Ren never thought that sharing a house with someone he barely knew could feel so uncomfortable. During the first few days, he tried to approach Yaina. He gently knocked on the door of her room, always repeating the same phrases.
"Do you want something to eat?"
"Is everything okay?"
He never got an answer.
Yaina spent almost all her time locked in her room. He only saw her briefly, when she came down to the kitchen for food or water. Even then, Ren barely noticed her presence. She moved in silence, like a shadow that appeared and disappeared without leaving a trace.
As time passed, Ren began to notice things he didn't like. Sometimes he found empty beer bottles in the trash or on the table. However, the smell of cigarettes was what disturbed him the most, as it seeped through the hallway and spread throughout the house.
With each passing day, the feeling of being ignored grew heavier. Every failed attempt at conversation wore him down a little more. The house, which had already felt empty after his mother's death, now seemed even colder with that silent presence that didn't fit into his routine.
The only thing keeping him afloat was Miya.
She showed up almost every day. Sometimes she arrived with a simple breakfast, other times with any excuse just to spend time together. Her presence brought him a sense of calm.
One afternoon, while they were sharing tea in the kitchen, Miya set her cup down on the table and looked at him attentively.
"Ren… do you think that woman really loves your father?" she asked calmly.
Ren blinked, surprised. He had never thought about it that way.
"I… I don't know. I don't know why Yaina and Sanli are together. My father isn't young, he isn't especially handsome. Is it for money? No… he doesn't have that much money. Maybe they really do love each other?"
The words hung in the air.
"Maybe," Miya said, breaking the silence. "Or maybe not. Sometimes people stay with someone for reasons even they don't understand. It's like a routine that gives meaning to their life, even though that same cycle sometimes only drags them down further."
Ren sighed, confused.
"I don't know. All of this has my head spinning. I wanted to get closer to my dad, to rebuild something… but now his wife is living here. I didn't ask for this."
Miya gently placed her hand over his.
"I know. And you don't have to carry everything alone. I'm here, remember?"
Ren smiled weakly.
"Thank you, Miya. Really."
But even she couldn't stop the days from becoming heavy. The stress kept piling up: his mother's death still hurt, Yaina's constant rejection wounded him, and now the weight of not being able to say no to his father crushed him. All of that ended up affecting his studies. He failed an important course in his degree. Hours spent studying had been for nothing.
Ren asked himself again and again why things happened the way they did. He knew the world didn't revolve around him, but stopping thinking about himself was impossible. It was selfish, yes, but he was the one feeling the pain.
That night, after reviewing the grades from the failed course, he lay down on his bed and let the tears come. He cried almost as hard as the night he learned about his mother's death. He tried to smother his sobs in the pillow so they wouldn't be heard in the house.
Suddenly, someone gently knocked on the door.
Ren froze. His mind took a few seconds to process it.
"Ren, are you okay?" Yaina's voice said from the other side of the door.
Ren felt strange. It was the first time she had initiated a conversation.
He quickly wiped his tears with his sleeve and tried to sound normal.
"Yes… I'm fine," he replied with a hoarse voice.
There was a brief silence. Then, footsteps moving away.
Yaina left without saying anything else.
Ren stayed staring at the door, confused. Little by little, the crying stopped, and his mind drifted away from those memories.
Carefully, he stood up and wiped his face. Hearing noises in the dining room, he went down to check.
There was Yaina, sitting at the table, a lit cigarette between her fingers and a half-empty beer bottle in front of her. On the table was a small open box containing what looked like a lighter and several packs of cigarettes.
Ren stopped at the doorway and slowly turned to go back to his room. But Yaina looked up and saw him.
"Hello, Ren," she said calmly, exhaling smoke.
"Hello, Yaina," he replied, turning back slowly.
She looked at him for a few seconds.
"Are you still feeling bad?"
Ren didn't know what to answer right away. His body felt heavy, but the negative thoughts he had piled up in solitude seemed to fade a little at that unexpected question.
She took another drag from the cigarette and added,
"Don't you want to keep me company?"
Ren opened his eyes, surprised.
"No… I don't smoke or drink," he said quickly, almost instinctively.
Yaina looked at him in confusion for a moment. Then she let out a brief, soft, almost amused laugh.
"No, idiot. I just mean to talk."
Chapter 13: Conversation at the House