47 Season 2 - Page Nineteen

[Siren]

"See you tomorrow." Yujin nodded as she wave goodbye to me. I smile as I ruffle her hair and said my goodbye too.

I continued walking back home when I noticed that someone might be following me.

No way. Our place is safe. There are no criminals lurking in here. But I can't be so sure, right? This might be a peaceful place but there will still be bad people everywhere.

My pepper spray... Did I bring it? Ah, I should've listened to Sorelle and brought it with me at all times! What should I do now? Should I run? Good thing Yujin already went home or else I wouldn't really know what to do.

Okay, let's calm down. Breath in... Breath out... Maybe we're living in the same neighborhood. After all, I'm not the only person who lives here!

I feel shivers down my spine when the person behind me giggled. What's so funny? Is it so funny seeing me panic like this? Am I too obvious?

"Siren-"

I closed my eyes tightly. My feet are frozen in the ground and I can't move. So, it's true that when you get scared, you freeze on the spot.

Wait a minute.

I can smell flowers.

And there's only one person I know that smells of flowers.

"P-Peach?" I whispered.

"Yeah?"

I turned around hastily, surprising her and I feel like collapsing from relief. So it's not a bad person. I'm still alive.

"What's wrong?"

"I should be the one to ask..." I sighed. "Why are you following me?"

"Ha? I'm going to visit Brownie today."

"You never told me about it."

"I did. After the meeting. You forgot already?"

Ah, right. She did ask me if she can visit Brownie and I said Yes. I must've forgotten it for a second because I was too sleepy earlier.

"Is it... No good?"

"No, it's fine. It's my fault for forgetting." I turned around and started walking. "Let's go. It's getting cold in here."

- - -

I stare at them boredly as I watch them play with each other while I lay on the sofa in the living room. It's amazing how Brownie still knows her even though they haven't met in a long time.

"Siren, look!" She raised Brownie who is wearing a color red jersey. "Cute, right?"

I smiled. "Yeah, he's cute. But aren't you spoiling him too much?"

Peach shakes her head while staring lovingly at Brownie. "I want the best for him."

"You sound like her mother."

"Yeah." She glanced at me excitedly. "Don't we look like a family?"

"Ha?"

"Me, You, and Brownie!" She giggled afterward.

Cute.

Did I just find her cute?

I meant Brownie... Brownie is cute.

Ha, who am I kidding?

"By the way, I'm studying photography in college."

She stops playing with Brownie and stares at me before she flashes a smile of relief.

"Really? That's great! Make sure to take a picture of me someday."

I snickered and turned my back against her. "You have to pay for it."

"Of course. I'll pay you no matter how expensive it will be."

Silence.

"Thank you for telling me."

I sit up and stared at her. She seemed to be confused and yet she didn't look away.

"Why?" Peach finally asks after a few minutes.

"What do you mean why?"

"I thought I did something to piss you off again."

"I should be the one asking you that."

"Huh?"

"Why are you still nice to me after all I've said and done to you? I don't think you're that nice to tolerate it."

"Right..." She suddenly leans on me, successfully pinning me on the sofa. I could feel her body heat against mine. She's that close to me.

It feels like I switched something in her for her mood to suddenly change like that.

"I'm not that nice and lately, you're testing my patience, Siren."

"W-what are you talking about?"

I gulped secretly. She smelled so nice. I want to hug her tight.

She leaned even closer, this time our faces only a few inches away from each other. I could feel her hot breath brushing my chin. It was sending shivers down my spine and I could feel something building up inside me.

This is dangerous, I should push her away now.

"I think you know what I am talking about, hmm?"

I can't help closing my eyes every time her breath brushes my face. I don't have much patience and if this goes on, I might do something I'll probably regret later.

"Just this once, Siren... What do you want to do?"

What do I want... to do?

"Be honest with yourself just this once. There's only you and me in here." I flinched when she brushed her left hand on my cheeks. "What do you want to do?"

I stared at her lips. It's as if it's inviting me to kiss her.

So I did.

I reached the gap between us. And it's as if I have a fever with how hot I am feeling right now. I pulled Peach and made her sit on top of me, all without breaking the kiss.

It was wild, It was like we will die if one of us breaks the kiss. I know this is not right, but this is what I want to do right now.

Nothing and no one matters anymore.

"See? It's nice being honest with yourself, right, Siren?" Peach said, panting while cupping my face.

"I don't know, Peach. You confuse me." I whisper, still staring at her lips. Damn, I want to kiss her again.

"I confuse you?"

I nodded and rested my head on her shoulder, taking a deep breath in between.

"This is not right..."

"But this is what you feel, right?"

"Peach-"

"I know." She hugged me tighter. "Just for a while."

I hugged her back. I feel at ease and comfortable. I wish I could hug her for longer.

But I know that I can't. The guilt slowly creeps into me and I silently apologize not just to her but to Peach as well.

"Aren't you hungry? Let's eat." I whispered after some time. She nodded and pushed herself away, sitting next to sleeping Brownie.

Ah, I feel empty.

"Okay."

I stood up and walked away. I heard faint footsteps behind me. I headed straight to the dining area to prepare our food. Sorelle got stuck up in her work and won't be coming home today.

"Wash your hands first. You've been holding Brownie for so long."

I glared at Peach who is beside me and won't stopped giggling for a while now. What's so funny?!

She's so moody, I can't read her at all.

"Have you finally lost it?"

"Ha?" She giggled once more and sat beside me. "I just find the situation funny."

I knew it.

"Just eat. Are you planning on staying here for the night?"

"Can't I?"

Peach serious tone caught me off guard but I brushed her off instantly. I can even see her pouting through my peripheral vision. Acting like a kid now, huh? Tsk.

"So, when can I visit Brownie again?"

"After the school festival, I guess."

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled like a child's. So annoying. Why are other people's eyes sparkling like that?

"Yeah. You should go home. It's getting late." I pushed her away slightly to the door.

"Okay. See you!"

"Hmm."

"Ah, by the way..." She looked at me once more revealing the most genuine smile I'd seen from her so far. "Good night."

"O-okay."

I walked through the living room in a daze. What the hell was that? Her smile is completely different from what she shows in class. It's more like... Inari than Peach.

I could still feel her body against mine. How badly I want to drag her back here just to hug her again.

I shake my head to erase that thought. I'm thinking about nonsense things again. I should just wash up and go to bed.

I approached Brownie who is calmly sleeping beside me. Slowly, I reached for his fur and started caressing it.

"Your mom really has lost it, huh?" I whispered and sighed.

"Whatever. Time for bed."

- - -

This is what I hate about school festivals the most.

The preparations, the late night stays the exhaustion afterward. Honestly, it still feels like it was just yesterday that we were preparing for last year's festivals, and now this. Well, it's the last time. Might as well be a good student and help them with this. It's also our last bonding as classmates because we have to prepare for college entrance exams and then graduation.

I let out a yawn as I rest my hand on my lap. I'm tired of cutting these papers. Ugh.

"You okay?" I ask Yujin who looks so serious about cutting the colored papers. She just nodded and ignored me. When she gets serious, she tends to ignore people around her. Can't help it. I'll just take a quick break for a while.

"Where are you going?!" Hana's loud voice echoed throughout the classroom.

"Bathroom."

I wasn't able to reach the bathroom when Peach intercepted my way and dragged me to the storage room to pick up some materials. Talk about being unlucky.

"What are we looking at?" I looked around and saw boxes, mannequins, and clothes almost everywhere. Creepy.

"Clothes. To decorate the booth."

"There are a lot of clothes here. What exactly are we looking for?" I approached the chair with a red cloth hanging in it. It's silky but dusty.

"I found it!" I turned around and saw her holding an orange tablecloth. I frowned.

"Orange? Really?"

"Why? It's pretty."

"The red one's better." I grabbed the red cloth and showed it to her.

"Then let's grab both and have our classmate decide!"

"Fine. Let's go."

"Okay!"

She energetically turned around and headed to the door.

Then I noticed something is wrong.

"Peach, why aren't you opening the door?"

"I..."

"What?"

She turned around to face me. Her lips are pale and I can sense the panic in her body language.

"Don't tell me..."

I reached for the doorknob and tried to open it to no avail.

"S-siren..."

Crap. We're trapped in this room.

To be continued.