Soon after Masha finished opening her presents, it was time for Dereck and Vanessa to return 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 an instant, then he bent over and kissed his daughter on her forehead.
"Happy birthday," he said in a soft voice before turning around and fleeing upstairs like a thief.
A grin curled up Misha's lips as he observed his father's antics, thinking Alexey 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.
No one had been there for Alexey in his past life, but in this one, his son was always by his side. He was only human, and he couldn't face his wife's death unless someone supported him. Now that it was the case, he could face it without drowning 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. Honestly, he did feel that it was unfair; why did his past self have to go through so much pain...? Some nights, he could not help but remember the agony he went through, leaving him drenched in sweat. Still, he was genuinely happy to have the father he had always wanted in this timeline. It felt somewhat strange yet wonderful to be loved by him.
Not long after Alexey left, Misha grabbed Stephan's and Gabriel's wrists, 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?" Masha asked in a playful, teasing manner, to which Misha responded by sticking out his tongue.
"It's boy stuff!"
"Oh, oh. And what kind of boy stuff?"
"Boy stuff is boy stuff!" Misha stuttered, hurrying up upstairs to escape his sister's questioning eyes.
He wanted to give Masha and Yuki some space, so it would be counterproductive to invite his sister 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. 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. What the heck were they doing...?
With a tilt of his chin, Gabriel silently advised them 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.
'I swear, these two!' he thought. 'They're worse than naggy aunts. Leave the girls be, for goodness' sake!'
In the living room, Masha and Yuki were silent. One nervously rubbed her neck and played with her hair; meanwhile, the other sat still on the sofa, seemingly thinking about something. Time ticked by, but neither of them said anything.
"Those three sure are taking their time," Masha eventually chuckled. "I wonder what they're doing."
"Probably nothing much," Yuki replied with a faint smile.
She knew why they left; still, she couldn't 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 to who knows where and nothing came out. She was nervous and afraid, not knowing what their relationship would become after she confessed, making it hard to speak.
"Yuki? Is there something wrong? You seem a bit lost in your thoughts," Masha asked with a gentle smile, and the nurse's heart softened.
'Ah, really, I want this person by my side, now and forever.' It was a fleeting thought that briefly crossed her mind, but it made Yuki realize just how much she was being silly. Her love was growing deeper with each passing day, so why was she hesitating? If she didn't muster the courage to confess today... she knew she'd regret it one day.
"I'm just trying to find the right words, but I'm not very good with that kind of thing. Speeches have never been 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?"
"I said that I love you."
Masha seemed to freeze as the words sank in, 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—"
Yuki was interrupted mid-sentence, two hands pressed against her lips, abruptly silencing her. 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. The 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."
"Yes, I know," Yuki chuckled after gently pushing aside her hands. "But I don't mind."
"My legs are also hideous."
"In my eyes, everything about you is beautiful, your legs included," Yuki smiled, stretching a hand to stroke Masha's cheek. "So? Will you be my lover?"
"Yes! Of course, yes," Misha stuttered with reddened eyes, pressing her forehead against hers. "Being your girlfriend would be like a dream coming true." She hesitated for a second before lightly kissing Yuki, whispering against her lips, "I also love you very, very much."
With a smile, they stared into each other's eyes as if time had halted. It went on until Yuki turned her head toward the stairs, asking, "So? How much longer are you planning on eavesdropping on us?"
"Ah. You knew?" Stephan laughed, 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 lap to hug her. "Congratulations!"
Dumbfounded, Masha couldn't help but look left and right, not knowing what to do. "Thank you...?"
Masha's eighteenth birthday thus ended with laughter and shouts of "Congratulations!". Soon after, Stephan returned home, and so did Yuki, not without promising to come back the very next day. With a bit of reluctance, Masha bid her goodbye 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 the boy couldn't fall asleep once in his bed. He was too excited and overjoyed, and all he could do was roll about in his bedsheets 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 felt as if 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," Misha mumbled 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 following Yuki's confession. It gave birth to some envy in his heart.
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 long time. Why was it that Gabriel always came to his mind whenever the topic of love was brought up? He didn't push aside the question for once and pondered over it instead. The more he thought about his feelings and past actions, the paler his face became.
Whenever Stephan was lurking around Gabriel, he became unhappy and tried to separate them 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 and comforting. Other memories of his past life flooded 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. Holy crap, didn't he feel relieved when he learned about their fake relationship? Why was it?
"You must be kidding me!" Misha sucked in a deep breath, sitting straight in his bed. He then glanced at Gabriel, who was sleeping soundly in his futon, dumbstruck. "...Am I in love with that guy?! Oh, shit! That has to be a joke, right?! Right?!"
________________
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.
__________________________
Chapter revised on 2022-05-29
Edited by Clozed! ♥
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rs_vaesen
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZsEYr5eh6h