"You're Ren, right?"
"Yes."
In the middle of the living room, Miya's brother was sitting on the couch, his eyes half-closed from exhaustion. He watched Ren with a mix of curiosity.
"Thank you for helping my sister. She's been very sick these past few days… You have no idea how much I appreciate it."
Ren shook his head, uncomfortable, slipping his hands into his pockets.
"You don't have to thank me. What I did… any friend of hers would have done the same."
"Maybe so," her brother replied.
Ren lowered his gaze for a moment, fidgeting with his fingers.
"She really helped me in…" His voice grew quieter. "In my saddest moments."
Her brother nodded slowly.
"Yes, don't worry. My thinking senses already picked up on that."
Ren looked up, confused.
"Your… thinking senses?"
Miya's brother let out a low, tired laugh as he ran a hand over his face, trying to clear his head.
"I mean that I understand. I work a lot, you know? The time I spend with her is little… but I always try to know what's going on with her, even if I get home exhausted and can only ask how her day was before I collapse."
"Ah… yes."
There was a brief silence. Suddenly, her brother straightened up a little.
"Ren… is what you said true?"
Ren's heart recalled that moment when he had answered what Miya murmured in her sleep.
That situation had been overheard by Miya's brother, who had returned from work.
"Yes, she—"
Miya's brother raised a hand, interrupting him.
"I know my sister helped you when you were in a bad place. And I know that weighs heavily. But… what you feel now, do you really think it's love? Or is it just gratitude? A repayment for the attention she gave you when you needed it most? It might just be a need to feel okay."
Ren blinked, processing the words.
"I don't know…" Ren admitted. "I only know that when I'm with her… things feel different. Lighter. I can't explain it better, but she was the light in that moment."
Miya's brother watched him in silence for a long while, then sighed deeply.
"Ren, I see that you're a very good person. That's why I'm going to give you some advice… or rather, I'm going to ask you for something. Be very good to my sister, but not too much. My sister has suffered a lot. She didn't have an easy life, and that part… I don't want her to pass that on to you. But please, please… don't get any closer to her, and don't come to this house anymore."
Ren blinked.
"You don't want me to be her friend?"
"No, that's not what I said," her brother replied, slowly shaking his head. "What I don't want, Ren, is for you to be nothing to her. I'm asking you that favor. Nothing more."
Ren opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
"Well, with all that said… I think it's already late, right, Ren?"
Still confused, Ren nodded.
"Yes… it's late."
Miya's brother walked to the front door and opened it.
"Well, Ren, as I said, thank you very much for everything."
"Yes," Ren murmured, almost automatically, as he crossed the threshold.
The door closed softly behind him.
Words and thoughts piled up in his mind. He didn't know exactly what had just happened. Why did her brother want to push him away? Why did everything suddenly feel so mysterious?
"It doesn't make sense," he thought, clenching his teeth.
Stay away from Miya… no. And especially not now that she's like this, sick, alone in that bed. Why? What happened to her that he doesn't want me to know? Or that he doesn't want to happen to me?
The wind tousled Ren's hair, a sign that the night was going to bring rain and not a gentle one.
***
The next day, completely ignoring Miya's brother's words, Ren knocked on her door again. He was still confused, but he needed to go and see if she was okay.
As he crossed the threshold, he felt like he was doing something wrong, as if he were breaking an invisible rule. But he couldn't help it.
There was Miya. There was no trace of yesterday's fragility. No. Her face was glowing, her eyes sparkled, and a wide smile lit up her entire expression.
"Are you feeling better now, Miya?"
"Yes," she replied, almost bouncing a little as she spoke. "That broth helped me a lot. Thank you."
She didn't just seem recovered; she was radiant, lively, as if the illness had never existed.
The worry he had felt disappeared.
They spent the whole morning together watching movies, just as Miya had asked in that soft voice.
After watching a few, Ren brought up the doubt that had bothered him the day before.
"When you fell asleep yesterday… I talked to your brother."
Miya's expression changed instantly. The joy shut off as if someone had flipped a switch. Her lips pressed together slightly.
"Oh, really? And what did he say to you?"
"He thanked me for helping you," Ren replied, looking at the screen. "… You know, your brother is very kind. He works a lot and is always looking out for you. You can tell he wants to protect you."
Miya nodded slowly.
"Yes… I'm always grateful for that."
"Your brother told me something," Ren said, watching her.
"What did he say, Ren?"
Ren avoided her gaze, fixing his eyes on the television.
"No, nothing. Forget it, the movie is already starting."
"Ren, please," Miya insisted, leaning a little closer to him. "Tell me what my brother said."
There was no escape anymore. The interest in Miya's eyes was too strong; if he kept avoiding it, he would only make her feel worse.
He wanted to tell her about everything that had happened. But saying it could open wounds.
Ren didn't know for sure what Miya had gone through. Maybe she had had bad relationships with people who hurt her.
Ren knew well what that was like. He wasn't lonely because he wanted to be; he was lonely because the friends he'd had always ended up using him for cruel jokes or to feel superior. That had left him full of insecurities and afraid to get close to anyone. That was, of course, until Miya and Yaina arrived. With them, little by little, that fear had begun to fade.
Just two days ago, he had gone to university in person for the first time in a long while, to retake a subject he had failed—something he never would have done before.
"Ren…"
"…He told me to stay away from you."
"What? Why?"
"For your own good."
"No, Ren," she said as she moved closer to him on the couch. "You're not going to listen to him, right?"
Ren didn't know what to answer.
Miya's eyes began to shine with tears. One escaped and rolled down her cheek.
In the reflection of the television, Ren saw not only his own pale, confused face, but Miya's as well.
Looking at her, Ren couldn't bear to see her vulnerable.
How did it come to this? We were happy just a moment ago… Did I really have to say it?
He didn't know it, but at that moment a part of him thought that maybe this would be the last day they would spend together.
"Miya, I don't want to leave you," Ren tried to explain, but Miya leaned forward and kissed him, cutting his words short.
The moment was as if two strings, separated for years, were finally tied together.
Ren left his surprise behind and accepted the moment. His hands found Miya's waist, while she held his face.
When they pulled apart, both were flushed, breathing heavily.
Miya broke the moment with a voice so tender that Ren didn't remember ever hearing it before.
"My darling."
Chapter 17: An Unexpected Kiss