Arisa

I sat on the couch looking at the whole place, I remembered she was only living by herself that was why there was only limited furniture inside her apartment. A narrowed path after you opened the door, as you walked in you can already see the living room with a couch and rectangular wooden table.

‘I didn't even see a tv.’

“Sorry for the wait.” Arisa came out of her room and lent a towel to me. I just nodded as to thank her. “I didn't expect it will rain tonight, I checked the weather forecast earlier but they didn't mention that it will rain tonight.”

Wiping the towel on my wet hair, I wondered what in the world was I doing in her apartment.

-Black ****Roses****-

Right before my eyes was the woman I'd never expected to meet in the first scenario, it was Arisa Hernandez—Ericka's sister, and Mikael's first love. After our eyes met, her face looked confused. “Are you okay?” she asked me with a slightly concerned tone.

I looked at her baffled until I'd felt a warm liquid run through my cheeks, I unconsciously touched it only I realized my tear had begun to fall from my eyes. I tried to hide my face by pulling the collar of my uniform but I ended up turning my back from her. What is this?... why am I crying?...

I felt a hand pat my head, I'd turned my gaze back at her and saw her smiling at me.

She took a rectangular plastic from her blue shoulder bag and gave it to me.

“Here, you can have this,” she chuckled as she handed me a pack of tissue.

“Ah, thank you. Sorry for the trouble and please don't look at me...oum, it's embarrassing.”

I turned my face away trying to hide my miserable expression as I wiped the tears around my eyes.

“Oh, please don't feel embarrassed to me. It may not look like but I have a talent for taking care of kids crying a lot. Though you don't look like a kid, I guess that's still the same?” once again she giggled. I wondered why she kept giggling and frowned at my lips. “Oh! sorry did I make you upset?”

“No, 'm just wondering why are you giggling. Oh, and thank you again for the tissue," I said as I scratched my itchy nose.

“You just looked like someone I know and you're welcome,” she smiled.

She must be talking about Mikael, I recalled Arisa was always been a big sister for the two of them and Mikael was the one closest to her than her little sister. Ericka likes to play alone and Arisa always wants to play with her. In the case of Mikael, he used to be a crybaby that was why Arisa used to take care of him.

“So are you okay now?”

She looked at me from head to toe and back, acting like a mother holding both my shoulder. Was it the usual treatment for the stranger you just bumped in the street? even with me—the person she didn't know—she acted like a big sister.

“Yes, I feel a bit well now. Thank you—”

I felt another liquid fall onto my cheek but this time, it wasn't from my eyes but the sky. Arisa grabbed my arm pulling me as we ran down the street.

“Good thing that it didn't rain while you were crying, right?”

“Yeah,” I answered. She was right, that was giving me some kind of drama. I cringed as Imagined that scenario.

We run through the rain still didn't release her grasp on my arm, I looked at her wet hair swaying as we were running down the street. The upper part of my uniform was already drenched in rain, not only my uniform but even her blue high waist dress— not to mention that her bra was showing through her dress.

We stopped many times at the sheds and back running on the street. The water splashed as we step on a puddle, and now not only my upper parts were covered in wet but even my black shoes and the hem of my trouser—the same happened with Arisa's sandals.

After our long journey running and making ourselves drenched in rain, we arrived at a familiar building.

It was Arisa's apartment. I recalled.

As we stood in front of her apartment, she took her hands from me and looked for her keys. Then I stopped her.

I fluttered, or rather, I panicked as I asked her, “W-w-what are we doing here?”

From what I'd read before, Arisa didn't appear in the few chapters of ‘Black Roses’, yet here she was standing by my side attempting to open her apartment —And I can still see her bra!!

Her face turned red as she noticed that her bra was completely visible through her dress, she blocked it with her hands. Hastily, I turned my back away from her. “I didn't see anything,” I tried to convince her but chose the wrong words.

As the winds blew, cold shivered through our spines. Arisa opened the door and left me standing outside. She must be mad. After a second she peeked from the door. “What are you still doing there? it's cold outside so come in,” she said and walked back inside.

I left with no choice but to follow her. “You can sit on the couch, I'll lend you a towel," she said and went to her room.

I did what she said and looked around the apartment. I remembered she was living here alone and for that reason, she only had a few pieces of furniture inside her apartment. A narrowed path as a hallway that would lead you to the living room with nothing but the couch and a small table.

“Sorry for the wait,”

Arisa came out of her room and lend me a towel.

“I didn't expect it will rain tonight, I checked the weather forecast earlier but they didn't mention that it will rain tonight.”

I took the towel from her and started to wipe my wet hair. But still, what am I doing here?...

The fact that I didn't stop the first event made my face sulk. Even though I knew what would happen in the future, I couldn't stop it.

“Oh, that face again...” Arisa sat in front of me. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Huh?” I looked at her dubiously.

”You know like they always say, strangers are the best listeners.”

“Oh, you're right.”

Certainly, she was right. But that words only work for people who knew they would never see each other again in the future. Our case was different.

I glanced at her discreetly under the towel.

She was the Arisa that I know, the Arisa who gladly helped people in need. I didn't expect to meet her there, but I was glad that it was Arisa who found me.

I started telling her the whole story but I changed a bit of detail like their names. Even though I wanted to stop the events, I didn't have the right to ruin their lives by telling Arisa about their relationship.

“I see, I see... then you mean that there's a girl who's a bit lost, and thought that she loves her childhood friend? and now they are in somewhere doing something?” she asked with her head tilted.

“Y-yes,” I hesitantly answered. Hearing what she said made me realize how vague the details I'd given to her were.

I expected a piece of good advice from her since she paused and think about it deeply, hands on her chin, but she just smile.

“Sorry, I don't know.”

At first, I was confused about what she had just said but she started to open her mouth again.

“I don't know since I never have an experience like that.”

“I knew it—”

“So, what are you supposed to do now? it is your feelings and not mine. In the first place, what do you want to do? why did your tear fall and what do you feel at that time? Are you just concerned about her? Instead of searching for other people's answers, have you tried questioning yourself? What do you want from her?”

A moment of silence filled the living room, she noticed it and laughed lightly. “Eh? did I my words make any sense? you know what forget it. I knew I can't help you but sti—"

“No" I interrupted her. “You were right" It was just a simple answer but it knocked my sense back.

“I forgot Arisa's good when it comes to pushing other people's back,” I mumbled.

“Did you say anything?”

Though I admitted her advice was sucked, I couldn't lie that it didn't light the candle inside me. It was as though she just turned my problem into a challenge.

I stood up and placed the towel on the table, I smiled at her and walked to the door.

“Are you going home already?" she followed me.

“Yes, thanks for what have you done for me, someday I'll repay it.”

“Don't mind it. Ah, wait before you go tell me your name."

“Michael. It is Michael"

“Michael, huh... Nice to meet you, Michael.”

I walked out the door, and she just looking at me. As I continued walking away from her apartment. For some reason, I feel relieved.