Chapter Twenty: Night of Surprises

Marina follows her friend to the garden. When they arrive she comes across Jurandir and her heart automatically speeds up and her hands sound a lot.

She tries to take a step forward, but feels as if her legs are nailed to the ground and before she can say anything, Dayane says:

"Come on Mari. It's like you've never been here before."

"Yeah... I'll be right there Dayane. I think I'm tired from the trip."

"Then you'll have time to rest. Now let's go, my cousin has been pestering me to see you."

She starts laughing and the two approach him. He is dressed in jeans and a white and gray striped shirt, his hair is combed a little and his green eyes shine brighter than the night moon.

He takes her hand, gives her a kiss and says:

"You look beautiful Marina."

"Thank you"-She replies, feeling her cheeks turn pink-"Dayane told me she wanted to see me."

"Yes. I want to tell you something, but I need your opinion first."

"Go ahead. You know you can trust me."

"Can it be alone?"

She hesitates for a moment, afraid it might be something bad, but soon that passes and she says yes.

"I'll be right back, friend. I won't be long."

"Okay, but don't forget that we still have to catch up."

"All right"-she replies and goes with her friend to the playground where there's a swing.

When they get there, they each sit on a swing and stare at each other for a moment before he says:

"I wanted to know how you are"-She is thoughtful for a moment, as she has already told him that she is fine and before answering he interrupts her-"I am referring to the end of your relationship."

"I'm fine. I thought I was going to feel terrible, but no. I like him, but I don't love him. I never loved him and I always made that clear to him."

"Why did you break up? Did he cheat on you?"

"Why do you want to know so much?"

"I'm sorry. I only care about you."

"It's okay. I'll tell you. I'll tell you, but it's just between me, you and Dayane okay?". -He nodded and she went on to tell him what happened.

He was attentive to every word she said to him and in the end he said something that she thought she was dreaming:

"If I had known you were going to go through this I wouldn't have given up on you."

"You still have time, you know that. I still love you."

He gets up and bends down in front of her and says:

"I still love you. Since the day I saw you at the bus stop, since our first kiss at the waterfall, where we stood watching the sunrise."

He holds her face and kisses her. A quiet, romantic kiss and they feel their hearts beating very fast.

Soon a drizzle begins to fall and they interrupt the kiss and lean their foreheads against each other and smile.

They stay like that for a long time, but then they get up and go to meet their friend to have some fun.

Dayane realizes the mood between the two and tries to hold back her laughter, but says:

"That explains why it took you so long" - and starts laughing.

The two look at each other and realize that they are holding hands, but instead of letting go, he caressed his hand with his finger and smiles.

The three of them go together to a cafeteria and eat a triple x with bacon and a bottle of coke.

Marina caught up with her friend while her friend went to get a milkshake for each of them.

After a lot of talking, the girl went to the square and called her brother, saying he could pick her up. He said he would be there in fifteen minutes.

Her friend decided to leave saying it was late and just the two of them talking.

They were unable to talk to each other because of what happened in the park, but Jurandir decided to break the mood by saying:

- How long are you going to stay here?

- I don't know yet. I think when the vacation is a week away I'll go home.

- I see, so I still have time to win you back.

Her brother arrives and his friend gives him a kiss on the forehead and leaves. Marina gets in the car and drives home with her brother.

When she arrives, she finds a banner written:

WELCOME MY SISTERS

She doesn't understand for a moment until the door opens and out come her sisters Ester and Aline who give her a tight hug.

The three of them cry with emotion, since it has been months since they have seen each other and their brother joins them and says:

- I will take care of you for the vacations.

- How did you manage to come?" Marina asked her sisters, joy in her voice and in her countenance.

- Thiago went to the orphanage and asked us to stay at least a week with our brother and as the director is very good, she ended up allowing us to come," says Ester.

- I miss you so much, my sister", says Aline, crying.

- I missed you too.

- And me, you did not miss? -Thiago asks, pretending to be offended.

- Ah Maninho! you missed us too, after all it's been almost a year since we saw each other.

- Come on, let's go in and have fun today.

The four enter the house and their sisters put a song on the radio and are dancing and singing in karaoke while Thiago calls the cafeteria and places an order for pizza.

They all have a great time and talk for most of the night and when it's almost two in the morning, the girls go up to their room to rest and Thiago goes to his to sleep, but first he says:

- Tomorrow we are going to the waterfall. Wake up early.

- All right - the three girls answer together and go to their room.

As the room Marina is in has a double bed with another bed below, the three of them will be able to sleep together: Aline and Ester on the top bed and Marina on the bottom bed because she moves a lot and has a habit of kicking others while they are sleeping.

While Ester is arranging the beds, Aline is looking for her pajamas in her suitcase to take her bath.

Marina went ahead and has already taken a shower that lasted about 10 minutes and put on lilac pajamas with white polka dots.

Aline was the second to get ready and put on a white short-sleeved pajamas.

Ester did not want to sleep in short pajamas and put on a purple and white baby doll and the three of them lay down on the bed.

Her sisters slept and Marina stayed awake thinking about what happened today, the kiss her friend gave her and fell asleep after a few minutes smiling and this time she had a good dream.

She was in the square with her friend, the two of them sitting on the grass talking with a picnic basket on the side. He watches her and says: I want to wake up every day and know that I have a beautiful girl who loves me. To see on my finger a promise ring with her name and in a few years have an engagement ring. To go and ask her foster parents and her brother for her hand in marriage and spend the rest of my life by her side, you know why?She shakes her head waiting for his answer. He kisses her on the cheek and says: Because I love you. Will you date me?

Marina wakes up with her cell phone vibrating and smiles with the message, because it is her friend who sent it to her.

-Did you know I dreamed about you tonight? I hope that dream comes true-Jura-04:30

-If it's the same as what I dreamed, I'll definitely want it to come true-Marina-04:31