By your window

4.

"Penny for your thoughts?". Myery smiled softly, plopping down on the bench beside her cousin; Marben returned the smile half-heartedly.
"Nothing in particular, I'm just...thinking about this and that".
"Marben".
"Yeeeeeees, Mooooooom".
"You look like you've been having nightmares" said Myery, unfazed by the other's sass.
"Of course I've been having nightmares, My! Were I ever to stop having them, then you would have to start worrying!". The red-haired girl's gaze got a bit pained.
"I'm sorry, sweetie".
"No, don't be. It's fine" Marben fondly said back. She looked up at the other girl's familiar face, red hair, freckles and dark eyes: Myery always knew how to ground her, and was never overbearing or patronizing, just protective. There had never been secrets between them. So, with a sigh, she decided to tell her everything.
"It has nothing to do with the nightmares. I...I just have a crush. The biggest one ever". Myery shifted a little, looking around furtively.
"And is he...you know, real?".
"Myery, I SWEAR TO GOD...".
"No, LISTEN! I had to ask!" the taller girl's hands flew up in a placating gesture. "Of course I had to ask, we've been here for...what, a fortnight?".
"Yeah, more or less".
"And you already managed to get the hots for someone? For the love of god, you really have no shame!". Marben snorted, rolling her eyes.
"As if I did it on purpose...".
"So, how comes you're letting a silly crush cause you to sulk so massively?" asked Myery. Her cousin grunted.
"I'm not sulking, it's just...I've already met him thrice, and he always leaves in a rush, like he has to be somewhere else veeeeery quickly, all of a sudden. He's...cocky, and standoffish and a bit closed off, but...". At that, Myery snickered.
"But of course you like him, he's a jerk!".

Marben couldn't stop the impulse to think of the last time she had seen Five: was he angry with her for having been asked about something private? One moment he had looked like he was at least enjoying trying - and failing - to make her look like a dimwit, and then, suddenly, his face had gone grim and he had literally disappeared. She hadn't seen him since. Almost an entire week had passed.

"I was thinking...what would your parents say, if they knew you're seeing some American bloke and neglecting your studies?".
"YOU CAN'T TELL THEM!" shouted Marben, springing from the bench to grab her cousin by the shoulders and forcefully shake her.
"I won't, relax! I just wanted to tease you a bit". This earned Myery a glare.
"And you say I'm the one without shame". The two girls threw each other a pointed look, and then dropped all animosities with a shared laugh.
"So...basically what's bugging you is the fact that...you don't know if he likes you back, am I right?".
Marben nodded.
"Awwww, sweetheart" cooed gently Myery, caressing her cousin's cheek with the back of her hand. "This is always the worst part. But I'm sure everything will turn out for the best, when he'll sort it out with himself. You'll see".
Marben leaned in the caress, smiling fondly at that cousin that was more of a sister, to her...then, something occurred to her.
"Hey...that woman from the press!". Myery stared blankly at her. "The one who started screaming, that day we played in front of the journalists! What did she call the boys and girl who had sneaked inside the Theater?".
"Uh...I don't know, didn't it had something to do with...umbrellas, maybe?".
"YES!'.
Suddenly Marben grabbed her confused cousin by the hand and started pulling her away from the bench.
"Wait, where are we going?" blurted Myery, barely catching up with Marben's pace; the blond girl smiled mysteriously.
"To find out who's the bloke I like!'.

A/N: Here I am again, this time with a short chapter. I hope you liked it!

'See' you next week! ;)