Missing Pages

Night Talks

Chapter 3 - Ageha

The subtle sound of the rain was what waken me up in the middle of the night, along with my growling belly, which seemed to be singing to the stars in the sky.

I couldn't believe I had lost my first dinner with my... Father. However, I wasn't completely guild if no one had wakened me up to eat with them in the evening.

... I didn't even know if they wanted me here...

The rain was still falling outside and the evening sky was beginning to give way to the morning when I finally decided to go find something to eat... Gently with light steps like a cat, I went downstairs to the kitchen that was already with the lights... On?

"Good... Morning, yeah, I think it's more accurate to say morning, considering the time." The youngster from earlier greeted me with a smile on their face, and I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful they were.

"... Good morning..." I answered them embarrassed, after all, I never thought someone would still awake now, so I hadn't brushed my tooth or fixed my hair before going down.

"Your part of the dinner is in the fridge, or at least I hope it's still in there." Skillful hands continued to work on some kind of dough that was on the counter as they nodded to the fridge. "You know? We have a little problem with Yukihito. He loves eating all the food in the house without knowing if it's from anyone else."  

... I didn't know what to do, so I just agreed without even knowing who this Yukihito person was...

Opening the refrigerator door, I could see with my own eyes that food problems were more serious than mentioned, and this was the second thing that my father hadn't told me before I moved here.

I wasn't joking, all foods and drinks in there had labels with their owners' names on it, and just a few items weren't marked like the water bottle and teas, even what was supposed to be my part of the dinner had my name stuck to it in the little obento box.  

... The silence of the night remained as I heated my food in the microwave, making me even forget that I wasn't alone in the kitchen until I heard a scream that made me jump scared...

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, and that I just noticed now that I haven't reintroduced myself to you yet." Reintroduce? "I mean, I didn't introduce myself to you. I'm Makoto, Sam's younger brother, and your younger cousin as far as I know."

I didn't know what was the most amazing thing about what he'd just said... The fact he had corrected himself as if he could read my mind or something like that... Find out he was Samantha's brother... Or the idea that these people were my cousins.

I mean, it made sense now why they lived here with my dad, but it was strange in my mind to think that I had other relatives besides my parents and that these people who I just met today, were them.

... I could feel he was waiting for me to say something by the smile he had on his face, but as soon as I opened my mouth, the sound of the microwave announcing that my food was ready, saved me...

"You should eat your food before it gets cold, the tableware is in the second drawer of the cabinet." He mentioned before returning his attention back to the dough on the counter.

"Thank you," I answered him, but I had no idea if he had heard me or not as I could barely hear myself.

With the plate in my hand, I was reluctant to go eat at the table in the other room...

In the end, I decided to sit on the bench across the counter, leaving less than one meter between us as I divide my attention between feeding myself, and Makoto's beautiful hands slowly turned the dough into what seemed to be a pie.

We talked a little more when he noticed that I was looking, and asked me if I liked apple pie, he also mentioned that it was his sister's favorite dessert and how he had spent all night trying out a new recipe for his job.

Makoto never told me what his job was, but I could understand that he worked as a chef when he told me that he enjoyed using his work as an excuse to cook at home, especially sweets.

"Should you go to sleep a little more?" He told me after hearing me yawn. I had already finished eating and was watching him filling the pies... Strangely seeing him do that was soothing.

... However, the need to go to sleep seemed to be more important for my body...

"I think I'll accept your suggestion, even if I really wanted to stay until you have done with the pies." Another smile showed on his face as I got up from the bench.

"Don't worry, you can see them ready in the breakfast." He told me, stopping what he was doing before I said good night, making him laugh before answering me good night back. 

Returning to my room, I decided to bring a glass of water with me, as I always felt thirsty as soon as I woke up, but I didn't imagine that I would meet anyone else along the way.

... I was climbing the last few steps when I hit something, or rather someone in the darkness...

I had no idea how the glass didn't fall from my hand as I stumbled and almost rolled down the stairs if it wasn't for the arm that held me back by the waist.

"Are you okay?" I heard a rusk voice ask me before I even looked at him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay, I was just looking at the steps too, and I didn't realize if anyone was-" Words faded from my mouth as I saw who was standing before me.

"No, that makes sense, after all, who would go downstairs at this time." He kept saying, not even noticing that it wasn't him who interrupted me. "Maybe just Makoto? But usually, he didn't even go to sleep when he still up so late."

His arm was yet around my waist, leaving our bodies so close to each other as he finished talking about what seems to be my cousin's common habit, but I didn't pay so much attention to it as I looked at his face.

... He existed...

He wasn't a dream and not even a creation of my mind. He was real, had flesh and bones, and he was before me right now.

His voice was the same from my dream and my heart was pounding so fast against my chest for knowing it was real... I was so lost in my mind that I didn't notice the strength slipping out of my hands as I could only think how it was possible that HE was there...

In the same house that I lived in now!