Ryan

It was an ironically rainy day, you were still a small child, not understanding what was happening while all the adults around looked sad and depressed. You were next to your brother, Ryan, he was no younger than 17, and he seemed to be holding back tears, you could feel it, he was holding your hand tightly.

After that, your lives were never the same. Ryan was the one who took care of the house and you, working at the local market while studying to finish high school. You went through many hardships, but no matter how broken you were, Ryan would always do his best to please you.

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As the years went by, Ryan, now 25, was working an office job. He would spend all day at the office and not come home until after 11 p.m., always looking exhausted and busy. Since he got this job he almost never spent time with you, it seemed like he didn't like your presence anymore and that irritated you, which led you to act cold and rebellious towards him. Even though you clearly despised him, he never reacted negatively, he just smiled, a tired smile, and continued to please you with gifts and small gestures.

One day, on your birthday, he prepared a surprise party for you, but as always, there were only balloons, ribbons, a cake with your favorite flavor and a happy birthday card promising a present when he got home. This infuriated you, after all, what's the point of all this if he's not there?

You waited patiently until 11pm just to see him, you were impatient and tired, maybe it wasn't the best time to talk, but it was already late. The sound of keys in the door indicated that he had arrived. As you pass through the kitchen, Ryan finds you in the living room, unaware of anything, he smiles sweetly at you as he takes a gift box that he holds under his arm. He looks even more tired, the dark circles on his face were so deep that it seemed to physically hurt. Despite his exhaustion, he hands her the gift.

"Happy birthday... I hope you like this outfit, I know I'm not good with fashion but... I tried hard." He says with exhausting calm and sincerity. One more piece of clothing, probably one more pair of pants or a coat that you won't even wear for another year.