For a moment, I thought about asking her why she had run away from home. The question lingered in my throat, ready to come out, but something in her expression made me stop. "Would it be too blunt to ask it like that?... Maybe it's better to help somehow."
—If you don't have anywhere to go… you can stay at my house— I said in the end.
Aoi slowly lifted her gaze.
She stared at me for a few seconds, as if trying to figure out whether I was serious or not. Then, a small smile appeared on her face again.
—At your house?— she repeated.
I nodded. As soon as she saw my confirmation, she punched my arm.
—Alright! I'll go with you.
When we reached the door, I raised my hand before opening it.
—Wait, before we go in, stay quiet. My siblings should be home— I whispered, and Aoi nodded.
We slipped inside almost stealthily. The house was silent, barely lit by the dim hallway light. We went upstairs without making noise until we reached my room, and I carefully closed the door.
Aoi dropped onto the bed as if it were hers.
I, on the other hand, went straight to the closet and took out a mattress.
—Are you going to sleep there?— she asked, watching me.
—Yeah. You take the bed.
She didn't argue and just watched me in silence as I set everything up.
As I finished arranging the mattress, she suddenly spoke.
—Do you have food?
I looked at her and asked:
—Are you hungry now?
—Always— she replied with her usual boldness.
I sighed and headed toward the door.
—Wait here. I'll bring something.
I went down to the kitchen and found a note on the table. I picked it up.
"I'm staying at a friend's house. Ren is at his friends' place studying."
I let out a breath.
—Perfect…
—What's perfect?
I turned around abruptly, and Aoi was right behind me.
—What are you doing here?!— I asked, startled.
She burst out laughing.
—I got bored. Your room doesn't have anything interesting.
—You're terrible…
Aoi was already checking the fridge. She took out a bottle and several bags of snacks.
—Done— she said as she sat down in the living room.
We ended up sitting together, with the dim light and the house in silence. The night went on as we talked—first about trivial things… then about more personal ones.
Little by little, the conversation became more natural, more intimate.
—Why is there no one here?
—My family isn't very close, hahaha. My brother is always studying, my parents work outside the city, and my sister… well, she only cares about going out with her friends.
Aoi stayed silent for a few seconds.
—I'm actually a bit jealous of you— she said finally.
I looked at her, confused by the sudden shift in mood.
—Why?
—My family is small. It's just my grandmother, my dad, and me. We're supposed to be very close…
She paused.
—But I don't like it.
I frowned slightly at that.
—My mom died when I was born, and my dad has never stopped treating me like a little girl since then.
I looked at her more carefully.
—That's why you ran away?
She shook her head.
—Not exactly. We had an argument… well, I yelled at him.
She lowered her gaze.
—I confessed to a guy… and he rejected me.
I stayed silent, not having the slightest idea what to say.
—Photos of me from kindergarten got leaked— she added.
—And what's the problem? What was in the photo?— I asked.
Aoi let out a bitter laugh.
—The problem is that I've always had an easy time gaining weight. When I was little, they used to make fun of me for being pretty chubby… so I worked really hard to change and look better.
She tightened her grip on the bottle in her hands.
—And now those photos are back.
She took a deep breath.
—I know it's not my dad's fault… but I hate having inherited his genetics.
I stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking, then spoke.
—Maybe your dad doesn't stop treating you like a child because he doesn't know what to do— I said calmly.
—Maybe he's sad too.
Aoi looked up.
—I'm not saying he's right, but losing someone you love…
I paused briefly.
—I'm not close to my family… but if something happened to them, I know it would affect me more than I can imagine.
I looked at her directly.
—So… in a way, you're very lucky, Aoi.
The silence grew heavy for a moment.
Then I added, with a slight smile:
—And about that guy… you're very beautiful. I'm sure you'll find someone better.
Aoi froze completely.
She blinked.
Processing.
Then suddenly, she hit my arm and started laughing.
—You're seriously really good at talking. You sound like the protagonist of a romance movie.
I smiled faintly, and she smiled back.
And just like that, between laughter, conversation, and the accumulated exhaustion of the day, sleep overcame us.