Chapter 117 - Love Matters

"So?" Misha asked with narrowed eyes, looking down at his sister who was obediently sitting on the bed, just like a child who knew they had done wrong and were about to be scolded. "What did you talk about with Gabriel and Yuki while I was away?"

A few minutes earlier, her brother had dragged her upstairs to his room, right after Gabriel and Tristan left for their home. It didn't take long before Masha understood what he wanted to do, that is to say, to interrogate her about today's dinner. Still, she hadn't expected him to be so straightforward, making her at a loss for words.

Well, she should have known better; it was her brother, after all.

But honestly, Masha would have preferred it if he had turned around the bush, giving her enough time to think about a proper answer. Unlike a certain someone, lying on the spur of the moment wasn't her forte.

"…Nothing much," Masha eventually answered, staring straight into her brother's eyes. "It's nothing important, really."

"Nothing important, my ȧss! Do you take me for a fool?!" Misha snorted, his mouth twitching.. "Do you seriously believe I'm gonna swallow that lie? Do you have any idea what kind of face you were making earlier?"

If even Tristan had noticed Masha's somber expression, of course Misha also did. They both glanced through the window wall, and they both saw the three persons sitting at the table, their facial expressions included.

His sister probably hadn't been aware of it at the time, but her face became uglier and uglier with each passing minute. The fact that she hadn't been able to conceal her ire told a lot, considering how good she usually was at hiding her feelings and emotions.

"You know I'm not a goddam kid, so don't treat me like one! And don't you think I've got the right to know?!"

"Of course you have," Masha mumbled, pinching her lips. "It's just that I'm not the one who should tell you."

"Why? 'cause it's something personal about Gabriel?"

"Yes, it is! It concerns his past, and I'm sure he would prefer to tell you everything about it himself! I don't even know all the details yet, so even if you pressure me, I can't answer all of your questions, Mish'!"

"So you're telling me to wait for that guy, who's the most secretive person I know, to open up and talk about his past? Asking for the moon seems like a more realistic demand, if you ask me! For fuċk's sake, how many more lifetimes will it take before I learn the freaking truth?!"

"Don't say that! I'm sure he wants to tell you everything but hasn't had the chance until now. And maybe he doesn't know how to bring up the subject. Trust me, it's not something easy to insert in a conversation."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right! 'cause coming clean about time-traveling with you was something easy, of course!" Misha snorted before venting his pent-up frustration on the night table, kicking it.

The lamp on the table then wobbled, menacing to fall off. With round eyes, Misha bent over in extremis to catch it. Once he put it back in its original place, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief, feeling like he had just escaped a disaster. That had the merit to calm him down, just as if cold water had been poured on him.

Misha slowly straightened his back and pretended not to notice his sister's pinched lips. At least, she did her best to stifle her laughter. It was always better than not trying.

"Sorry," Misha grumbled before letting himself fall onto his bed, landing on his stomach. "It's just frustrating. I hate it when the both of you hide things from me. It brings up bad memories, and I tend to let my emotions get the better of me. I didn't mean to raise my voice at you."

Because they said nothing for fear of hurting him or being hurt in the first timeline, everything went down the drain, and Misha lost the persons he treasured the most. He could never forget the pain of burying his sister, nor could he forget the seething anger that came with Gabriel's betrayal―or what he had thought to be.

Even in this life, these feelings were still deep rotten, having sunk into his bones, and sometimes they haunted his nights. Whenever secrets were involved, he would lose his calm and raise his voice, becoming somewhat irrational.

'I said I wasn't a brat, but I sure act like one,' Misha self-loathed before peeking at his sister, who gently smiled in response, stretching a hand to stroke his hair.

"Don't worry, you have all the right in the world to be angry at us whenever you feel like it, whether you have a reason or not. Looking at what Gabriel and I put you through in your past life, I'm surprised you're not raising your voice and scolding us more often."

"Well, your past selves aren't really the 'you' of right now," Misha pouted, rubbing his head against the palm of his sister's hand. "But you're sure you won't tell me anything? Not even a little?"

"Nope."

"Stingy."

"I know."

Pursing his lips, Misha tried hard not to laugh, but he couldn't contain his laughter and let out a chuckle in the end. With a smile lingering on his lips, he then scurried closer to his sister and hugged her, deciding to let her off the hook for the time being.

Anyway, it wouldn't do him any good to insist, knowing that his sister was as stubborn as he was. If she didn't want to talk, then she wouldn't, no matter how much he pestered her.

"By the way, does your foot hurt?"

"Now that you mention it…."

His foot did hurt, especially his toes. Hitting the table without wearing a shoe wasn't his brightest idea, and a slight pain now pulsated throughout his leg. Next time, he should vent his anger on the pillow or, at the very least, something soft, not something hard.

"On another note, how did it go with Yuki?"

At those words, Masha's cheek turned bright right in an instant, leaving Misha speechless. Wasn't that kind of reaction a bit too much…?

"Well, hum, I wouldn't say it went well, but you see…."

"Love at first sight?"

"It's weird, right? We only exchanged a few words at the hospital before, but I felt strangely drawn to her after seeing her again at the restaurant today. Frankly, I don't know how to explain what I felt back then. It was like being struck by lightning."

"'Cause you know what being struck by lightning feels like?"

"Don't be a smartass! You get the point," Masha replied, flicking her brother's forehead. "To be honest, I hope I'll meet her again soon, though I've to admit that such sudden yet strong feelings scare me a little. All that to say that, yes, I'm interested in her and we exchanged our contact information. But I don't know if I made a good impression. It's a little hard to tell with her poker face."

"Well, Gabriel said that Yuki was the one who wooed you in your past timeline. So it's your turn to do it," Misha shrugged, massaging his painful forehead. "Take it easy. You have all the time in the world, and you're full of charms. I'm sure she's gonna fall for you one day or another, so be confident in yourself."

"What a smooth talker!" Masha sighed, side-glancing at her brother before smiling slyly. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Did you fall in love with Gabriel yet?"

"Not this question again!" Misha whɨnėd, drilling his head underneath his pillow and covering his ears with it.

Whenever his sister had free time, she always made fun of his blunter, reminding him of his other past self's words. Honestly, he just wanted to forget and hid his head in the ground, just like an ostrich. However, his sister wouldn't allow that, and she snatched his pillow, saying in a teasing tone:

"Come on! I'm telling you everything about my love life, so how about doing the same?"

"I don't wanna!"

"Why not?"

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm curious!"

"That's not a good reason!"

"Yes, it is! And I'm also the big sister, meaning that you, as the little brother, should listen to me!"

"So what? I'm technically older than you, so don't try to use that privilege on me!"

"That's cheating!"

"No, it's not!"

And so, the bickering went on until both were out of breath, staring at each other with narrowed eyes. Silence filled the room for a while, and only their heavy breathing could be heard. Eventually, Misha pursed his lips, saying in a voice bȧrėly audible:

"Anyway, wouldn't you find it weird if I indeed were to fall in love with Gaby? Or if I already am, just like that idiot of other me said?"

"No, not at all," Masha replied softly. "I think you would make a great couple, well balanced and super awesome too. And you know, whenever Gabriel pops up in the conversation, you always become agitated, just like a lovestruck teenage girl."

"I know…"

"Oh?"

"But that's not the point. Even if Gaby is gay, it doesn't necessarily mean he's gonna fall in love with me. And I just don't want to think about love matters and such right now, especially considering how young this body is. So, please, stop bothering me about it. I've got enough on my mind already."

"All right," Masha smiled, ruffling her brother's hair. "But if you make up your mind one day, do tell Gabriel right away. You never know. His answer could surprise you."

"…Fine, I will."

Masha's smile deepened at those words, but she didn't pursue the matter any further. Instead, she got up and stretched her body, saying:

"It's getting late, so I'll go back to my room. You're dozing off, anyway."

"Hm, good night."

"Good night."

Misha rolled over and watched his sister leave, thinking back on their conversation. Although he could be dense, he wasn't an idiot. These past few weeks, he had taken the time to think about his other self's words, and he knew he was probably right. He just didn't want to admit it.

Turning on his back, Misha stared at the ceiling, wondering where this timeline was heading to. And strangely enough, that was at this moment that he remembered this one particular conversation he had with Yuki, the words she had once told him at the cafeteria suddenly popping in his mind. They were a bit blurry, not very clear too, but the anger he had felt when he heard them the first time was very much present, stirring up his stomach.

What did she say again?

"Yeah, I remember now. She said something like it wasn't Gabriel's first coma…." Misha suċkėd in a breath before cursing at himself, sitting upright in his bed, "Fucking hell, how could I forget that?!"

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