Chapter 90 - Feelings

Soon after Masha finished opening her presents, it was time for Dereck and Vanessa to go back home. Their parents came to fetch them one after another, and afterward, Alexey also excused himself, saying that he had a few reports left to read and approve before going to bed. He stood up and seemed to hesitate for a second, but in the end, he still bent over and kissed his daughter on her forehead. In a soft voice, he once again wished her a happy birthday, and then he quietly disappeared into his study, almost fleeing like a thief.

On the side, Misha observed his father's antics with a grin. That man was very different from their past life. Although he was still awkward and clumsy, anyone with a brain could tell he loved his children dearly. Grief did haunt him, but he didn't lose his mind in alcohol and didn't blame his daughter for his loss. He didn't become a stranger, staying sober and true to himself. No one had been there for him in his past life, but in this one, his son was always by his side. Even if he was an a.d.u.l.t, Alexey was only human, and he couldn't face his wife's death unless someone supported him. Now that it was the case, he didn't have to drown his sorrows in alcohol to dull the pain.

After understanding this, Misha slowly but surely let go of his past fears, learning to see his father for who he currently was. Deep down, he did feel that it was unfair, wondering why his past self had to go through so much pain, but he was also happy to have by his side the father he had always wanted. It felt somewhat strange yet wonderful to be loved by him, making him wonder if he wasn't dreaming wide awake from time to time.

Not long after Alexey left, Misha grabbed Stephan's and Gabriel's wrist, dragging them to the stairs as he giggled, "I almost forgot! There's something I wanted to show you, guys! Let's go to my room. Sis', I'll be back in a few minutes."

"What? They can see that little something, but I can't?" asked Masha in a playful, teasing manner, to which Misha responded by sticking out his tongue.

"It's boy stuff! Hmph!"

"Oh, oh. And what kind of boy stuff?"

"Boy stuff is boy stuff!" stuttered the boy, hurrying up upstairs.

He wanted to give his sister and Yuki some space, so it would be counterproductive to invite Masha to come up with them. Anyway, there was no boy stuff. It was just a lame excuse that allowed him to bring Stephan and Gabriel elsewhere without arousing Masha's suspicion, or so he thought. In short, he just wanted to leave the girls alone because how could Yuki possibly confess with three guys staring at them?

However, Misha didn't go to his room; instead, he hid in a corner near the staircase, most of his body concealed by the corridor wall, and only half of his face was visible as he peeked into the living room. Stephan wasn't polite and did the same, his head appearing above the child's. Beside them, Gabriel leaned against the wall, rubbing the bridge of his nose. With a tilt of his chin, he silently advised to leave and give the girls a bit of privacy, but in response, they both threw him a cold gaze before tacitly deciding to ignore him. It made Gabriel feel a little exasperated. Those two were worse than naggy aunts.

In the living room, Masha and Yuki were silent. One was nervously rubbing her neck and playing with her hair while the other sat still on the sofa, seemingly thinking about something. Time ticked by, but none said anything. Eventually, it was Masha who opened up her mouth first.

"Those three sure are taking their time. I wonder what they're doing."

"Probably nothing much," replied Yuki with a faint smile.

She knew why they left; even so, she wasn't able to go along with the plan. She had discussed with Misha, and even Stephan, how to confess, yet, now that it was time to do so, she forgot everything she wanted to say. Every time she tried to open her mouth, the words she had in mind fled who knows where and nothing came out. She was nervous and afraid, not knowing what their relationship would become after she confessed, and it made it hard to speak.

"Yuki? Is there something wrong? You seem a bit lost in your thought," asked Masha with a gentle smile, making the nurse's heart soften.

'Ah, really, I want this person by my side, now and forever.' As the fleeting thought crossed her mind, Yuki suddenly felt like an idiot. Her love was only growing deeper with each passing day, so why was she hesitating so much? If she didn't muster the courage to confess right now and then, she would regret it, and she wanted to live without regrets.

"I'm just trying to find the right words, but you know that I'm not very good with that kind of thing. Speeches are not my forte."

"…?"

"So, I think I'm just going to say it straight out. I love you, and I would like to go out with you."

"…What did you say?" muttered Masha, her eyes growing wide as her words slowly sank in.

"I said that I love you."

Masha seemed to freeze, staring at the young woman in disbelief. Yuki discreetly clenched her fists, but her poker face and steady voice did not betray her inner turmoil as she went on, "I want to take care of you for the rest of my life, not as your nurse but as your lover. I want to spoil you and offer you all the best things in the world because seeing your smile and hearing your laugh make me the happiest woman on earth. I…"

Before Yuki could go on, two hands were pressed against her lips, abruptly silencing her. Blinking, she lifted her eyes and looked at Masha, whose face had turned bright red. Even her neck wasn't spared, being as red as a beet. That sight stunned Yuki, but not for long. Soon, a smile stretched her lips under Masha's hands. She then raised her arms and gently stroked her wrists, and in her black eyes, only tenderness could be seen.

"A-are you sure? Because I won't let you go. You really will have to take care of me for the rest of my life. You know, I'm selfish and stubborn; I'm not always kind."

"Yes, I know," answered Yuki after gently pushing aside her hands so that she could talk.

"My legs are also hideous."

"In my eyes, everything about you is beautiful, your legs included," chuckled Yuki, stretching a hand to stroke Masha's cheek. "So? Will you be my lover?"

"Yes, of course yes," smiled Masha with reddened eyes, pressing her forehead against hers. "Being your girlfriend would be like a dream coming true."

Chewing on her lower lip, Masha hesitated a second before lightly kissing Yuki, whispering, "I also love you very, very much."

With a smile, they stared into each other eyes, feeling as though the time had stopped. It went on until Yuki turned her head toward the stairs, saying, "So? How much longer are you planning on eavesdropping on us?"

"…Ah. You knew?" chuckled Stephan, not at all ashamed that he was caught red-handed. "Well, congratulations!"

Although Misha felt a little embarrassed at being caught, he didn't stay hidden any longer and ran to his sister, almost jumping on her l.a.p to hug her. Like Stephan, he happily giggled, "Congratulations!"

Dumbfounded, Masha couldn't help but look left and right, not knowing what to do. Eventually, she more or less understood what was going on and managed to mumble, "Thank you?"

Masha's eighteenth birthday thus ended with laughter and shouts of "Congratulations!" Stephan went back home, and so did Yuki, not without promising to come back the very next day. With a bit of reluctance, Masha bid her goodbyes and went to bed, her heart filled with so much joy that she thought it would burst.

After tucking in his sister, Misha left for his room with Gabriel. They prepared to go to sleep, but once in his bed, the boy couldn't fell asleep. He was too excited and overjoyed, and all he could do was roll about in his bed to try to calm himself down. He had worked so hard to offer his sister a perfect birthday and seeing her bright smile and red face had made him and still made him feel thrilled. Really, Masha looked so happy; it was as though it was the happiest day of her life. Misha certainly wouldn't forget that expression of hers any time soon.

"I wonder if I will ever find a lover, too," mumbled the boy to himself, stopping to roll about to lay on his back, staring at the ceiling without really seeing it.

In his past life, he never dated anyone. It wasn't because he didn't want to, but he hadn't found anyone that could make him forget his fear of touching. No matter who, it always felt disgusting whenever their hands brushed his. The only time he could more or less touch others without feeling like throwing up was when he was dead drunk, but that wasn't exactly the best state of mind to find a lover.

Misha snorted, thinking that it was useless to worry about that for the time being. Currently, he was only a little kid, and love matters wouldn't be on his agenda until a few more years had passed. Still, he couldn't help himself after witnessing how happy his sister was when Yuki confessed. It gave birth to envy in his heart, although he would never admit it aloud. And as his thoughts wandered around the subject, Gabriel's face popped up in his mind once again.

Frowning, Misha felt like something was shattering inside him, clearing up the cloud of fog that had been hovering around in his mind for a very long time. Why was it that Gabriel always came to his mind whenever the topic of love was brought up? For once, he didn't push aside the question and pondered over it instead. And as he thought more and more about his feelings and past actions, his face became paler and paler.

Whenever Stephan was lurking around Gabriel, he became unhappy and tried to separate them, a bit as if he was jealous. Whenever Gabriel stopped paying him attention, he also became unhappy and did stupid things to remind him of his presence. His touch didn't disgust him, on the contrary. It felt warm. Other memories of his past life came flooding into his head, and Misha felt choked up.

Back then, he always pretended not to notice his feelings because Gabriel was his sister's boyfriend, and it sure was improper to hold any kind of romantic feelings toward his sister's boyfriend. Now that he knew Masha and Gabriel weren't in love, the feelings he had ignored for so long had started to show up, knocking at his door. In the end, didn't he feel relieved when he learned about their fake relationship? Why was it?

"You must be kidding me," coughed Misha, sitting straight in his bed as he threw a glance at Gabriel, who was sleeping soundly in his futon. "Am I in love with that guy?! Oh my f.u.c.k.i.n.g God! That's a joke, right?! Right?!"

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Mini theater

Author: Well, finally, you're not that dense, though it took you a bit more than a lifetime to realize it.

MC: …Shut up.

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