After we were all done eating, Moona, Melisa, and I made our way back to the living room, while Grandma went out to buy something.
The silence that filled the room was thick, and I could feel the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air.
It was uncomfortable, but not in a bad way... Just the kind of tension you get when you're not sure how to behave around someone after a long time.
Moona sat across from me, her eyes flicking briefly to mine before looking away as if neither of us knew how to start this strange, new version of our old connection.
Finally, breaking the quiet, Melisa leaned forward, her grin playful, as she raised an eyebrow.
"…I didn't expect you two to know each other"
She said, glancing between Moona and me, her voice tinged with teasing curiosity.
I blinked at her, then glanced at Moona. She was looking at me again, but this time there was a softness in her gaze, something that didn't quite match the usual sharpness.
I could feel a slight heat rising to my cheeks, and I quickly looked away, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly.
"Well, we… Went to high school together"
I said, my voice coming out quieter than I'd intended. My heart rate picked up a little as I realized how awkward this moment had become. The last time we'd really spoken, it was a different kind of competition, not this... Strange undercurrent.
Moona tilted her head slightly, arms crossed, a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Yeah, we were… Rivals"
She said, her tone light, but there was something in the way she said it like she remembered something far more than just old-school competition.
I could feel the heat in my face growing.
"I… I didn't expect to see you here"
I muttered, not sure why the words were coming out so strangely. We'd never been this... Close.
Never this... Awkward around each other.
Melisa, noticing the shift, leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms and watching us like she was observing an experiment.
"Oh, really? Seems like there's a lot more to this than a school 'rivalry'. You two are, what, avoiding eye contact now?"
She chuckled, clearly enjoying the uncomfortable energy she'd stirred up between us.
"I didn't know rivals could get this... Awkward"
I shot her a look, and she quickly raised her hands in mock surrender, though the mischievous gleam in her eyes didn't fade.
I looked back at Moona, who was still watching me, but now with something that looked like amusement mixed with... Maybe a little confusion. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was definitely there.
"Yeah, well... We're not exactly old friends"
I said though it came out more defensive than I meant it to.
"Just... Complicated"
Moona didn't seem to mind, her smile growing just a little.
"That's one way to put it"
There was that glint in her eyes again... The one I remembered from high school, the one that made everything feel just a little bit... Charged.
The awkwardness between us thickened, but in a way, it was different now. The old rivalry was still there, but something else was creeping into the spaces between our words. A hesitation, a kind of unspoken understanding that neither of us was really ready to face.
Melisa watched us with an amused look but then softened.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop making fun of you two... For now"
She added with a wink, though I could tell she wasn't done pushing us together in her own way.
I cleared my throat, trying to focus.
"So, uh... How've you been?"
The question sounded lame even to my own ears, but it was the only thing I could think of to break the tension.
Moona blinked, her smile fading for a moment as she looked at me, something more serious behind her gaze now.
"I've been... Dealing with things"
She said quietly, her voice softer than I expected.
"But it's nice to see you again, Mikail"
I nodded, feeling the awkwardness return, but this time it felt different, more... Intimate somehow.
The silence stretched between us, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to fill it with more words or just let it linger. After all, there were a lot of things I wasn't ready to confront yet, and I could feel that same uncertainty in Moona.
Melisa, thankfully, broke the quiet again with a dramatic sigh.
"You two really need to work on your communication skills. Just a little suggestion. You've got all this tension, and I'm sure it's not just about high school grades, huh?"
I couldn't help but chuckle, the tension in my chest easing just a bit.
"You know, you're right"
I admitted, glancing at Moona with a hesitant smile.
"Guess we've got... A lot to talk about, huh?"
Moona's eyes met mine for just a second, and the tiniest smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"I guess we do"
And just like that, the strange, awkward distance between us seemed to shrink, if only by a little. But I couldn't help feeling like something was shifting like we were on the edge of something that neither of us was quite ready for but would eventually have to face.
--------
"... So you... What? Grandpa Granddaughter?"
Mikail's question hung in the air, unexpected but curious. Moona, who had been quietly observing the interaction, blinked, a slight flush coloring her cheeks. Her eyes briefly met his before she cleared her throat and looked away, clearly thrown off by the suddenness of the question.
"Grandpa... Isn't exactly my grandpa"
Mikail raised one of his eyebrows, clearly confused.
As if sensing Mikail's confusion, Moona continued.
"...Well... He's more of a guardian to me... Someone who took care of me after..."
Moona trailed off, as if searching for the right words, her fingers lightly tapping the edge of the coffee table as she avoided Mikail's gaze.
Mikail sat back, his curiosity piqued by Moona's unexpected admission. The silence stretched as Moona seemed to hesitate, her fingers still tapping the coffee table absentmindedly. Her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. Mikail shifted, his eyes following her movements, trying to piece together what she wasn't saying. Her discomfort was clear, and he couldn't help but feel a flicker of empathy.
"After…?"
Mikail repeated, his voice gentle, but his brow furrowed in confusion.
Moona let out a small sigh, clearly trying to find a way to explain something difficult. She finally looked up, meeting Mikail's gaze, her eyes soft yet guarded.
"After my real family... Well, after they… left"
She paused, her lips pressing together into a thin line, as though the words were too much to bear.
"Grandpa... He stepped in. Took me in when no one else would. He's not really my grandpa by blood, but he's the closest thing I've had to family in a long time"
The words hung between them, heavier than Mikail had expected. He could see the guarded vulnerability in Moona's expression, and for a moment, the playful, teasing atmosphere of their earlier exchange was gone. It left room for something deeper, something more real.
Mikail was quiet for a moment, his gaze flicking to Melisa, who seemed to have picked up on the shift in the conversation and now leaned back, watching them with a more thoughtful expression. Mikail didn't know what to say next. It felt wrong to push further, yet the need to understand what Moona had been through tugged at him.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know"
Mikail finally said, his voice low and sincere.
Moona simply nodded, the faintest trace of a smile playing on her lips, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"It's fine... It's just... Hard to talk about, sometimes"
Moona said quietly.
The silence lingered, but it felt different now... Less uncomfortable and more filled with unspoken understanding. Mikail shifted again, his mind racing with questions, but he didn't want to press. Not yet, anyway.
"So, um... What now?"
Mikail asked, trying to lighten the mood again. His attempt at normalcy was clumsy, but it was enough to draw a small chuckle from Moona.
"I guess we just… Figure things out"
Moona said, her tone a little lighter now. Then continued
"... One step at a time"
Melisa, who had been quietly observing, spoke up once more.
"You two are so serious"
She teased, though there was no malice in her voice.
"I was hoping for some drama, not a therapy session"
Mikail shot her a look, though he couldn't quite suppress the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I think we've had enough drama for today"
He replied dryly.
"Speak for yourself... There's always more drama where that came from"
Melisa said, grinning while winking at Mikail.
Moona rolled her eyes, but there was a lightness in her expression now. Mikail felt a weight lift from his shoulders, and despite the awkwardness still lingering in the air, the moment had shifted. They were talking, they were sharing, albeit slowly, and that was enough.
For now, at least.
....
...
..
.