Chapter Text
SIDE A
The lights were blinding him.
Squinting his eyes and clenching his fists on his knees, Sunny gazed at the table at Gino’s as if it was the center of the world.
And in that moment, for him, it really was. In the swirling motions of the lights and smells of that place, the table was the only thing that wasn't moving. A safe haven.
Waves upon waves of sensations and colors were drowning him, crashing onto his head and his eyes and his ears, nausea building at the top of his stomach, his hands sweaty.
And above everything, the guilt. It gripped at its throat like a claw, scratching his feelings, choking him.
He kept looking at the table, following the lines on the tablecloth.
"Sunny?"
Mari's voice broke through the vortex, snapping him out of his daze.
"Are you alright?"
He nodded, not daring to look at her.
A soft thud made him raise his gaze: the pizza had arrived. The waiter said a few words he couldn't hear.
"Oooooh yeah!" Kel's voice, though, he could perfectly hear. The boy jumped on the food, grabbing a slice for himself.
All the others soon followed suit, except for Sunny, who stood motionless.
Mari poked his shoulder. "Aren't you taking a slice?"
He nodded, but before he could lift his hands Mari peeked at them: “Are you hiding something, Sunny?”
Sunny looked at her sister. Was she worried he was hiding something in his hands? That one time with the vase was only a mistake...
He shook his head and just opened his palms.
She narrowed her gaze: "Alright, young man. You're in the clear this time."
Sunny pouted and took a slice of pizza.
The day after the recital, they all had gathered at Gino’s.
The recital that signed the end of Sunny's endeavors with the violin.
Sunny had hazy memories of what had happened after the fight. He could remember seeing Mari whispering words to herself while she was holding the phone, ready to call their parents to call off the recital. Something about him being sick.
Sunny thought that, maybe, it was true. Maybe he was truly sick, for having thrown away such a precious gift and hurt his sister.
He looked at his hands, moving each finger carefully. In that moment, they looked like knives to him. Knives made to harm, knives made to cut what was there between him and his loved ones.
And, before Mari could dial the number, he tugged at her sleeve.
The damage was already done, but maybe he could limit it.
“Is something wrong?” her voice was strained. Was she afraid?
“I will play.”
“Oh, no”, she quivered, putting the phone back to place. She cupped his face. “Sunny, you don’t have to worry. I will deal with this, it’s the least I can do.”
Sunny lowered his gaze, not having the courage to face her, but he steadied his voice. “No. You… worked so hard for this. It’s not fair. I will just ask for a rental. And we will play.”
Mari’s shoulders dropped, his cheeks left cold. “Sunny… are you sure about this?”
He nodded.
“Alright, young man”, she squeezed his shoulder, smiling. “Let’s do this. Together.”
The next moments were blurry, with him listening to her sister trying to explain how she had broken the violin, and him trying to not hear more of that.
And, upon reaching the stage and looking at all the people who had come to watch – he spotted Basil’s blond hair and excited eyes in the audience, along with all his friends, and his heart skipped a beat – he gulped down all the anxiety he had.
And the performance was nothing short of breathtaking.
Their mother had hugged them with tears in her eyes as they exited the stage, soon followed by their group of friends, words of congratulations and happiness that meshed together in one incoherent noise full of life and excitement.
A small smile appeared on Sunny's lips, allowing his happiness to leak onto his face.
But, after they had returned home, his heart sunk at the realization of his actions.
He had betrayed his friends. He had disappointed Mari.
He had been an horrible person.
All because he let his anger get the best of him.
He had shivered and his sister had noticed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, squeezing slightly forcefully. Sunny looked in her eyes: were they… teary?
“It was really amazing!”
Basil’s voice woke him up. The boy was rubbing his hands with a napkin, while looking at the photos he had taken in a corner of the table, far from Kel’s greasy inferno. “All your efforts really paid off!”
Sunny felt a smile creeping up on his lips. He could always count on Basil for supporting him. Anything Sunny did, Basil would find it great and worthy of appreciation. It didn’t matter if it was an hastily made drawing or a silly poem he had written down, Basil always had nice words to share. Sunny wasn’t entirely sure if all his compliments were truly genuine, but they all felt nice.
A pang of guilt pierced his chest, cutting his breath. Poor Basil, having a friend like him.
"Oh, Basil" Mari's smile was as sweet as a flower. "I'm very happy that you think so."
“It was magical!” Aubrey had followed suit, dreamy eyes. “Mari, you looked like an angel. And Sunny! You looked so… professional!”
Sunny felt his ears turn red, while Mari chuckled, rubbing his shoulder.
"It's a real shame what happened to the violin", Hero was gazing at one of the photos, one that Sunny couldn't see but that he was sure it depicted Mari. "Sunny, don't be angry at your sister, alright?"
The boy flinched: “I’m not.”
“Yeah…” Mari had her gaze down. “That was really careless of me. I’m truly sorry.”
Sunny shivered. She didn’t have to say that. She shouldn’t have. It wasn’t her, it was him.
He was the one who had disappointed everybody.
They were all there, remembering the performance, how magical it felt, how grandiose it was, saying how they couldn’t wait to hear the duo play again.
Stop it, stop it. Sunny’s mind was whirling in thoughts and words not of his own. He just wanted everything to stop. He didn’t deserve the praise. He didn’t deserve to be there.
Mari was smiling, her kind and genuine smile. It was like a stab in his chest.
The half-eaten slice of pizza stood still in his plate, as he felt his eyes burn.
“Sunny?” Basil’s voice was filled with concern. “You’ve barely ate. Are you feeling sick?”
“I…” Sunny got up. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
He went away, not waiting for an answer.
The buzzing light made the while tiles a sickly shade of yellow.
Sunny splashed some water on his face to fend off the nausea, that only slice of pizza he had eaten still on his stomach like a greasly worm.
He wanted to cry.
The relief found in the splinters of the violin made space for guilt and shame.
Mari had reassured him that it was fine, that it was her fault if things had come to such an end, but Sunny still shivered at the thought.
One push down the stairs.
One push down the stairs, and who knows what might have happened?
He was afraid. He was angry.
He just really wanted for his thoughts to stop for a second and let him put them in order. But they didn’t, running and running in circles together with the buzzing light in the bathroom.
He pressed his palms on his eyes, his reflection doing the same.
A knock jolted him up.
"Sunny? Is everything alright?"
Mari's voice tingled with concern.
"Y-yes", he opened the faucet, letting the water run. "I'll return soon."
He waited a few seconds, closed the faucet, and met with his sister outside the door.
The fresh air of the evening pushed the vapors of the nausea down, suppressing them.
Sunny took a deep breath, reveling in the nice feeling, as they went out from Gino's pizza and started walking back home.
They were walking towards Aubrey’s house, when the girl asked: “So, what are you two planning to do now?”
Mari looked up, chin on her finger: “Hm… I guess we could rest, now. Don’t you think so too, Sunny?”
But the boy just responded with a slight nod, not even raising his gaze.
“You must be pretty tired, huh?” Hero chuckled.
His sister opened her arms. “Want me to pick you up?”
Sunny shook his head.
Mari furrowed her brow, and kept walking.
The group lazily kept chatting and with sloggish steps they accompanied Aubrey at her home and Basil at his. In the end the two pair of siblings bid each other goodnight and goodbye in front of their doors.
As Sunny got ready for his sleep and changed in his pajamas, Mari entered the room in her nightgown.
"Sunny?"
The boy flinched and unmade his bed.
"Can we talk?"
Cold sweat rolled down his body.
"I... I'm tired. I want to sleep."
He really did. At least he wouldn't have to worry about guilt and shame in there.
A friendly squeeze on his shoulder made him turn his gaze: "Alright. Goodnight, little brother."
Mari gave him a kiss on his cheek before hugging him. Sunny stood still. Was his sister… shivering?
The next morning, he furrowed his brow at the lack of his sister in her bed. And the disordered bedsheets only raised his suspicions.
The first rays of the morning filtered in the room, striping the ceiling and the floor with golden lines. Sunny yawned and stretched and got up.
Upon getting out of the room, the clanking noise of cooking utensils and the sweet smell of pancakes made his heart skip a beat.
He rushed down the stairs and went into the kitchen.
“Oh, good morning, Sunny!” Mari was frying the food in the pan, turning it over in one swift motion. “Slept well?”
“Y-yes… And you?”
“I did!”
She got the first pancake ready on the plate and put it on the table. “Here you go, this is for you.”
The boy tensed, rubbing his hands together. His sister hadn’t slept: he could see the bags on her face.
“Mari, are you okay?
Mari froze. “Why are you asking me this?”
“You woke up before me and you didn’t make your bed. Usually it means something is going on.”
Mari stood still, looking at him.
“And last night… you were shivering…”
Sunny rubbed his arm a bit more forceful than usual, leaving a red mark.
It was his fault, wasn’t it? Of course it was. What an ungrateful little brother, destroying his friends’ gift and disappointing his sister.
His eyes were burning. He felt like his chest could have bursted at any moment.
“I’m so sorry”, he stifled back a sob. “For… everything. For the fight, for the violin”, he rubbed his eyes. “For the p-push…”
“Oh, Sunny”, Mari wrapped him into a hug. “I’m so sorry too. Sunny, listen…”
But the boy raised his hand: “The pancakes.”
“Oh!”
The girl rushed to the counter, saving the pancake before it got burnt. “Thanks, Sunny.”
When they sat down to eat and poured the maple syrup on their breakfast, Mari was the first one to talk: “Sunny, about what happened two days ago… you don’t have to worry, alright? It was my fault.”
“I broke the violin because I got angry.”
“Yes… yes, I know”, she sighed. “And you got angry because of me.”
Sunny raised his eyes. His sister still hadn’t touched the food.
“Sunny… listen…”, her voice quivered. Without missing a beat, Sunny took her hand. “I have to ask you something. Do you hate me?”
The question pierced his heart. His throat turned dry: “N-no! Why do you think that?”
“Because I was the one who pushed you so hard. Up to your breaking point. It was all I could think about in these days. I am really sorry, Sunny. And when yesterday you were so distant I grew worried.”
“I could never hate you.”
The words came out of his mouth without thinking. He looked at her as she raised her gaze towards him, eyes wide.
This time, he was the one to bite his lips, his voice trembling: “Do you… do you hate me? For what I did?”
“Sunny, I could never. I really could never… hate you.” She stifled a sob. “You are my dear little brother. I love you.”
Sunny let a smile grow on his face, as he squeezed her hand stronger. “I love you too, Mari.”
They stood in silence, letting the weight of their anxieties drift away. Sunny started running his fingers on hers, and she chuckled.
“Let’s eat these before they turn cold, alright?”
Sunny nodded and ate the first bite. It tasted great.
Mari ended up finishing breakfast before him and left him in the kitchen, not before giving him a quick kiss on his head.
He stood still in the silent room for some minutes, looking at the specks of dust floating in front of the window.
Mari didn’t hate him.
The realization made him feel lighter, his body now more free.
He enjoyed the silence of his thoughts, for the first time in weeks. In the past days his mind had always been full of worries and anxieties: for the recital until a few days ago, and for the incident after that, but, right in that moment, he was empty.
He was finally free. He was finally free!
He cleaned the table and put the dishes to rinse. With a little jump on his steps, he climbed the staircase and went into his room.
It was a lazy Sunday morning and all the day was before him.
But, when he opened the door, he found his sister deep in thought, sitting at the desk, in front of the computer. The device was turned off.
“Mari?”
The girl got up, startled, and hid her hands behind her back.
“Sunny!”
"What are you doing?"
A small pause. But she soon recovered. "Nothing", she said, almost singing it.
He squinted his eyes. The hands behind her back worried him.
The last time she had done something like that, it was to hide a bug in Hero’s desk.
"W-what do you have in your hands?"
"This!"
She opened her hands and he flinched. But, when he opened his eyes, he stared at the empty palms.
Sunny furrowed his brow, but his thoughts were brought to an halt when he was pulled into a tight hug.
He was unsure of what to do at first. He raised his eyes to see his sister smiling, squeezing him, burying her cheek onto his hair. His heart felt light. He raised his hands and hugged her back.
Maybe, just maybe, everything would be fine.
SIDE B
Gino’s was as chattery as always.
The smell of food made Mari’s stomach growl.
The table was lively. Kel was complaining about the late food as always, while Hero tried to calm him down. Aubrey and Basil were looking at the photos he had taken, eyes full of wonder and magical emotions.
She let a small smile escape her lips.
Her eyes fell on her brother, sitting next to her, clutching his hands together and his eyes fixated on the table.
“Sunny?”
He jolted.
“Are you alright?”
He nodded.
A soft thud on the table made them raise their gazes: the pizza had arrived.
“Enjoy your meal!” said the waiter before leaving.
“Ooooh yeah!” Kel was the first one to lunge on the food, grabbing a slice.
All the others followed suit, except for Sunny.
Mari’s heart sunk. She poked her shoulder: “Aren’t you taking a slice?”
The boy nodded, but in that moment she noticed that he wasn’t moving his hands, closed into fists.
She stifled a chuckle. He usually hid his hands like that when he had done something wrong. “Are you hiding something, Sunny?”
He shook his head, surprised, and showed his palms.
She narrowed her gaze: "Alright, young man. You're in the clear this time."
Always so serious. She loved teasing him sometimes. She chuckled at his little pout as he took a slice of pizza.
It had been her idea to gather at Gino’s for the celebration of the successful recital.
After the fight, she remembered how she was gripping the house phone, ready to call their mother. “Mom, Sunny isn’t feeling good. We have to cancel the recital.” She had lost track of how many times she had rehearsed it in her head, trying to not let the secret leak. She was terrible at lying.
A heavy cloud of guilt sunk in her chest, hands trembling. Sunny was sitting on the staircase’s steps, looking at his hands. In that moment it seemed like he could disappear at any moment.
But, as she was ready to talk to their parent, a tug made her lower her eyes. Sunny was shaking his head.
“Is something wrong?”
“I will play.”
“Oh, no”, Mari put the phone in place, cupping his face. “Sunny, you don’t have to worry. I will deal with this. It’s the least I can do.”
“No”, he didn’t have the courage to raise his eyes, but his voice was firm. “You… worked so hard for this. It’s not fair. I will just ask for a rental. And we will play.”
Mari’s shoulders dropped. “Sunny… are you sure about this?”
Another nod.
She smiled, squeezing his shoulder. “Alright, young man. Let’s do this. Together.”
Mari also remembered how awkward it felt to explain to their parents that she had broken the violin. Sunny was rubbing his hands one on top of the other, as if he wanted to erase himself from the existence.
But, in the end, the recital happened and it was nothing short of breathtaking.
Their mother had hugged them with tears in her eyes as they exited the stage, soon followed by their group of friends, words of congratulations and happiness that meshed together in one incoherent noise full of life and excitement.
Mari was happy. She was very happy. And when her eyes fell on Sunny, the hint of one of his rare smiles made her heart soar.
Maybe, it hadn’t been so bad.
A thunder of guilt struck her.
She had pushed him past his limits, and past his tolleration point.
She had been a horrible, horrible sister.
During their walk back home, Mari’s head was elsewhere. The chatter of her friends were a pleasant background she’d sometimes nod and offer a kind smile to, and when Sunny, next to her, shivered, she tensed.
She squeezed her shoulder, maybe a bit stronger than she originally intended. She blinked a few times, fighting back tears.
However, once they all gathered at the table, Mari tried to push away those thoughts. She focused on her friends’ compliments, on Aubrey’s starry eyes full of admiration, on Basil’s smile, on Hero’s kind and reassuring gaze, on Kel’s energy.
Sunny was eating his slice of pizza in small morcels, as his usual. She resisted the urge to squeeze his hand, her guilt stopping her. Did Sunny even want to be with her, in that moment?
“It was really amazing!” Basil’s voice broke her out from her daze.
He was wiping his hands with his napkin, while looking at the photos he had taken in one corner of the table. Mari still hadn’t seen them, but she was sure they were great. “All your efforts really paid off!”
“Oh, Basil”, Mari smiled. These kids were the best thing to have ever happened in her life, she was sure of that. “I’m very happy that you think so.”
“It was magical!” Oh, Aubrey. Her dreamy eyes made Mari feel like a princess. “Mari, you looked like an angel. And Sunny! You looked so… professional!”
Mari chuckled, while Sunny’s cheeks turned red. She gave him a little poke.
“It’s a real shame what happened to the violin”, Hero’s voice was melancholic, while he gazed at one of the photos. From his expression, Mari knew for sure she was on it. “Sunny, don’t be angry at your sister, alright?”
Her eyes dashed towards her little brother as he said: “I’m not.”
She looked down. “Yeah… That was really careless of me. I’m truly sorry.”
It wasn’t completely a lie. She truly was sorry. For different reasons, but truly sorry.
When she looked back at him, he had stopped eating, the half-eaten slice of pizza still on his plate.
“Sunny?” Basil’s voice was filled with concern. “You’ve barely ate. Are you feeling sick?”
“I…” Sunny got up. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
Mari opened her mouth, but he was gone before she could say anything.
“Is something wrong?” Hero asked.
Mari jolted. She had been gazing at the wall for minutes now.
“Oh, I think… he’s just tired.”
“That’s understandable”, Hero nodded. “Do you want me to check on him?”
“Thank you, but I don’t think it will be necessary.”
“Now you all can rest!” Aubrey exclaimed. “You deserve it!”
“Thank you, Aubrey.”
“I hope we can hear you play again soon!” said Basil. “Oh, but… do take some rest.”
“Sunny seemed pretty tense these past weeks”, Hero smiled. “Why don’t we do something fun next weekend?”
“Let’s go to the amusement park!” Kel jumped on the chair.
“Kel, it’s too cold for that”, Hero shook his head. “We should do something indoors.”
“And Sunny is afraid of heights”, continued Mari. “I… don’t think an amusement park would be good for him.”
“We could have a movie night!” suggested Basil.
“That sounds great!” Aubrey clapped her hands, looking at the others for approval.
“That’s something Sunny would enjoy”, Hero nodded. “What do you think, Mari?”
Sunny would have definitely liked that, she thought. After all, all the lessons and practices had taken him away from the things he liked. She had noticed how he’d glance at the clock during their Saturday morning cartoon marathons.
“I think that would be lovely. Let’s do that.”
“Oh, I have an idea!” Kel got up from the table, eliticing a gasp from Hero but he didn’t mind. “Let’s keep it a secret!”
“Sunny doesn’t like surprises”, said Mari.
“Oh, c’mon! He’ll love it!” Kel was jumping on his feet, until Hero shushed him to stay put.
Mari put her chin on her hand. “Maybe. That could work… it’s only a movie night. We could simply say we’re planning a sleepover and it won’t be too weird.”
She then furrowed her brow. “Excuse me. I want to check if everything is alright.”
Some time had already passed. Was Sunny feeling sick?
Was he feeling sick… because of her?
He knocked on the door.
“Sunny? Is everything alright?”
The sound of running water muffled a voice, but she could hear a “Yes, I’ll return soon”.
“Alright”, she whispered.
Mari stood still, looking at the ground.
She really had to make it up to him somehow. Anyhow.
She felt awful. Her eyes started to burn with tears, but she sent them away with some vigorous rubbing.
When the door opened, Mari took his brother’s hand and lead him back to the table.
The night air was chill, and Mari kinda regretted not wearing heavier clothes. But the cold made her head sharper and her heart more set on her resolution.
“So”, Aubrey eyed Mari with a little wink, and then turned to Sunny. “What are you two planning to do now?”
Mari stifled a chuckle. “Hm… I guess we could rest, now. Don’t you think so too, Sunny?”
But the boy responded just with a slight nod, not even raising his gaze. Mari turned around.
“You must be pretty tired, huh?” Hero chuckled.
“Want me to pick you up?” her voice was tentative, as if she could break a glass vase.
But he shook his head.
She looked down, and kept walking.
The group lazily kept chatting and with sloggish steps they accompanied Aubrey at her home and Basil at his. In the end the two pair of siblings bid each other goodnight and goodbye in front of their doors.
That night, dressed in her nightgown and having brushed her hair and her teeth, she entered the room she shared with her brother with heart full of resolutions. “Sunny?”
The boy flinched, and unmade his bed.
"Can we talk?"
He stood still, gripping the bedsheets. “I’m… I’m tired. I want to sleep.”
Mari shivered, gripping her own hands. “Alright.”
She squeezed his shoulder, making him turn his gaze. “Goodnight, little brother.”
She gave a kiss on his cheek before hugging him. She fought the tears back.
It had been a troubled night. Mari had dreams of hurting Sunny over and over again, her heart aching with each gasp and eyes wide open.
For a moment, she dearly hoped he’d have a nightmare and scoot over her bed, like he’d always do, so that she could hug him and make sure he was fine.
But that never happened.
In a way, she was relieved.
When the clock struck 7am (and she had counted all the strikes until that moment), she got up and tiptoed her way out of the room.
The house was empty: their parents had warned them they would have been busy that morning, so she had the kitchen all to herself.
With a satisfied grin and rolling up her sleeves, she got to work.
The sound of the door made her turn. Her brother was peeking in from outside, his hair ruffled and messy.
“Oh, good morning, Sunny!” she turned the pancake in one swift swoop. “Slept well?”
“Y-yes… and you?”
“I did!” she hoped he wouldn’t notice the bags under her eyes.
The first pancake was ready and she put in on a plate, giving it to Sunny. “Here you go. This is for you.”
“Mari, are you okay?”
She froze. She gulped the worry. “Why are you asking me this?”
“You woke up before me, and you didn’t make your bed. Usually it means something is going on.”
She bit her lip, breathing heavily.
“And last night… you were shivering.”
Of course.
She should have expected that. After all, she knew her brother the best.
He may have been a quiet kid, distant eyes and cliff-faced as usual, but those eyes were extremely receptive. While he may have not spoken much, his actions were always much louder.
Her heart filled with affection. How could she have hurt him? How could she have not noticed how much pain he was in? He’d have noticed right away.
Such a great sister, you are.
“I’m so sorry”, he stifled back a sob. “For… everything. For the fight, for the violin”. Mari only wanted to make him stop spouting that nonsense. “For the p-push…”
“Oh, Sunny”, Mari wrapped him into a hug. “I’m so sorry too. Sunny, listen…”
But the boy raised his hand: “The pancakes.”
“Oh!”
The girl rushed to the counter, saving the pancake before it got burnt. “Thanks, Sunny.”
When they sat down to eat and poured the maple syrup on their breakfast, Mari was the first one to talk: “Sunny, about what happened two days ago… you don’t have to worry, alright? It was my fault.”
“I broke the violin because I got angry.”
“Yes… yes, I know. And you got angry because of me.”
She looked at the pancakes. She didn’t really feel like eating.
“Sunny… listen…”, her voice quivered, but she fought hard to not break. Her brother put a hand on hers in a reassuring gesture. “I have to ask you something. Do you hate me?”
She dared raise her gaze. But when he saw her brother’s surprised expression, she felt awful.
“N-no! Why do you think that?”
“Because I was the one who pushed you so hard. Up to your breaking point. It was all I could think about in these days. I am really sorry, Sunny. And when yesterday you were so distant I grew worried.”
“I could never hate you.”
Mari looked at him. A small smile appeared on her face, eyes threatening to start tearing.
Not in front of Sunny, Mari...
“Do you…” he bit his lip, voice breaking. “Do you hate me, for what I did?”
“Sunny, I could never. I really could never… hate you.”
She stifled a sob. “You are my dear little brother. I love you.”
They looked at one another. A soft smile appeared on their faces. Sunny squeezed her hand again.
“I love you too, Mari.”
Mari chuckled: Sunny was running his fingers on her skin. It tickled.
“Let’s eat these before they turn cold, alright?”
Sunny nodded and ate the first bite. From the glint in his eyes, Mari knew she had done a good job.
Mari had finished breakfast before him and, with a quick peck on his hair, she left him in the kitchen.
Her heart felt lighter. Sunny didn’t hate her. And to think he thought she hated him!
She gave a little twirl of happiness as she reached the first floor, and went into their room. She made her bed with a smile on her face and opened the window, letting the chilly air of October wash away the tense sensations of the previous days.
She looked at the calendar. Finally the recital was over. A wave of relief washed over her as she sat in front of the computer. She stood still, letting the sense of calm pour over her body.
She didn’t know for how long she stayed like that, but a voice jolted her up.
“Mari?”
As if caught stealing a cookie, she hid her hands behind her back. She didn’t know why she had done it, but right in that moment an idea struck her mind.
“Sunny!”
“W-what are you doing?”
“Nothing”, she almost sung it, repressing a chuckle.
He squinted his eyes, scrunching his nose.
“What do you have in your hands?”
“This!”
She opened her hands: they were empty. She savored Sunny’s confused expression for a short moment before pulling him into a tight hug, almost making him topple.
She squeezed him hard, burying her cheek onto his hair. And, when she felt a pair of small hands circle her waist, returning her hug, she smiled, tears in her eyes.
Maybe, just maybe, everything would be fine.