Mia remained silent.
"I didn't know how to tell you."
He nervously ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry for what I did. It was inappropriate. I shouldn't have done that without knowing how you felt."
He looked at her.
"But I'd like you to give me a chance."
Mia was surprised by his honesty.
She answered softly:
"I'm sorry, Julian."
He waited.
"But my feelings aren't mutual."
Julian lowered his head.
"I see."
A silence settled between them.
Then he smiled sadly.
"I can't compete with Cid… and the other guy, the one you spend so much time with, right?"
Mia frowned.
"Julian…"
"No."
He raised a hand.
"It's okay. I understand."
He looked out the window.
"It's just… things are complicated between the two of them, aren't they?"
Mia sighed.
"I don't know what to tell you."
Julian turned to look at her.
"Then start at the beginning."
"What?"
"Tell me how you feel when you're with Cid."
Mia remained silent.
"And when you're with the other guy."
She looked at her hands.
"My childhood wasn't easy."
Julian didn't reply.
He listened to her.
"There haven't been many people who gave me a chance. Not many people who showed me love or simply made me feel like I could count on someone."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Cid was one of the first people to…"
She stopped.
Memories of her past flashed through her mind.
The orphanage.
The loneliness.
The nights when she had cried with no one there to comfort her.
Then Cid.
His outstretched hand.
His presence.
She lowered her head.
"He was among the first to reach out to me."
She smiled faintly.
"He supported me. Stood by me. Protected me."
She looked at Julian.
"With him, I felt safe."
Julian nodded gently.
"And the other guy?"
Mia gave a small smile.
"Ah, the other one…"
"Yes."
"He was also one of the first people to help me."
She thought for a moment.
"In a way… he was even the very first… The very first."
Julian frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Mia looked away.
"It's difficult to explain."
She paused.
"But all I can tell you is that I owe him the life I have today."
Julian looked at her attentively.
That statement troubled him.
"I see…"
He fell silent.
Then the cabin began to descend.