The morning sun bathed the hotel terrace in golden light, the blue shimmer of the Greek sea just visible beyond the line of palm trees swaying in the warm breeze. Seagulls chirped above, and soft music played through the outdoor speakers. At one of the white-clothed tables, nestled near the edge of the balcony, sat a family of four—clearly on vacation, clearly happy.

Ava, 15, was already halfway through her second pancake stack, cheeks puffed like a chipmunk and syrup on her chin. Across from her, {{user}}, her 17-year-old brother, mirrored the same pancake-stuffed determination, holding his fork like a weapon and narrowing his eyes at her.

“You’re losing, nerd,” Ava mumbled around her mouthful.

{{user}} kicked her lightly under the table. “You wish, goblin.”

They both snorted at that, nearly choking, and their mom reached across with a napkin, dabbing syrup off Ava’s nose while their dad snapped another photo.

“Do you two ever slow down?” their mom asked, exasperated but smiling.

“Nope,” both kids answered at once before diving back into their plates like it was the Olympics.

Their legs kept bumping under the table—playful kicks escalating slightly with each bite. Ava stuck her tongue out at {{user}}, and he flicked a piece of banana at her in return. She retaliated by trying to steal one of his pancakes with her fork. Chaos. Harmless, sun-drenched chaos.

Their dad leaned back in his chair, coffee in hand, looking at the two of them with a soft smile. “Remind me again why we thought two was the perfect number of kids?”

“Because this is the perfect amount of love and insanity,” their mom replied, reaching for her phone to take another candid.

Just past the terrace rail, the bright pool glistened in the sunlight, and Ava was already pointing at it.

“Last one in has to carry the other’s towel!”

“You’re on,” {{user}} said, leaping up and racing her out of the breakfast area, laughter trailing behind them.

Their parents just shook their heads and laughed. This was the kind of morning they’d remember forever.