"*Click*"

Once the door was opened, he gestured for me to enter with his hand. "After you."

His sister wasn't there, so we would be alone.

A boy and a girl alone in a house, with no one else. I tried to tell my brain that it was useless to dwell on the thousands of things that could happen in moments like this. Of course, I had little success. Not that we were dating or anything, nor did I expect him to jump on me, but for some mysterious reason, that evening intrigued me... and made me tremble all over.

I kept telling myself that it was just a visit to a friend's house, nothing more, even though it still made me a bit nervous. It was the first time I had gone to his house, or rather, to a boy's house, or even better, to a house that wasn't mine.

"Excuse... excuse me," I said, more out of habit than anything else, entering with difficulty and taking off my shoes.

It was a house like any other. Actually, given the layout, more or less similar to everyone else's in the building, it was identical to mine. The position of the rooms was the same; only the arrangement of the furniture and the decoration of the house changed. Of course, as if I weren't already agitated enough for setting foot in his house, we headed to his room...

Nothing different from a normal boy's room. Opposite the door was a window; the bed and desk were arranged on the left side, while a wardrobe and a television were on the right side of the room. In the center was a low table surrounded by cushions, on which we sat.

"So, what do we do?" he asked as we emptied the bags full of food. I watched him easily remove the food from the bags; he seemed calm. That situation didn't provoke the same agitation in him as it did in me. I tried to use this as a pretext to reconfirm my idea, or at least the one I was trying to imprint in my mind: it's just a simple evening between friends. Nothing more.

"What you do at a party... I think," I said, looking away from him.

"Wow, what an idea—why didn't I think of that... I keep forgetting you've never been to a party," he said, slapping his forehead with his hand in mock surprise.

"Hey, I came up with the idea. You handle the rest. I can't think of everything myself," I managed to retort, even though my hands were trembling slightly.

"Do you want to play video games?" he asked. He was sitting cross-legged in front of me, looking at me. I hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"YES," I replied, maybe a bit too excitedly.

"Wow, do you like them that much?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course. Video games are like books. It's as if they allow me to do things that wouldn't be possible in reality. For an antisocial person, books and video games are highly appreciated."

"But that time I entered your room, I didn't see any console."

"I only set it up when I feel like playing," I said simply.

"Okay, little gamer. So what game do you want to play?" he asked simply. But something in his words sent a shiver down my spine.

"Any game is fine," I replied.

"Is that a way of telling me you're extremely good at any game?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe. Or maybe not. Find out." I smiled and found myself meeting his gaze. What had I just said? Had I just flirted? I blushed involuntarily.

"Okay, but I'm telling you now, I'm no slouch either." I looked at him and slowly nodded.

"Perfect, but before we start, I want to do something."

A moment later, my head was inside the bags. Among the sweet snacks we had bought, there was a small green mini muffin. I took it and pulled it out of the package.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"Tadaaaan!" Without being discovered, I had managed to buy a small candle. I took it and placed it on the muffin.

"Usually at birthday parties, after blowing out the candles, you make a wish and then break them. Let's do the same. Blow it out and make a wish. This time it's just a store-bought treat, but next time, when you have the operation and recover, we'll do it with a real cake."

"Okay," he said, smiling. He took a box of matches from the kitchen, and we lit it. He held the muffin in his hand. The small candle faintly illuminated the lower part of his face. He was smiling.

"Come on, think of something and blow. Then break it."

And so he did. He didn't hesitate any longer and blew it out immediately. Not that it took much to figure out what kind of wish he had made. Afterward, he pulled it out of the muffin and broke it.

"Do you know what I wished for?" he asked. It was one of those questions asked in a way that ruled out any obvious answer.

"I think for the operation to go well. Right?" I ventured. Something in the way he looked at me, absorbed, told me that wasn't exactly the wish.

"More or less." I didn't understand what he was trying to say. Not a sound could be heard in the room, only the faint hum of the refrigerator. That tense silence made me a bit uncomfortable; it was as if something important was about to come out of his mouth. After a while, he spoke.

"In an indirect way. I wished that these moments, with you, could last forever. That I might be lucky enough to have many more." He said slowly, weighing his words. He looked at me with a gaze full of expectation. I felt my knees tremble. Many times I had felt unwanted, disliked by my peers. This was proof that what had been happening between us for over a year was no joke. It was all real. We were two people who enjoyed each other's company, and Yuto-kun had just confirmed it to me.

"I'm glad... I don't know what to say." I replied, smiling. Actually, I felt my stomach churning. When I thought about it more carefully, I realized they were the famous butterflies in my stomach. It was like feeling many wingbeats at double speed—light but turbulent. "Then we'll have many more," I said finally. I was almost certain my voice was trembling. He looked at me in a strange way. His eyes became more rigid but relaxed. I saw his jaw twitch slightly as he lowered his gaze to my lips. Then he looked away and got up to get the games. The moment passed—or rather, stiff and confused, we let it pass.

Soon after, we started playing and... I crushed him.

In almost two hours of gaming, I did nothing but beat him at every game he had. I'll never forget the expressions he made because of my unexpected skill—each one more sulky and surprised than the last.

We played until too much screen time made our eyes red and heavy. Tired as we were, without even realizing it, we fell asleep on the floor with the controllers still in our hands... side by side.

"*Riiing riiing*"

In my sleep, I started hearing a noise. It was a continuous buzzing; it almost sounded like a doorbell. I had entered a kind of half-asleep state when I realized the noise was coming from the doorbell being rung repeatedly.

"Yuto-kun, wake up," I tried to shake him with my eyes still closed. He showed no signs of life. After a few movements, I heard him say a slurred phrase.

"Yeah... later."

He didn't want to get up at all. We were lying on the floor surrounded by a thousand bags of junk food. I raised myself on my elbows and noticed the broken candle on the table. Only then did everything come back to me: the butterflies, the silence between us, his strange look.

The doorbell kept ringing, so I decided to go open the door and see who it was. I looked through the peephole: it was Chika-san.

Evidently, she had forgotten her house keys. Together with her, I glimpsed a figure but couldn't recognize it. I opened the door.

"Good evening, Ayame-san."

"Good evening, Chi—" I stopped short.

While I was about to greet Chika-san, I managed to focus on the person who was with her.

For a moment, I thought I was mistaken, but unfortunately for me, that wasn't the case...

I never imagined I would see her again, let alone in a situation like this, after years and after she had made me feel so bad.