43 Season 2 - Page Fifteen

[Siren]

"What are your hobbies, Siren? We might get something out of it." Miss Astrid said after a minute of silence.

"I... I like drawing." I guess? It's just that I'll feel bad if I didn't answer anything. I don't want to trouble Miss Astrid even more.

"Then, there are a lot of degrees that focus on drawings. Like... Architecture, Graphic design. Does it interest you?"

I slowly shake my head.

Slowly, I started to feel hopeless. I am really good for nothing, huh?

"I don't want to pressure you but the graduation's getting nearer. You have to think of something that will secure your future. It's fine if you can't think of anything right now but don't make it too long, okay?"

"Is it a bad thing?"

"What is?"

"Having no plans in the future..."

Miss Astrid held my hand that is sitting on my lap. It's warm.

"It's normal, especially at your age. I experienced that too when I was in high school. Honestly, I thought I'll end up homeless because I've been jobless for a year but I'm glad your sister found me and..."

"My... Sister?"

She smiled, squeezed my hand, and let it go. "Anyway, you still have plenty of time. I just don't want you to regret things in the end. If you have any concerns, please tell me, okay? I'll listen to you."

Miss Astrid dismissed me so I got out of the faculty room feeling empty. Ah, I really don't know what to do.

"Siren..."

Yujin's voice wakes me up. She's standing outside the faculty room. Her face still looks full of worry, and I can't help but feel guilty.

I'm sorry you have to be with this kind of person, Yujin.

"Are you okay?"

I shake my head and hugged her without a warning. I want to be over this phase.

Yujin, too, hugged me without a word, slowly caressing my back as if to tell me that everything was going to be alright.

- - -

When I got home (Peach is with me), Sorelle is already there, eating salad in the living room while browsing her laptop.

"I'm with a classmate today," I announced. She just nodded without even looking at us. "Let's go." I dragged Peach into my room.

Peach stood in the middle while looking around like she was in a museum.

"Your room's clean."

"And what do you mean by that?"

She turned to look at me and smiled. "Nothing. Oh, that headband!" She pointed something behind me before running close to me and grabbing a mickey mouse headband. "You still have it?"

"Yeah. It's a souvenir so of course, I'll keep it."

"I still have mine too!" She exclaimed before wearing the headband. I stared at her with this familiar heartbeat again.

"D-do you want to eat first? I think Sorelle cooked something."

"Really? Then let's eat!" Peach held my hand and dragged me outside like she was the owner of the house and I'm the visitor.

After we finished eating, we head back to the room and started our report. We're halfway there and I'm glad we could come up with some progress.

I glanced at Peach sitting beside me. She's so serious about reading a book. I honestly find her beautiful at a times like this but she'll never find out about this. Who knows what she might do if she found out that I think that way?

"Siren, what do you th..."

I blinked twice when I noticed that I'd been staring at her.

"What is it?"

"Can you summarize this for me?" She shows me the book she's holding. "I think this might be useful."

I read the book and frowned. "You're just adding unnecessary information. I don't think we should include that."

"Oh. Really?" She read the book once more. "You might be right. Then, let's not include it!"

I shake my head and looked at the laptop. "I think, we're done?"

"Really?" I almost flinched in surprise when Peach suddenly leaned closer to me, her chest resting comfortably on my left shoulder. We are both in pajamas now and it doesn't help that the fabrics are thin that I can almost feel her bare skin.

What am I thinking? Snap out of it!

"Won't it be too short?"

"Short? It's 40 slides! In what way is that short?"

She giggled. "Is that so? I just thought that we might add something to it."

"It's fine already. We should just wrap it here." I saved our presentation before Peach could say something. She moved away (much to my relief) and started stretching.

"It's already late at night. Let's go to sleep?"

"You go on ahead. I'll clean this up."

"I'll help you..."

I stared at the bed where Peach is sitting. We don't have extra beds since we rarely have visitors coming and Yujin sleeps beside me so that could only mean one thing...

"Why are you standing over there? Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I-I am..." I walked hastily towards her. Why do I feel like a visitor in my own house?!

Peach lay on the bed and closed her eyes. "I'm really sleepy... Goodnight, Siren."

And then silence. I stared at her in a daze.

She's really sleeping... It must be nice to fall asleep so easily like that.

This is the time like this when I can look at her face freely. And she really is beautiful. Her eyelashes are long, her nose is tall and her lips...

I gulped thinking that I kissed that lips. No, actually she was the one who kisses me every time! But... Her lips are really soft... And sweet. It's warm too, in contrast to her body temperature.

I sighed.

"You're just adding to my already confused mind, Peach..." I whispered as I try to reach for her face. "What should I do, hmmm?"

To be continued.