[ Afternoon, Front Door]
The knock came at exactly 2:17 PM.
I know because I'd been watching the clock for the last hour. Not because I was waiting—I wasn't waiting. I was just... aware. Of time. Of silence. Of the fact that today was supposed to be different.
Today was supposed to be exam day.
The mini exam Vjaret and I had studied for. The one we'd made fun of together, complained about together, somehow actually prepared for together.
And I missed it.
Because my body decided to collapse in the bathroom like some kind of dramatic idiot.
He probably thinks I skipped on purpose.
Or that I'm lazy.
Or that I don't care.
Or—
Three raps. Quick. Nervous-sounding. The kind of knock that said someone wasn't sure they should be here, wasn't sure they were welcome, wasn't sure about anything except that they had to try.
I sat up straighter on the couch, ignoring the protest from my still-healing body. "I'll get it!"
"You will not." Shenhe's voice came from somewhere—the kitchen? The hallway? She materialized instantly, like she'd been waiting for this exact moment. "You're on bed rest."
"Bed rest doesn't mean I can't open a door."
"It means you can't open a door." She was already moving toward the entrance. "Stay."
Stay.
Like a dog.
I stayed.
But I watched.
Shenhe opened the door.
Silence.
Long silence.
Then,
"Uh... hello? Is this... does Nams live here?"
Vjaret's voice. Higher than usual. Strained.
"Yes." Shenhe's voice. Flat. Unreadable. "Who are you?"
"I'm—I'm Vjaret. His classmate? From school? He wasn't at the exam today and I—I got worried so I asked around and someone said he lived somewhere around here and I—is he okay?"
Another pause.
Shenhe was definitely assessing him. Probably scanning for threats, for lies, for anything dangerous.
She's going to scare him away.
"He's inside." Shenhe stepped back. "You may come in."
Footsteps. Hesitant. Then,
"OH MY GOD A VISITOR!"
Angy.
Of course.
Vjaret appeared in the living room doorway looking like a deer that had wandered into a predator's den.
His eyes went wide.
He looked at me—slouched on the couch, blanket over my legs, probably looking like death warmed over.
Then at the room—the nice furniture, the expensive decorations, the sheer size of the place.
Then back at me.
Then at Angy, who was circling him like a friendly shark.
Then at Shenhe, who had positioned herself by the door like a guard.
"Nams?" His voice cracked. "You... live here?"
"Yes."
"This whole house?"
"Yes."
He looked around again. At the high ceilings. At the art on the walls. At the six rooms he couldn't see but probably sensed from the layout.
"You live in a mansion."
"It's not a mansion."
"It's HUGE." He spread his arms wide, as if to encompass the impossibility. "This is bigger than my entire building. My entire apartment complex. My entire—"
"It's adequate."
He stared at me.
I stared back.
"So..." He swallowed. "Are these your... sisters? Cousins? Guardians?"
"This is Angy." I pointed. "And Shenhe."
"They're your age."
"Yes."
"They live with you."
"Yes."
"Just... here. In this house. With you."
"Yes."
His brain seemed to short-circuit.
Angy, bless her chaotic heart, decided to help.
"We're his maids!"
Vjaret's face went through approximately seventeen expressions in three seconds.
"Maids?"
"Yes! Professional maids! We've been with Young Master since he was three!"
"Young Master?"
"That's what we call him!"
"You call him 'Young Master'?"
"Yes! Because he's our Young Master!"
Vjaret looked at me. His eyes were screaming: WHAT IS HAPPENING.
I shrugged. I don't know how to explain.
"You have maids." He said it slowly, like he was testing the words. "Maids your own age. Living with you. In a mansion. Who call you 'Young Master.'"
"That's... accurate."
"And you just... didn't mention this?"
"It didn't come up."
"DIDN'T COME UP?!" His voice jumped an octave. "Nams, we've been eating lunch together for days! We studied together! I told you about setting the chemistry lab on fire! And you just... forgot to mention you live in a mansion with two maids?!"
"In my defense—"
"There's no defense for this!"
Angy giggled. Actually giggled. "He's cute when he's flustered."
Vjaret's face went red. Deep, tomato red.
This is going to be a long visit.
"Okay." Vjaret took a breath. Collected himself. "Okay. Let me... let me process."
He sat on the edge of the couch—the very edge, like he might need to flee at any moment.
Shenhe materialized with tea. Set it on the table in front of him. Vanished again.
Angy hovered nearby, watching him with the intensity of a nature documentary filmmaker.
"So." He picked up the tea. Held it like a shield. "You missed the exam."
"Yeah."
"I waited for you. At the roof. With extra snacks."
He waited.
For me.
With snacks.
"Sorry." The word came out rough. "I... couldn't make it."
"He collapsed." Angy supplied helpfully. "In the bathroom. Very dramatic. Lots of panic. Shenhe and I had to carry him to bed."
"ANGY."
"What? It's true!"
Vjaret's eyes went wide. "You collapsed? Are you okay? What happened? Do you need a doctor? Should I call someone?"
He's worried.
Actually worried.
About me.
"I'm fine." I said it quickly, before Angy could add more details. "Just... overdid it. Needed rest. The exam—"
"Don't worry about the exam." He waved it away.
"It's just a mini exam. You can make it up. Vkerna sir is understanding about these things." A pause. "I was just... worried. You weren't at school. Three days in a row. You didn't answer messages. I didn't know if—" He stopped.
If what?
If I was okay?
If I was coming back?
If I was real?
"I'm fine," I said again. Softer this time.
He nodded. Didn't push.
That was the thing about Vjaret. He never pushed.
"So." Angy inserted herself into the conversation with her usual grace. "Vjaret! Tell us about yourself!"
Vjaret glanced at me. Help.
I shrugged. You're on your own.
"I... uh..." He swallowed. "I'm in class 12-C? Same as Nams? I like... stuff?"
"What kind of stuff?"
"Normal stuff. Reading. Eating. Not dying."
Not dying.
He said not dying.
He has no idea.
Angy nodded like this was the most fascinating information she'd ever received. "And how did you meet our Young Master?"
"Our Young Master?"
"That's what we call him." She said it like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"You call him 'Young Master'?"
"Yes. Because he's our Young Master."
Vjaret looked at me again. That same look—what is happening—but softer now. More accepting.
"We met at school," I said. "First day. He introduced himself."
"And you've been friends ever since?"
"It's been like... a week."
"A week!" Angy clasped her hands. "A week and he already came to check on you! That's real friendship! That's true dedication! That's—"
"Angy." Shenhe's voice, calm and steady. "Tea."
Angy grabbed the tea and drank it in one gulp.
That tea was for Vjaret.
It doesn't matter anymore.
The conversation drifted after that.
Angy asked Vjaret about everything—his family, his hobbies, his favorite food, his opinion on cats, his opinion on window optimization.
Shenhe appeared occasionally to refresh tea or remove empty cups or simply observe with that unreadable expression.
And Vjaret... relaxed.
Gradually. Slowly. Like someone realizing the wolves weren't actually wolves, just very enthusiastic dogs.
"They're... intense," he said quietly, during a moment when Angy had dashed to the kitchen for more snacks.
"Yeah."
"But they clearly care about you."
I didn't answer.
He didn't push.
"I get it," he said. "Not the mansion-and-maids part. That's still weird. But the... caring part. Having people who notice when you're gone." A pause. "It's nice, right? Being noticed?"
Being noticed.
Is that what this is?
Is that what I've been missing?
"Yeah." The word came out quiet. "It's nice."
He nodded. Didn't say anything else.
Just sat there.
Being present.
Being a friend.
Angy returned with snacks—actual snacks, not burnt things. She'd apparently been practicing.
"I made cookies!" She presented them proudly. "Edible ones! Probably!"
Vjaret took one. Bit into it. Chewed.
His eyes went wide.
"These are... really good."
"REALLY?!" Angy looked like she might cry.
"Shenhe! He said they're good! My cookies are good!"
"They're acceptable," Shenhe said. Which from her was basically a standing ovation.
Angy beamed.
Vjaret ate another cookie.
And for a moment—just a moment—everything felt normal.
He stayed for an hour. Maybe two. Time moved strangely when Angy was talking.
When he finally stood to leave, he paused at the door.
"Nams."
"Yeah?"
"Next time you disappear, just... send a message. Okay? So I don't worry."
Next time.
Assuming there is a next time.
Assuming I don't collapse again.
Assuming—
"Okay."
He nodded. Smiled. That same shy smile from our first meeting.
"See you at school. When you're better."
"Yeah."
He left.
The door clicked shut.
Angy appeared at my side. "I like him."
"Me too."
Shenhe appeared on my other side. "He's acceptable."
From Shenhe, that was practically a declaration of love.
I sat there, between them, and felt something I hadn't felt in a long time.
Warm.
Safe.
Not alone.
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