Lovebirds

sixteen

Sometimes, Naira wondered how her brother was a college graduate let alone a functioning adult. She was sitting at their family dining room, her laptop in front of her while her father and brother sat nearby on their own laptops, typing away.

But Daris wasn't typing.

No, he cheekily grinned at her instead, a jovial glint in his amber eyes, bright enough to blind her.

She heaved an annoyed sigh. "What's it going to take for you to not bother me?"

"Technically, I didn't bother you yet."

"Daris," she glared.

He pressed a hand over his chest, feigning a hurt expression. "Oh, your royal iciness, you break a poor sibling's heart."

Naira sent a helpless look to her father, pleading for him to save her.

Chuckling, her father leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms at the antics of his children yet unable to hide his own smile. "You kids bicker like you're still in kindergarten."

A loud knock came from the door, frantic, which startled the entire Muller clan. Naira's mother was still at work, and she wasn't one to knock.

"So much for getting work done today," sighed her father as he stood up, muttering under his breath. 

His footsteps faded into the hall, fainter and fainter until she heard the click of a door. Her mind narrowly focused on the spreadsheet on her screen, and for a brief moment, Naira believed that she would be able to finish her tasks for the day without any more interruptions. 

"Old sport, how's it hanging?" echoed an all too familiar voice, followed by her father's yelp as their feet shuffled. 

Naira and Daris both looked at each other with the same horror in their eyes, knowing exactly who their unexpected visitor was. 

"Sorry, Nick. I have no control over the crazy doctor," laughed her other uncle, their voices closer now. 

Daris shuffled his seat closer to her, voice low. "If we hurry, we'll be able to avoid the hugs," he whispered. "Quick, pretend you're sick again."

She whacked him upside the head. "You idiot. You think our uncles won't smother us in hugs because we're sick? Were you even born in this family?"

"You're so violent," he pouted, rubbing the back of his head. "And that hurt."

"Good, it was supposed to."

Their banter was cut short by the arrival of her two uncles and her father as they walked into the room. The second her uncles saw their nephew and niece, their visages lit up like rays of sunshine, vibrant, full of life, and energized by their mere presence. 

Even her father could not hide the smile from his lips. Though Daris and Naira rolled their eyes at the overwhelming affection they got from their relatives, especially these iconic uncles of theirs, they would never deny the seedlings of love that grew from their advice over the years, the generosity and wisdom that grew that tiny seed of hope into a pillar of strength. 

"Hey, kiddos," smiled their uncle, Haroon, maple eyes alight with joy, so similar to her brother's with flecks of gold in his irises. "Working hard, I assume."

Daris chuckled. "This one is working hard," he said, pointing at Naira. "Or at least she pretends to."

"Shut up," she huffed. "Let's not forget who's behind on his codes."

Her brother rolled his eyes. 

The second Naira spoke, her other uncle, Humaid, immediately embraced her in a tight hug. "Your mom told me you were sick. How dare you not come to your favorite uncle?" he asked her, half-jokingly and half serious. "What's the point of me being a doctor if I can't even help my family?"