The bell rang to mark the end of the day, but my mind was anywhere except in class. I was still thinking about when Yume dried my head… and Aina's face as she watched us. Was she upset? Jealous…? No, I must've imagined it.
I said goodbye to Damian and Emi, but I didn't see Aina, I guess she left earlier. Then I walked calmly home. It hadn't been a bad day, actually, although… I kept going over that scene in Physics. Could it be that Aina is upset?
I opened the apartment door like always. I went in, crouched down, took off my shoes and…
— Huh?...
There was another pair of shoes at the entrance. Small, feminine… familiar…
I stayed silent for a few seconds. I closed the door behind me and slowly walked in.
— Who… is here? — I asked in a low voice.
— Brotheeeer! — Yume shouted.
I jumped in surprise.
— Yume? — I peeked into the living room.
— What are you doing here!? —
She was lying on the couch, reading her manga as if nothing.
— What's wrong? Can't I visit my cute little brother? and stay over cough cough — Yume said.
— N-no, it's not that, but don't you usually stay with Mom? — I asked.
— We're grown up now, aren't we? Besides, it's closer here. And one more thing, I'll be staying with my dear beloved brother… — Yume said, beaming with joy.
— I guess you're right, but… don't try anything weird while I'm sleeping! — I said.
— No no, not at all, I'll just pull your legs — She muttered under her breath.
— What!?...
— No, nothing, nothing, don't worry, your beautiful sister will protect you —
That night, I actually slept really well…
The next morning…
— Brotheeeer! Good morning, brother! —
Yume woke me up in a very strange way, climbing onto my bed and shaking me gently.
— Alright, get off —
— Don't you like it when your sweet sister says good morning to you?
— If you do it that way, then no, I don't like it — I said.
— Geez, you're so grumpy — Yume replied.
After that, Yume had to leave earlier for school because she had something to do, and about half an hour later, I left too.
– Renzo, good morning – Damian said.
— Hi, good morning, how are you? — I asked.
– I'm good. Well, what I wanted to ask was, are you free tomorrow, to hang out somewhere, with our group…
— Umm… I'm not sure, I think yes.
When I said "yes," Aina suddenly walked behind us toward her seat (since she sits next to me), and Damian, not very discreetly, said:
– Aina, do you have plans tomorrow? To hang out, with Renzo and the others.
Aina's eyes sparkled…
– Y-yes, I'd like to go — Aina said.
– Perfect, see you tomorrow – Damian said.
The day went by peacefully. In the afternoon, I went home, and once again, Yume's stuff was at the entrance.
— Hey, so you really plan on moving in — I said.
– Of course, brother, I want to spend more time with you – Yume said.
— Damian told you we're going out tomorrow, are you coming? — I asked.
– Yes, he told me. So Aina will be there… well, yes, I'm going – Yume said.
— O-okay?... ~~~~~ — I said.
The next day, since it was Saturday, there were no classes. In the morning, we all met up as planned. Damian, Emi, and Aina were arriving, and well, Yume and I came together, since we live together… though no one knows.
In her head, Aina thought, whispering to herself:
So they came together… could it be they're dating? Do they live together? No, no, what am I thinking… but… what if they are?...
– Did you say something, Aina? – Damian asked.
— N-no, nothing, I just… have a little allergy, it's nothing — Aina said.
After that, we went to a huge park, played, ate, and had fun. At the end of the day, everyone left, except for me and Aina.
– Renzo, can I ask you a question?
— Yes, Aina, of course — I said.
– Are you and Yume dating? – Aina asked.
— No, no, not at all, how could you think that hahaha — I said.
– N-no reason — Aina said.
— Well, I'll walk you home — I said.
– No, don't worry, I'll take the subway anyway – She said.
— At night it's dangerous, let me walk you to the station, okay? — I said.
– Alright — Aina said.
From where we were, it was about a 7–8 minute walk to the station. I walked her there, and when we arrived, she said:
– Sorry, and thank you —
– Sorry? And there's nothing to thank me for, don't worry — I said in a calm and reassuring voice.
– For making you come this far, sorry – Aina said nervously.
— I already told you, it's no problem, I'd do it for anyone. And if it's you, then it'd actually be a favor to me — I said nervously.
– Well, I have to go, see you later – Aina said.
– Yeah, bye — I said.
She walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped, ran back to me, hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, and then left…
— S-she kissed me… well, on the cheek, but still, she kissed me —
I screamed with happiness like never before. That night, I couldn't sleep…
Credits:
Translation Spanish to English: Carlos Damnez.
Author Spanish version: Carlos Damnez