As Lily started to talk, we sat down on a bench across the lake in the park with the moon's reflection on its surface... 

You would've felt the chilling breeze from the lake and the silence around us except for the cricket chirping... 

When Lily was speaking, you could feel the pain in her voice as her body was stiff and trembling slightly...

I guess I was wrong to think she had malicious intentions towards me...

She's just lonely...

As a 15-year-old girl, it was definitely hard to deal with all those things coming to her...

Especially if you're a sensitive person, you'll feel everything like ten times harder, as a result the damage to your heart will be more destructive... 

She was just a teenager, of course she'd be like that... What did their parents expect?...

Why would you treat your child unfairly?... 

I can't get them...

~

[21:50]

Lily's last words were, "After that incident, my parents sent me to a mental health hospital for a while, thinking I'm insane...

They haven't even tried once to put themselves in my shoes...

I'm indeed a pathetic stupid person..."

I put out my cigarette after a puff, angst filled me up, and I got up, standing in front of her... 

"You're seriously stupid," I stated calmly.

Lily flinched and lifted her head, staring at me with her tearful eyes, which were somehow twinkling from the lights surrounding... 

Those eyes indeed make me uncomfortable, feeling overwhelmed for unknown reasons, as if my soul is sucked out by them. 

I covered her eyes with my palm and continued, 

"However, not for the reasons you mentioned... You're stupid because you believe in others' opinions more than believing in yourself... Why would you give a fuck about it?... You were a kid who made mistakes... 

Does anyone ever exist in this world without mistakes?... NO...

Forgive yourself!...

It's your life, and your choice... you don't have to prove them or act the way they want... 

Being different ain't a bad thing, it means you're special... you have things that ordinary people don't... 

Not necessarily everyone would understand or empathize with you... 

You have to accept this fact..."

Lily pressed my hand closer to her face and sobbed loudly, "You're~... Right ~..."

Again, I was awkward; I didn't know how to console her... As a result, I stayed still waiting for her to calm down.

~

[22:00]

After passing a few minutes, Lily finally let go of my hand. My palm was wet from her tears, and I felt hurt somehow by feeling it on my skin...

As Lily stood up and I glanced at her face, I said teasingly, "Oh... Baby Panda is back!..." 

She chuckled and pushed me lightly with her hands. "Don't make fun of me!~~"

I pulled a handkerchief from my sweet pants and handed it to her, "Wipe your tears. Now it's time for the Ice cream~..."

She smiled and dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief, then linked her arm around me hesitantly as she was shy, and her cheeks and nose were red from all that crying on that chilly night. "Let's go~"...

I don't usually like being touched by someone I'm not familiar with, but I let her be...

We took a step, and then another, until we were walking slowly towards the ice cream shop silently. However, I could feel that she was in a better mood since the smile on her face hadn't faded for a moment... 

Then she suddenly asked, "By the way, don't we get even colder if we eat ice-cream?"...

-"I heard eating it in cold weather is better for improving your immune system rather than drinking something hot..." 

+" huhhhh!~~~... I haven't heard that~..."

-"If you want something else, we can try that... "

As Lily shivered in response to the sudden cold breeze, she said, bewildered, "No! No! It's okay ..."

I stared at her seriously and said, "Lily... Tell me what you want. Don't just follow along with my choices if you're not willing..." 

Then she said anxiously, "Em~... Then shall we drink hot cocoa?..." 

I replied, "Okay, but we need to go back to the car to find a café... "

Then I turned back, grabbing Lily's hand and dragging her to the car... 

We drove around and found a small café Which was about to close, but the owner took our order nicely as Lily's face was desperately craving for hot cocoa... 

Funnily, her pleading face reminded me of the puss in boots from the Shrek animation, and again, I remembered the fact that she was afraid of cats, which made me chuckled as we stepped out of the Café... 

"Why are you laughing?" Lily wondered.

I glanced at her and thought, "Damn, they're truly identical twins... but she'd get mad at me if I tell her that... "

As she took a sip of her cup, I answered, "Because you're somehow cute right now"...

And she choked on her cocoa, "(coughing)..."

I pat her on the back and say, "You're good?!..." 

She nodded, "Yeahhh~... ehmm~..."

I smiled and we returned to the car without saying more...

~

[22:35]

As we got into the car, Lily's phone rang, and she picked up. 

I assume her mom called her to come back home since it was late, but I could've felt that she didn't wanna go back home yet.

I signalled her silently to let me talk to her, and she passed her phone to me. I said hello to her mom and asked her to let Lily stay at my place tonight. Also, I added that we were heading back, so there's no need to worry, and she accepted. 

After I hung up, Lily asked nervously, "Can I really come to your place? But you're busy, I don't want to bother you!"

I started the engine and said, "It's fine... I'll drop you at your house tomorrow before heading to school." 

She muttered anxiously, "But~..." 

"Aren't you curious about what kind of place I'm living in?" I asked as I wanted to tickle her curiosity, which could lead her to not be anxious about unnecessary things.

A sudden spark came into her eyes."I AM!!!"

I laughed, "See!... So take your chance, Lily."

She grinned and looked out the window, and I drove off...

~

Lily's POV: [23:00]

As we arrived at her apartment complex and got into the elevator, my heart was beating hard since I was both anxious and excited at the same time...

I felt like I had achieved a huge success in my whole life... 

One year ago, I could've never imagined that I'd stay the night at Diana's place. She always has been like a star who is out of my reach, but here I am walking down the hallway beside her as we got out of the elevator and we'd enter her place in less than a minute!...

I'm like, "Kyyyyyyaaaaaaaaa" from inside, but poker face from outside.

I wanted to jump up and down while screaming excitedly from the ecstasy that I had felt...

When we entered As we entered Diana's flat, the first thing that caught my eye was the modern decor and spacious layout. The living room was bright and airy, with a large window overlooking the city skyline. 

The kitchen was well-equipped with all the latest appliances, including a wine fridge, and the countertops were made of marble. 

There were three bedrooms. One of them was an office space, and there were two big desks, and each of them had two huge monitors connected to system units. There were also bookshelves filled with books about computer science and technology magazines...

The bedroom was cozy and inviting, with a spaced in bathroom and a large double bed and plenty of storage space for her clothes. The walls were painted in a light greyish blue shade, the carpet was white, and the curtains were dark navy blue...

The last room was for exercise and was equipped with fitness equipment such as a treadmill and yoga mat and a punch bag! The flat also had a balcony with comfortable outdoor furniture, perfect for relaxing and enjoying the sunset...

I was stunned by her apartment. I mean like, "Wooooaaaaaahhhh~~~... It's perfect, just like her!!!..."...

As I browsed around her place with a wide open mouth, I said, "Your place is incredible!"

She grinned, and while she was giving me a clean robe with a brand-new tooth brush, replied, "Thank you~... make yourself at home. Go shower first~" 

I grabbed the things,"Thanks~" and rushed to the bathroom flustered.

I closed the bathroom door and leaned against it, taking a few breaths to keep myself calm, and then I stepped into the shower.

~

Diana's POV: [23:15]

As Lily ran to the bathroom, I lay down on my bed and took out my phone, checking my group messages and so forth. Then Faith called me a few minutes later, and I answered, "What's up, Faith?"

-"How was your date, Diane?~... Did you have fun without me?" 

+"It was fine. Yep, I was happy you weren't there to keep nagging at me, heh..."

+"You son of a gun!... I bet you've made her cry a few times already..." 

-"Huh?!... What are you? A psychic?...

How do you know these things!..." 

+"Hahaha~... Seriously?!... It's because I know your true colors, but they don't!... You sociopath~..."

-"Shut up!... I wasn't the reason behind it, though!..."

+"Hm~~... Anyway, it's true that you made her cry..."  

-" (sighed)... cut me some slack... Why did you call anyway?..."

+"Ah! We have a new project and I called to tell you the det~..."

As Faith was talking about work, Lily walked out of the shower. Her hair was curled up, and water drops were slowly falling from her hair, and her fair skin was more noticeable as she didn't have make-up anymore with a natural blush on her cheeks.

I stared at her blankly for a few seconds, couldn't hear Faith's voice anymore, and gulped anxiously, "Faith, let's talk tomorrow. I gotta go... G'night."

-"huh? Heyy~..." I hung up on her and approached Lily. 

"Are you done?..." I asked.

She looked up at me and said shyly, " Yes~... Em~... What should I wear?..."

I was jolted by her question, "Ah! Sorry!... Let me get you some clothes~~~" 

I walked into my closet, trying to find something to fit her size since our sizes were different. I guess she's an XS or something, but I'm M, and I tend to wear oversized clothes, which literally would've made a huge difference for her. 

Finally, I found a white T-shirt and a grey drawstring waist solid track short and gave them to her. "Here, I guess these two will fit you... I'm going to take a shower now..." and left to the bathroom.

As I got to the shower, I wondered, "Gosh~... I lost my mind for a second~...

What's gotten into me?!..."