Time flowed quickly and, before they realized it, several months had passed since the doll's exorcism.
The morning sunlight filtered insistently through the small gaps in the curtains, and, with malicious precision, ended up landing directly on Lief's face.
Feeling the warmth on his eyelids, he frowned and opened his eyes slowly, fighting against the heaviness of deep sleep.
Instinctively, he sought to stretch his waist and arms to loosen his muscles after a long night of rest, but halfway through the movement, his right hand stopped upon hitting something disturbingly soft and warm.
?
His body tensed from a defensive reflex, and the haze of sleep covering his brain dissipated.
He turned his head slowly on the pillow, holding his breath, and the image that entered his field of vision left him momentarily paralyzed.
There, occupying the right side of his bed, was a face of unreal beauty sleeping peacefully.
Her long black hair spilled over the white pillow like a waterfall, creating a hypnotic contrast. Her long eyelashes rested on her cheekbones projecting delicate shadows, and her characteristic full cherry-colored lips were slightly parted, letting out a rhythmic breathing.
It was Airam.
Evidently, at some point in the night, she had decided to abandon her mirror to seek refuge by his side.
Nothing indecent had happened... well, he didn't remember anything.
Adjusting himself better, Lief turned on his side carefully so as not to wake her, rested his head on his own hand and proceeded to observe her in silence, enjoying that rare expression of peace on her face, so different from her usual nature.
And without being able to help it, he reached out his hand and, with extremely soft movements, used the tips of his fingers to brush aside a rebellious lock of hair that fell on her cheek.
However, just when he was about to graze her face, Airam's eyelashes trembled and she opened her eyes slowly.
"..."
At first, her gaze was clouded by a layer of confusion, trying to focus, but the moment her eyes met Lief's a few inches away, reality hit her like a bucket of cold water.
Confusion was instantly replaced by absolute panic.
"AH!"
With a scream she recoiled violently backward, almost crashing against the edge of the mattress, while her pale cheeks were dyed crimson quickly.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Lief greeted, smiling mockingly while admiring the emotional chaos on her face.
"I... I... this isn't..." Airam started to stammer incoherently, with her eyes not knowing where to look.
She did not expect at all to have slept so deeply.
Her original plan last night, when she saw that Lief was already asleep, had been simply to lie down next to him for a few minutes to feel his warmth, to experience his sensation... But the result was that her own consciousness relaxed too much and she succumbed to sleep until dawn!
"It wasn't on purpose! It's just that I..." She tried to explain, waving her hands, but the more she spoke, the more she felt her face burning.
Unable to bear the shame a second longer, she opted for flight.
Swish
The next second, her physical body dissolved, becoming a faint shadow that crossed the room like an arrow and dove directly into the reflective surface of the mirror situated next to the nightstand.
Getting up, Lief looked toward the mirror.
Airam's figure had already appeared there, but she was turning her back toward the room and covering her face with both hands.
"Yesterday I saw that you had fallen asleep... and I just wanted to come out a moment to see..." came her muffled voice from inside, charged with an adorable mixture of shyness and frustration with herself.
"Don't be shy, no need to run away," said Lief, leaning lazily against the headboard of the bed with a satisfied smile. "The bed is big enough, and honestly, I don't mind at all having one more person taking up space."
!
Airam's body in the reflection tensed visibly at the comment.
After a few seconds of silence, she lowered her hands and turned around abruptly.
The blush on her face hadn't faded entirely, and she shot Lief a look through the glass that was meant to be a warning but lacked any real lethality.
"You'll see! Next time won't be so easy!"
With that empty threat, her image vanished.
"I'll see? Hmm..." Lief raised an eyebrow, feeling a wave of amused expectations for what that might mean.
He got out of bed in an excellent mood, humming as he showered and changed clothes.
When he went downstairs, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and fried bacon flooded the ground floor.
His mother was already serving breakfast, moving efficiently between the stove and the island; his father, John, was sitting at the head of the table reviewing the newspaper with a steaming mug in his hand; and his three little sisters were sitting in a row, devouring bowls of colorful cereal while arguing over something.
"Good morning, my great assistant," Sarah greeted him upon seeing him come down, handing him a plate with a fried egg and perfectly browned bacon sandwich, with a complicit smile.
"Good morning, Mom," Lief replied, taking the sandwich and taking a ferocious bite, savoring the mix of flavors.
He devoured breakfast quickly, said goodbye to his family with a general gesture, and grabbed his backpack to leave.
Upon crossing the front door, the morning welcomed him fully, the sun shining brightly on the asphalt and the air was fresh and clean, promising a quiet day...
"Hey! Mr. Missing Person!"
A familiar voice resonated from behind, followed immediately by the weight of an arm encircling his neck with an almost suffocating camaraderie.
It was Frank, who was walking holding his girlfriend Anita's waist firmly with his other hand, as if he feared she might evaporate.
"So punctual today, Frank?" Lief joked, adjusting his backpack and keeping pace. "I thought at this hour you'd still be debating with the alarm clock."
"Of course I'm punctual, prom is just around the corner and time is money," Frank replied, lifting his chin with pride. "I have to take advantage of every minute and every second to be glued to my darling. It's a matter of priorities."
Anita blushed and gave him a playful elbow to the ribs, although she couldn't hide a satisfied smile.
The trio continued advancing along the sidewalk, chatting as the flow of students increased.
Not far away, waiting strategically at the pedestrian crossing where she knew they would have to pass, was Jennifer.
Today she had decided to declare war, wearing a tight red sports skirt that outlined her fiery figure to perfection, capturing the gazes of half the male population of the high school.
However, upon seeing Lief, her eyes lit up and she ignored the rest.
She walked quickly toward him and positioned herself on his right side, hugging his arm tightly.
"Good morning~..." she whispered with a cloying and deliberately low voice.
Upon turning the next corner, the group grew again.
Carrie and Maria appeared in their field of vision, walking together. Carrie wore a simple dress that highlighted her natural innocence and, upon locking eyes with Lief, looked down with a shy smile. Maria, on the contrary, radiated a renewed confidence, far from the fearful girl of the past, and greeted them all taking the initiative.
Now they were a considerable group of boys and girls walking down the street.
Lief observed them all.
Frank and Anita continued in their bubble of low-voiced flirting, Jennifer narrated something that happened recently with enthusiasm while clinging to his arm, and Carrie and Maria discussed animatedly about something and unusually had flushed cheeks.
Taking a deep breath, he filled his lungs.
The fresh morning air was impregnated with that intangible scent of normalcy.
However, the peace was ephemeral.
Just at that moment, Frank suddenly elbowed him in the ribs.
"Hey, seriously speaking, stud... Have you decided who you're going to invite as your official date for prom?" he asked in a low voice, but with an amused malice in his eyes.
His voice wasn't loud, but in the selective acoustics of this group, the question dropped like an atomic bomb.
The small talk stopped abruptly, replaced by silence.
Jennifer stopped speaking mid-sentence and her eyes locked onto Lief, full of expectation and an absolute determination to be the one.
Carrie's steps slowed visibly and she lowered her head while nervously twisting the hem of her dress with both hands, but Lief could see that her ears were red and alert, catching everything.
Maria also stopped her conversation, turning her face toward him with a barely concealed hope.
Even the environment seemed to conspire and in the reflective glass of a clothing store they were passing by, the ethereal figure of Airam appeared momentarily among the mannequins, looking at Lief with possessive intensity.
In an instant, he felt like the protagonist of a movie at the moment of the climax.
Three pairs of physical eyes and one supernatural, charged with diverse emotions and desires, focused in unison on him, awaiting a verdict.
Frank observed the scene he himself had provoked with a satisfied smile on his face that screamed for a "friendly" punch.
Lief stopped to look at each of his girls.
He could feel the tension, the vulnerability, and the competition in the air.
He knew that choosing one would, inevitably, be hurting the others.
But he wasn't a normal guy.
He cleared his throat calmly and, facing the gazes, adopted a relaxed expression, as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Choose?"
He paused dramatically, letting his gaze wander over Jennifer's eyes, Carrie's shyness, and Maria's hope, without forgetting an imperceptible wink toward the reflection in the shop window.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a charming smile.
"Frank, please... Why limit myself to a single date when I have the privilege of being surrounded by the most incredible girls in the school?"
"The dance rules say you need a date, but they don't say how many."
________
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