You're in love!

-Lina: "Thankful? What do you mean?"

Silence dominates the show for a while as they keep gazing at each other and none of those two dare to interrupt that silence. Lina can notice that Amanda's eyes got a little teary, it appears that the girl robbed salt on quite a wound or something like that, "I'm sorry!", Says the girl, trying to cool off the atmosphere, "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to!"

"No it's okay", Adds Amanda, her voice a little shaky, "You're just a little curious, I'm sure you didn't mean a thing!"

As both of them sit in the coffee shop office, Amanda decides to recount the story of how she first met Romeo. Her voice trembles as she speaks, her eyes misting over with emotion, "It was on a family vacation to the beach. Our son, Tom, was just starting to take his first steps. We were so focused on that wholesome moment that we didn't notice when he wandered away until he was completely out of our eye's reach. My husband searched the entire beach, asking anyone and everyone if they had seen a little boy on his own. But I was frozen, unable to move or even cry out for him. I just sat there, like a shell of a person, until a young boy appeared out of nowhere. Until Julien, appeared out of nowhere, gently holding my son between his arms.

"So he's your son, that's obvy," He said, his voice a soft whisper, as I jumped next to him right away, reading my son's features while he was peacefully sleeping, "If you don't mind, don't speak loudly, we don't want him to wake up after he just sank in."

I didn't know how to act, tears running down my cheeks and I kept spamming Julien with questions like how did he find him and all, "I found him inside that mall", He answered me, pointing at a certain mall the moment he gave me back my son, "He was crying, clearly looking lost. So after her got calm, I help him look for you and... Here we are..."

"Anyways, take care," he said, waving goodbye before leaving right away.

Julien was really cold at that moment, way too cold. However, even though he has such a weird personality, the way he acts around people, and the way he helps them makes me... No, makes all of us believe that he's the angel itself, sent by God to guide us to happiness and to ease our hardships."

Amanda paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself and ensure her words by repeating, her hands holding the picture closer to her chest, "He told me that he had found Tom crying in the mall, and had brought him back to us. We were so relieved and grateful to Julien for saving our son. And ever since then, he's been like a guardian angel to our family."

Lina listened to the story with wide eyes, her heart heavy with emotion. She couldn't imagine the terror of losing a child and the overwhelming relief of finding him safe and sound. As Amanda put the picture back on the desk, Lina looked over at Julien's figure and started feeling a bit off because of the way she started thinking about those two when she first encountered Amanda.

"I had no idea," Lina said her voice barely above a whisper as an unexpected smile got implanted in her lips, her eyes shining with amazement and awe, "Thank you for saving Tom, Julien," She added, her gentle voice carrying a hint of pride.

"He may have a stoic exterior, but Romeo is truly a kind and caring person. He's also our best waiter, all he needs to do is add a little more warmth to his demeanor and he'll be perfect. That's why my husband, Tom, and I love him so much. We owe him everything, I'm sure he's shown you that caring side as well, hasn't he Lina?", Speaks Amanda with a hint of admiration in her voice, her face lighting up as she talks about Romeo.

"Well, what can I say?", Responds Lina with a chuckle, "Romeo's quite amazing. Ahaha!"

"So... why did he want to see me?", Amanda leaned forward, her expression curious and expectant.

"Didn't he tell before got to work?" Chimed in Lina as she raised her head to Amanda, only to find her shaking her head, "He wants to take the next weekend off because we're going on a...", Lina hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal about Julien's plans.

"Okay, no problem!" Said Amanda while waving her hand dismissively, her smile never faltering as she leaned back in her seat.

Lina gasped at Amanda's reaction, "That was easy," she said as she looked at the fine lady with surprise, her eyebrows raised in question, "Don't you want to know the reason?"

"I'd give him a year off and still pay him, even without a reason if you ask me," Amanda spoke with a hint of gratitude in her voice, her eyes misty with emotion, "Can't you see, Lina? I owe Julien for bringing my son back to me. There's no way I can ever repay him for that," She said, her voice filled with emotion as she looked at the photo of her and her family on the desk. Julien's actions have a special place in her heart; she would do anything to make him happy, and Lina could see the depth of Amanda's gratitude and affection towards him.

"You two really do seem to get along, though," Amanda stood up and changed the subject all of a sudden, opening the window as she awaited Lina's response.

Lina simply nodded, "Yeah, I consider him a good friend," she started fidgeting with her hands, avoiding Amanda's gaze the moment she sat back in her seat.

"And I can sense that he needs someone to lean on," added Amanda, switching to a tone of concern, yet her eyes looked rather teasing as they kept looking at Lina while she averted her gaze, "Someone who can understand him."

"He definitely has his struggles, that's for sure," nodded Lina again, even though it looked like she want to change the subject, the wind making both of their hairs gently sway.

Amanda leaned forward, smoothing Lina's hair gently, "Even though I don't see him showing vulnerability often, if ever you see him struggling, I want you to be the one to support him," she finally said what was on her mind, making Lina blush after hearing those unexpected words, "Huh?" She spoke up, and Amanda could definitely hear the girl's loud heartbeat, "Why me?"

"What do you mean by that 'why me', pretty Lina?", That's when Amanda decided to show off her teasing abilities, rubbing salt on the girl's wound, "You're head over heels for Julien! It was obvious the moment your cheeks lighted up when I hugged him!"

"Huh... Head over heels?" Said Lina nervously, her eyes finally locking with Amanda's, even though they were shaking quite too much, "Does that mean...?"

Amanda couldn't help but giggle at the girl's reaction, "Yup you're in love," she interrupted, gesturing with her hands, looking clearly warmed up and eager, "Can't wait to see both of you turn into a fine couple!"

As Amanda suggested that Lina may be in love with Romeo, Lina's face turned bright red and she began to fidget nervously, her hands twisting in her lap, "In love? A couple? Me? NO WAY! No way in hell!!" She stammered and stuttered as she denied Amanda's claims, her voice growing more and more flustered. Amanda watched her with a knowing smile, clearly enjoying Lina's embarrassment.

"You're going to explode because of embarrassment! You're just so cute," She just kept teasing poor Lina, before adding another grade to the girl's emotions ", And yeah, you do love the guy! It's written all over your face!"

"No!", Lina stated with a shaking voice, jumping off her seat, now partially covering her face with her hair as she clutched it with both hands "It's not like that! We're just friends, that's all!"

"It's love!"

"No!"

"It's actually love! L-O-V-E!"

"NOOOO," Then she jumped closer to Amanda, putting her hands on her cheeks and feeling that heat all over her body as she kept looking at Amanda's smirky teasing face.

However, interrupting their girl talk, Julien didn't hesitate to open the door and join the scene, "Do you girls always talk about love and this kind of stuff when you're alone?" He questioned, still next to the door, calmly analyzing both Lina's flushed face and Amanda's smirky eyes. Talk about the perfect moment for him to break through their conversation.

"Your voice..." Lina couldn't help but stare admiringly at Julien as he suddenly barged in. And out of nowhere, she started thinking about the first thing that made her so into him, "It was your voice", thought the girl to herself, her eyes never leaving his figure, her loud heartbeat seeming to calm little by little as she clutched her hands closer to her chest, "The first thing that crossed my mind when we first met was your deep voice."

"Then it was your emotionless face, especially your eyes, that showed quite the world's darkest side," She continued as the usual buzz joined her body, everything around her fading to white noise, and the only thing she was able to spot at that moment, was Julien and only Julien, "Then the way you treat all of us as if you are our father.

"And finally..." She couldn't help but notice everything in him at that moment, while the hair played with his hair, and the rays of the sun made his hazel eyes look like paradise for her, "Your pale skin, your long lower eyelashes, your eyes, your lips devoid of any smile and laughter, your simple body... You... The whole pie! It was you..."

As she watched him, she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her stomach, finally realizing the reason behind her acts thanks to that small push given by Amanda, "I'm willing to sell my soul to the devil just to get one simple answer," She said, and she couldn't help but stare admiringly at him, she kept trying to shake off that feeling. But no, it was too late to do so.

It was sunset, and the rays of light kept accentuating their moment. She slightly bit her lower lip as she watched the sunlight catching the highlights in Julien's hair as the cool breeze gently blew through hers, "Why... Why did she choose someone like him?"

"And why is she happy because she chose him?"

"So you finally admit it", Adds Amanda, enjoying the breeze and that wholesome scene.

"I-I-I... I have to go", Flustered Lina starts walking and then stops in front of Romeo, "No, you don't need to walk me home!", Then she shuts the door.

"Women and their love talk", After that, he switches his interest to Amanda, "Um, Amanda. Is it okay if..."

"It's okay", She interrupts, "You can take the next week off! Enjoy your holiday!"

"It appears that Lina already made it clear to you.", He says, getting straight to the point, "Why did she leave so suddenly though?"

"I think it's because she got embarrassed after admitting her feelings", Answers Amanda, getting closer to the boy and starting to lean on him with her shoulder.

"Admitting her feelings?", Questions Romeo after putting his hand on Amanda's head and pushing her away, "So she's in love with someone..."

"Sure thing.", She says, "Although he's a bit of a weirdo in my opinion!"

"Really?", Putting his hand under his jaw, Romeo tries to figure out who's the lucky guy, "I can't think of anyone, is it Alex? No, he's taken. Adam? They've got this siblings bond so it's a no. Edward? They get along well, but I don't think she's into that type of guy. Alphonse? He's into someone else. Who is this mystery man?", Then he starts scratching his head as if it's starting to hurt him because of that overwhelming thinking.

"You'll have to figure it out yourself.", Replies Amanda, shaking her head in amusement.

"I'll let it go then", Sighs the boy, "It's not worth the hassle. Thank you for giving me a week off, Amanda.", Then he takes his leave. Amanda, jaw down, keeps looking at the door, "How dense can you be?", She says after sitting at her desk, "Lina wouldn't have left so abruptly if you weren't the one she was interested in", Then she starts shaking her hand, disbelieving how stupid can Romeo be sometimes, "It's hard to tell. But, I think Romeo isn't interested in her. It even felt like he was ready to set her up with... Geez, this is complicated!"

As for Lina, the moment she reaches her house, she trudges up the stairs to her room, Elza follows closely behind, trying to make conversation. Lina, however, s lost in her own thoughts, replaying Amanda's words in her head. She can't shake the feeling of embarrassment and confusion that washed over her. As Lina enters her room, she throws herself onto her bed and starts clutching her pillow tightly. She can't shake off the image of Amanda's knowing smile and the way she said "It's love." Lina's heart is racing and she can feel her face growing hot with embarrassment.

"I can't believe it", Says Lina, thinking that she's keeping her thoughts to herself even though she's actually screaming, "Me? in love? With Romeo? No way! No way in hell!", Then she starts clutching that pillow even harder, "I'm not in love with Romeo! No, there's no Romeo in my heart, that's a fact! Why should I even think about this Romeo dude anyways..."

"How many times did you say Romeo just now?", Asks Elza, a tone of concern tagging along as she slowly gets inside the room.

"Mom?", Says the girl, "How did you... How did you hear me?"

"Hon you were screaming the whole time", Replies Elza, patting gently her daughter, "The whole neighborhood could hear you!", She sits down at the edge of the bed, looking at Lina with concern, "How was your day?"

"Ordinary", Says Lina as she quickly sits up and tries to compose herself, "An ordinary day, as usual."

"Are you sure?", Adds the mother, "You've been acting strange lately, is something bothering you? You know you can talk to me about anything."

"No", Answers Lina while shaking her head, "I'm okay mom!"

"No, you're not!", Says Elza, "you've been mumbling to yourself a lot lately. It's as if you're thinking about something", She stays silent for a while, noticing that Lina is avoiding her gaze, then gets back to talking, "As if your mind is set on someone..."

"No I'm not in love with Romeo", Lina interrupts, still shaking her head. She keeps avoiding looking at her mother for a while, then decides to glimpse at Elza's face, to find her wearing a smile at its finest, "I don't remember mentioning his name sweetie!", She adds, enjoying Lina's sudden blush. The girl takes her pillow and hides her face, trying to stop leaking more emotions. Then she slowly shows her eyes, "But how... But I... I didn't... It's not...", She fumbles with her words and fidgets with her fingers, her face flushing red with embarrassment as she tries to avoid sharing this topic with her mother, "As a brother, yeah! Romeo is like a brother to me, hahaha!"

Elza takes the pillow from her daughter, still wearing that smile, "A lot of things have happened between the two of you, right?", She says, raising an eyebrow, looking at her daughter intently.

"He saved my life", Speaks Lina quickly, trying to change the subject, "touched me in sensitive places, helped me with school work, and even stayed over at our house on the first day we met."

-Elza: "And stayed over when the two of you were home alone, too."

"How did you know that?", Says Lina as her eyes widen in surprise.

"The way Romeo tidies up and puts away his things is different from how we do it in our house. So, did something happen between the two of you?", Chuckles Elza, trying to ease the tension.

"No! I swear nothing happened!", Lina shakes her head vigorously, her face turning red, "We didn't do anything inappropriate!"

"Your face is getting red, Lina", Says Elza, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder, trying to comfort her, "Relax, I believe you. Even though I haven't spent much time with him, Romeo seems to make those around him feel safe and secure. At first glance, he might come across as aloof, but from the stories you've told me, it seems like everyone loves him."

"Yeah, you're right", Adds Lina while nodding her head, her voice softening, "We all appreciate him.", Then she stands up and starts taking some light steps all around her room, it appears that she's getting ready to say something, "So, I was just wondering...", Says the girl while fidgeting nervously with her hands, "How does it feel... To love someone? Like, you know, in that special way...", Then she trips over her own feet before catching her self, "Oh sorry", Adds the girl while scratching the back of her head, "I'm just a bit clumsy today!"

The mother laughs softly as she sees her daughter's clumsiness, "Well, what can I say? To love someone, it's like a warm feeling in your chest that spreads through your entire body. You can't help but smile and feel happy when you're around them. It's like a dizzying sensation like you're on top of the world", she smiles warmly at Lina, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a gentle squeeze, "It's a feeling that can be hard to put into words, but you'll know it when you feel it.

"I think you chose a good guy, Lina!", Adds Elza while helping her daughter to stand up. Little did she know that spelling out those words made Lina get knocked out and fall a second time

"H-Hey!", Stammers the girl, feeling her cheeks turn red, "He sent me a message!", She adds after taking her phone.

"What did he tell you?", Asks Elza with a curious tone, tilting her head slightly to the side as she waits for Lina's answer.

"They are going to hang out tomorrow", Answers Lina, looking a bit hesitant.

Elza smiles warmly at her daughter, "Then eat dinner and have some rest, tomorrow might be a bit tiring, " She says, her arms crossing over her chest as she offers her advice.

" I don't remember telling you that I'll be going...", Before finishing her line, her shoulders start slumping as she starts to look a bit irritated, "Never mind, I'm going!"

"You changed your mind pretty quickly!", Elza chuckles, a playful twinkle in her eye as she teased her daughter.

"Sara's going!", That's what was wandering around her mind after reading Romeo's message.

The next day arrives and Lina makes her way to the mall, where she's scheduled to meet with the group. As she approaches the designated meeting spot, she sees Edward and Alphonse already there, "Linaaaaaaaa!", Alphonse greets Lina with a cheerful smile and a wave of his hand, "Good morning!"

"Good morning Alphonse!", Replies Lina with a small smile, trying to hide her disappointment at not seeing Romeo yet. then she switches her interest to Edward and says, "Hello nerdy boy."

"that nickname again", Scolds Edward at Lina, before starting to walk away from those two.

"Hey, hey", Adds Alphonse while preventing Edward from walking away, "take it easy, that's just how she is, buddy. You gotta roll with it."

"I know, I know. I'll accept the title", Says Edward, rolling his eyes.

"So, who else's coming?", Lina asks, trying to change the subject and hide her curiosity about the other's whereabouts.

"Maria, Alex, Anna", Then Alphonse stays quiet for a moment and links the last two names in quite a playful way after noticing that those two are about to join the group, "Romeo and Sara!"

"Why did you spell out their names like that..."

"Hello everyone!", Says Sara as she interrupts Lina's line.

"Speak of the devil!", Whisper Lina before glimpsing at those two, "What the...", Lina notices Sara holding onto Romeo's arm, linked together as they walk towards the group, and starts talking to herself, "She's holding his arm? Linked arms? Their arms are linked? Their arms are actually linked! She's holding onto him with both hands!", Her heart sinks and she can feel her mood plummet at the sight. She tries to hide her disappointment and forces a smile then adds, "Yeah, hello!", but her voice betrays her with a hint of jealousy that even Alphonse noticed!

-Lina: "Man, they look like a couple! They look like a freaking fine one!"