"Ren, please, take them home. Miya and Jersey," Soldi asked.
"Where do they live?" Ren asked.
"I'll tell you…" Miya replied, dizzy.
As they walked, Ren couldn't help but wonder.
"Is the apartment we're going to yours or his?"
"Both of ours. We live together."
"..."
The night was already fading and day was beginning to appear. At that moment, Ren was in Jersey and Miya's house, very tired; he had fulfilled the request and now only wanted to leave.
Although the exhaustion was still there, it eased a little when he saw the front door. On it were two handprints, one large and one small, marked side by side. They belonged to the two of them. Ren found it somewhat sweet.
Ren entered the apartment and helped settle them onto the furniture. Then he prepared to leave. However, when he took his first step toward the exit, he heard a voice behind him.
"Leaving so soon?"
"It's already late… you should rest," Ren replied, a bit nervous.
"Turn around and take this," Miya said.
Ren carefully turned around and received some papers in his hand. As he did, his cheeks turned a little red due to her closeness. When he looked down, he realized they were bills.
"And this…?" he asked, confused.
"It's for what you spent bringing us here. Thank you, Ren."
Hearing that, Ren's face turned completely red.
"You look very cute like that," Miya said with a smile. "And… sorry about earlier."
Ren reacted immediately. He brought his hands together in front of his chest, forming a cross, and shook his head quickly.
"N-no, no. Sorry for my exaggerated reaction."
His words came out rushed as he tried to hide the embarrassment that had already completely overtaken him.
Miya brought both hands to her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter.
"Boy, I like you a lot. I think you and I will be very good friends."
Then she took a small step back to turn around. Her movement was delicate, almost like a ballet dance.
For an instant, she showed a gentle face, different from before.
"What do you say? Will you be my friend?"
The image of that moment made me shiver.
That soft movement, almost like that of a swan, was enough for me to understand that that girl and I would have a very strong reaction at some point.
Her request for friendship went straight to something I had been searching for deep inside me.
Maybe we were connected by that invisible thread of destiny so many novels talked about. Maybe those romantic stories that kept me awake at night weren't just fantasy.
But something didn't quite fit.
Why was I thinking things like that?
Miya had a partner.
Maybe my imagination was something to fear.
Maybe what began here wasn't a romance, but something different.
A relationship that was born late, yet could still drag me into something dangerous.
With a sincere smile, I took a step forward to say:
"Yes."
Chapter 4: My Female Friend Miya