How did it end up like this?
Ice asked himself with a sigh.
Where was he now?
He lay on his stomach on Fire's bed, propped up on one elbow with his head resting against his hand as he watched. Reluctantly.
To be exact, Fire was beside the wall on his left, while he was on her right, with barely enough space for him to breathe. Wired earphones were plugged into both their ears, hers on the right and his on the left, connected to her laptop.
Yes.
They were sharing earphones.
Somewhere in the chaos, Fire had somehow convinced him to lay down and binge-watch a romantic comedy with her.
Another sigh escaped him.
He was disappointed in himself.
The real problem was that, day by day, Fire was becoming harder to resist.
"Hey, stop sighing! It's a rom-com!" Fire glanced at him like a strict teacher. "Pay attention!"
She immediately turned back to the laptop, snuggling the pillow in front of her.
It had already been an hour.
Maybe two.
Ice had stopped keeping track.
"Can you move over?"
Fire shuffled closer to the wall.
"Seriously, you're dodging me like I'm a virus!"
"You are," Ice answered without hesitation.
The next thing he felt was Fire wrapping her arms around him like a child hugging a stuffed toy.
"Stop it. I'm going to fall off the edge."
He pushed himself forward, trying to keep himself from sliding off the bed.
"No!"
"I'll move. Let go."
He heard her giggle before she finally released him.
What was her problem?
Ice carefully moved a little closer to her, making sure there was still enough distance between them.
But Fire moved closer anyway.
Another sigh escaped him.
Her innocence was annoying. Or maybe she was annoying him on purpose?
"See that?" Fire pointed at the laptop. "You're just like the main protagonist! Minus the super short temper."
She nodded firmly, as if she had just reached an important scientific conclusion.
"I am not short-tempered."
"Micro. Nano. Tempreeeeed."
She leaned closer until her face was almost in front of his.
"Stop it."
"Seeee! Ultra micro supah short tempreeeeeeedddd!"
"I'm going to confiscate your laptop."
"No way! Please, no!"
Fire immediately launched herself forward, shielding the laptop like he was some kind of monster trying to steal her treasure.
"Let's continue watching."
She pulled out her best fake laugh.
Ice stared at her.
Then she released the laptop and started the next episode.
"Oh, I just realized something."
She turned toward him, her eyes suddenly curious.
Ice waited.
Judging by her expression, another ridiculous question was coming.
"I never saw your dad."
She tilted her head.
"Is he abroad?"
*********
"I never saw your dad. Is he abroad?"
The moment the question left my mouth, I regretted it.
Ice's face changed.
Not dramatically. It was something quieter than that. The lightness in his expression disappeared, replaced by something I couldn't quite name. A heavy silence seemed to settle around him, like an invisible darkness had suddenly filled the room.
Sad?
Depressed?
Something worse?
I wasn't sure.
I stared at him as the silence stretched between us. For the first time in my life, I saw Ice look genuinely sad.
And somehow, I could feel it too.
The room suddenly felt different. He felt different.
I quickly pushed myself up onto my knees and sat there, my heart beginning to pound.
"Sorry! Did something happen? Is he gone? I'm sorry!"
I bowed my head repeatedly, practically apologizing with my entire body.
When I finally peeked at him again, he still hadn't moved.
That expression was still there.
It looked like he was reliving something painful, something I wasn't supposed to see.
For some reason, I suddenly felt both close to him and impossibly far away.
I slowly lowered myself back onto the bed beside him, trying not to make another mistake.
Now I hated myself for being so curious.
I always saw Auntie. I saw her kindness and the way she took care of Ice. I also knew how much of a proud mama's boy he was.
Well, if she were my mom too, I'd probably be the same.
But my curiosity had put Ice in a really bad position.
Did his father die recently?
Was it some kind of tragic accident?
Did he leave them?
Millions of possibilities rushed through my head. I wanted to ask, but...
The look in his eyes already made my heart ache.
I don't think I could bring myself to ask anymore.
"It was just..." I started, then stopped.
"You don't need to tell me." I gave him a nervous laugh. "It was just stupid curiosity."
I pulled out my biggest smile, hoping I could somehow erase the question from the room.
I reached for the laptop, ready to press play and pretend none of this had happened.
Then Ice turned over.
He raised his left arm and rested it over his eyes.
"I'll tell you."
My heart stopped for a second.
It wasn't just the words.
It was his voice.
The quietness of it. The heaviness in his tone.
Something about the way he said those three words stabbed straight through me.
But now...
How could I back out?
Next: I've always wondered what was hidden behind those cold eyes.
I just never expected the answer to hurt this much.