Princess for the night,

I greet my younger brother who turned 19 this year with a hug and a thousand apologies, as I was late as usual. He shrugs me away and complains of how long he'd been waiting, and I buy him popcorn and a drink to appease him. I chose the movie, as usual, and we laugh as we realise that it is once again a romantic comedy.

We catch up for lost time as the advertisements flash on screen, and as we whisper in the darkness I lean close and recognise the smell of his familiar cologne. He takes out his phone to see the message of the new girl who's been chasing him, and I protest as he texts in the middle of the movie. I fangirl over Ed Westwick on the screen, and make a mental note to let him choose the next show we watch as I glance over at his attempt at being absorbed into the show.

We meet Alex, and as I pretend to throw a tantrum Alex pleads guilty and cups my face in his hand in an attempt to calm me down. I make him retell me the five rules of thumb as Shalyn's Friend, and he looks over at my brother for help when he gets all of it wrong. Junhao shrugs before laughing at Alex's familiar plight, and I eventually give in.

We go for dinner & ice-cream, like we always do, and as they tease me I roll my eyes before physically assaulting the two boys who mean the world to me. I notice something pink hanging from my brother's bag, and I grit my teeth in the memory of the bitch who broke his heart. I steal the bear, and I take the boys on a keychain-hunting adventure as I ignore his (lying) protests that it means nothing anymore.

I ask him how I could hate that bitch more than he did, since she was his exgirlfriend and not my own, and he replies, "Because you are my...." Alex interjects with some nonsense word, but Junhao shakes his head and matter-of-factly completes his sentence in English. "Because you are my shield."

We finish the adventure and I triumphantly buy him a baby tofu keychain, the most worthy spend of the night. I put the bear in the giftbag that was given and hand it to him as he replaces the keychain, and reminds him that no one can throw or return the bear but himself. He finds out the ridiculous price of the tofu(hehe), and I see the gratitude in his eyes. The three of us sit in the middle of the mall, take stupid pictures, laugh about nothing, and tell stories.

They tell me fabricated stories that I believe in shock as we make our final rounds at the malls, and their amusement makes it impossible for me to stay angry with them. We part ways with my brother as he heads the other direction, and I lean my head on Alex's shoulder for support on the way home as I clunch my stomach in pain from the cramps(stupid #thattimeofthemonth). I remind him to take care of himself and remember the rules as he gets off, and he pinky promises.

I do not know how to explain the simple happiness that they give me. They tease and jostle me to no end, but always let me have my way. They know that I love them very much despite them ignoring my proclamations, and they appreciate me for that.

With them, I always feel like a little princess.