Always by Her Side

Agatha was taken aback, feeling a sudden tightness in her chest. She drew closer to Layla, then embraced her, unable to bear seeing that sad expression as Agatha's mission was to make Layla happy. "So she suffers from a weak heart?" Agatha whispered to herself. She closed her eyes for a moment, gently kissing the top of Layla's head. After a while, Agatha released the hug, looked at Layla with a smile, holding her soft cheeks. "Whether you're strong or weak, it doesn't matter to me. After all, we don't have to be strong all the time, there are moments when we're also weak." Layla fell silent, her thoughts unclear, but Agatha smiled before continuing her words. "In my opinion, you're still awesome, because it's rare to find a girl who likes superhero cartoons." Layla blinked in surprise for a moment, but after a few seconds, her eyes sparkled and she beamed widely. Layla was thrilled to receive praise for her interest. "Hehe, thank you, Aunt. What cartoons do you like, Aunt Agatha?" Layla seemed enthusiastic. Agatha pretended to think. Her heart instantly felt relieved as Layla's expression was no longer gloomy. "Hmm? What do I like? I'm not sure, really. But I don't like cartoons that look cute and sweet, I prefer to watch cool and amazing ones." "Wow?" Layla's eyes widened in astonishment once again. She grew to like this woman in front of her even more. "We're the same, Aunt! Yay! I finally have a twin!" "A twin?" Agatha purposely furrowed her brow as if not understanding. Layla nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, because now we like the same cartoons, Aunt. It means we're twins!" Agatha couldn't help but burst into laughter. Overwhelmed with affection, she pinched Layla's chubby cheeks. Agatha burst into more giggles as Layla's lips pouted in annoyance, making her even cuter. "You're such a character." Agatha chuckled, greeted by Layla's sweet smile. The wall clock kept ticking, the night grew darker. The cold air from the vent crept across the skin, inducing drowsiness. Agatha glanced at Layla, who had fallen asleep on the sofa after chatting and joking around together. Unconsciously, the girl had drifted off on her own.  *** After taking Layla to her room and laying her on the bed, Agatha moved to the sofa. There was a laptop and several thick books already placed there. She also prepared a cup of coffee to accompany her for tonight's late night work. "It's time for me to work on my thesis again," Agatha muttered as she stretched her hand and fingers. "Ugh, it's exhausting to see all these writings," Agatha sighed tiredly upon opening the laptop, presented with hundreds of texts. "If only I had a robot that could type all the ideas in my head," Agatha grumbled, suddenly feeling dizzy. She decided to daydream for a while. "The debit card earlier, can I use it to buy a senior phone for Grace?" Agatha pondered seriously. Her thoughts about the card, some of which she had used for groceries earlier, now crossed her mind. "But that's too much, right? I haven't even worked for a week, it would be rude to spend that much money." Agatha answered her own question with a heavy heart. Problems piled up, simultaneously accompanied by unexpected happiness that she didn't anticipate. She should have been happy, but no, Agatha felt undeserving of it all. "There are only three days left, can I prove my words?" Agatha continued to ponder, long sighs heard repeatedly. The quiet atmosphere led Agatha to slowly close her eyes. "Aluna was right, a poor girl like me shouldn't seek trouble with Grace," Agatha remarked before feeling her eyelids heavy and drifting off. Her head resting on the table with both arms supporting. Unknowingly, Agatha had fallen asleep and found herself asleep at the table. It wasn't until dawn broke and the room lights came on, her eyes fluttered open slowly. Agatha yawned briefly, adjusting to the bright light that greeted her. "Why are you sleeping there, Aunt?" Layla had just switched on the lamp. Instantly, she widened her eyes upon seeing Agatha on the sofa. Agatha grinned as she fixed her hair. "Oh, this. I fell asleep while working on my assignment. You're up already, hm?" Layla nodded in understanding. "Let's cook again, Aunt!" "Has your dad come back?" Agatha unconsciously asked, then winced, regretting her words. "It seems not yet, maybe he arrived as I was about to leave. Aunt, are you worried?" Agatha cleared her throat, then thought to herself, "Yes, I'm worried." But then, Agatha burst into laughter. She held Layla's hand in response, as she led her to the kitchen. Agatha smiled broadly seeing Layla's enthusiasm to help with cooking. This exceeded her expectations, as Agatha thought the simple dish she made wouldn't suit Layla's or her father's taste buds. In no time, the simple breakfast for this morning was done. Agatha then instructed Layla to quickly shower while waiting for Jayden to come down and eat together. As Layla was getting ready in her uniform, it was Agatha's turn to enter the bathroom. In a short time, Agatha emerged neatly dressed as she had changed her clothes. Then Agatha started to groom Layla. She combed her hair, tied it up, applied powder, and finished by spraying perfume so Layla could smell good all day. "I smell the aroma of food again." "Oh, are you back already?" Agatha was clearly surprised as she walked out of her room just as Jayden entered. Jayden nodded, heading towards the dining table. "I intentionally came back at breakfast time so I could eat your cooking." Agatha's reaction immediately froze. Her heart was racing uncontrollably. She didn't know how to respond and could only smile awkwardly. She sat at the dining table without looking at Jayden, hoping he wouldn't notice how nervous she was. "What was that just now? How could he say it so calmly?" Agatha tried to control her facial expression to not appear flustered. "Darn it, he doesn't know how my heart is racing hearing his words." She closed her eyes momentarily to calm her erratic feelings. "Good morning, Dad!" Layla greeted cheerfully as she walked to the dining table. "Good morning, my dear Layla!" Jayden responded just as cheerfully. His wide smile showed how happy he was to see Layla so enthusiastic. Agatha breathed a sigh of relief. Layla's timely arrival allowed her to breathe normally again. She started eating her food as Layla and Jayden did the same. "Tomorrow, Dad should come back on time so that Aunt Agatha isn't worried," Layla suddenly remarked. Agatha choked on her food. Layla's expression was truly candid and too honest. Not understanding, Layla quickly handed a glass of water, looking concerned. "Aunt! Drink!" "She's worried about me, isn't he?" Jayden thought to himself, surprised, as he remained silent, observing Agatha. "Ah, sorry. I swallowed too much." After taking a drink, Agatha smiled awkwardly. Layla giggled after swallowing her food. "Aunt, you should eat slowly. Choking on food can be dangerous, you know." Agatha smiled tightly. "Yes, I will be more careful." "You too, Layla, when you're eating, try not to talk too much," Jayden added. He deliberately tried not to make the situation awkward. Layla pouted slightly and continued eating. Agatha glanced briefly at Jayden, then held back a smile. The man was quietly sensitive to small things. Time was running out, but when they had already left and the car had driven a few meters, Layla suddenly remembered that she had left her homework book behind. Reluctantly, they had to turn back as Layla was afraid of getting scolded. Fortunately, Agatha remembered to double-check, and Layla didn't realize it until they arrived at the school. "You don't have to walk me all the way to the classroom, or Aunt Agatha might be late, but in return, I should get six kisses," Layla said as the car stopped in front of the school gate. "Six kisses?" Jayden raised an eyebrow, unable to resist looking back. "Three from Dad, three from Aunt Agatha." Layla smiled brightly, prompting a small startled reaction from Agatha. "Me too?" Agatha pointed to herself uncertainly. When Layla nodded, she could only comply. It wasn't a big deal, but she felt nervous because Jayden was there. "Where do you want them?" Jayden asked as Layla approached. "Two on the cheeks, one on the forehead!" Layla pointed to her cheeks and then her forehead. Jayden promptly planted warm kisses there, ending with a gentle pat on the head. "Thank you, Dad!" Layla smiled sweetly, delighted by the affection. "Now Aunt's turn!" Now Layla turned to Agatha, who was watching her. Agatha smiled gleefully and fulfilled Layla's request. Instantly, Layla clapped her small hands and squealed with delight. "Yay! Thank you, Aunt! I'm so excited to study now!" Agatha just laughed. Overwhelmed with affection, she couldn't resist pinching Layla's cheeks. The innocent little girl then walked off to go into her classroom, waving to Agatha as she opened her car window. "Since you became her caregiver, Layla has become more enthusiastic about going to school. She laughs more often," Jayden remarked as Layla was now seen entering her classroom from a distance. "What was she like before I came along?" Agatha turned to Jayden with a furrowed brow. "She was reluctant to meet her friends. Sometimes, when we arrived at school, I had a hard time persuading her to get out of the car and go into the classroom. Her teacher even had to intervene at times," Jayden explained. Agatha was taken aback, not realizing the impact of her presence in Layla's life. Jayden smiled faintly as he drove the car towards Agatha's campus. "It's been less than a week, but you have made a positive impact on Layla already." "Thank you," Jayden added. He had never been so genuinely thankful to someone before. Agatha smiled warmly, gazing at the city streets with a happy heart. "You're welcome, I'm glad to do it too." "I hope you can always be by her side," Jayden murmured, his words clearly heard by Agatha.