"I want how it was before. I want it all with you in my life again... I'm asking you to stay."
Miles Cobain-Smith
An aloof and detached logician, he scrutinizes the simplest things through microscopic lenses. Academic validation, family expectations...
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"You could skip today, you know? Two days won't hurt." Russell says, checking her forehead once more to find the temperature normal now.
"I'm fine, dad. Don't worry. We ended in the middle of a very important chapter and I can't miss one more day." Juliet replies somewhat hesitantly, brushing her hair. She puts a bracelet on her left wrist and wears her glasses.
"Just say you miss that boy."
Juliet scoffs immediately, turning to face him. He has a cheeky smile playing on his lips and he shrugs. With her eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed, she responds in a somber tone.
"You are just too much. I don't miss anyone."
"Hurt feelings?"
"No feelings."
"Sure." He chuckles in amusement, much to her dismay.
"You know," she gives him a serious look, sitting in a nearby chair, "Sometimes I think God actually intended to make you my best friend but there was a terrible mistake and you became my dad."
His face breaks into a proud smile as he acknowledges her words, "I see that as an absolute win for you."
"Probably."
"Would you tell me what's bothering you then?"
Her eyes lower to the ground as she tries to dig her toenail into the maroon colored Turkish carpet. Hesitance sips through her voice while she speaks,
"It's just... I guess you were right."
"About what?"
"What you said on the first day I went to his house..."
"Ah, I see." He releases a breath, rubbing his hands once over his thigh, "Seems like you're finally accepting that you developed a crush on Miles."
"Hmm."
"And he doesn't reciprocate?"
Her eyes shoot upward for a second, they are gloomy before lowering once again, "I don't know. I mean there's not a single thing he's done in the last forty three days that would give a strong impression that he also feels the same. He doesn't talk without necessity most of the time but he's not too detached either. He laughs at my jokes, plays with his sister and lately he's been opening up more. But then again I have no idea if he has that kind of feeling for me or not. He's so hard to read."
Russell nods in understanding. He tries to keep an easy stance and decides to talk to her through it in a calm manner even though worry starts to fill his mind. Juliet has always been handling these things in a nonchalant way since nothing ever got to the point of it to be taken seriously until now. But this time, there's just something in her, a change he's noticed that is giving off a feeling it's not only a surface level attraction this time.
