRf6
Steady. Unshaken.
She believed in him.
More than he ever had in himself.
It was always her. Since they were seven.
Adem and Tarik were solid—brothers in everything but blood.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOH2wAehYx
But it was Amina who made them whole.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsE2Gz8NXI
Who dragged Tarik to practice when he didn't want to go.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7RtCarMCa
Who sat on the curb with him after every bad grade, every missed shot.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZSt6btVpo
Who convinced the Begovićs to cover his school fees when our parents couldn't.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ysEUZZeX7
Who never let him forget he was worth the effort.
Even when he did.
Especially then.
And me?
I was just the older brother who picked him up after.
But even I wasn't immune to her.
She had that way about her—like sunlight cutting through fog.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡko2fMk9nPj
Loud, bright, impossible to ignore.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fzSIGXFW0
Even on the worst days, she made things feel... less heavy.
"You okay?" she asked suddenly.
I looked up. "Y-yeah. Why?"
She tilted her head. "You get quiet when you're tired. But this feels... quieter."
"Just thi-thinking."
"About what?"
I hesitated.
"Don't pull the stutter card," she said, leaning in. "You know I'll wait all night."
That made me smile.
"A-about how luck-y he is," I said finally, nodding toward Tarik—still scribbling like the worksheet might save his life.
She softened. "We missed you last week. You didn't come."
"Busy."
"Liar."
I looked away.
She didn't say anything else.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpuuRkxQRW
She didn't have to.
She always noticed when I disappeared.
Always took it a little harder than the others.
The truth was, sometimes I stayed gone on purpose.
Not because I didn't want to be around them—36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7DIrDV5C0
but because I couldn't always stomach how easy they made it look.
Friendship.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJRwtdBLaz
Life.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAO5Wj3HMrO
Peace.
Things that never came quiet in my world.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This was meant to be harmless.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rrs5ArTya
Some tutoring, some fries, some light bullying between friends.
And yet here we are:36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6vvOaN4nG
One silent older brother, two bickering soulmates, and Amina holding it all together with sarcasm and snacks.
No one's in love. Definitely not.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOQqkeRaJp
Everything is fine.
—Ash&Olive, lying through her teeth36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCz2Iivpsw
but having a great time doing it
36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGZXnL5fr0
