Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 16. Do You Love Her?

After riding the Carousel Tower, Misha couldn't keep denying the truth; Gabriel was genuinely afraid of heights. His body reacted too violently, and his mouth had been quite talkative.

That being said, Misha couldn't exactly drag Gabriel to another roller coaster. Only a brainless fool would dare ask the teenager to ride a second one, especially after watching him empty his stomach—Misha had decided to act spoiled, not heartless! He had to show some concern for his well-being, even though he couldn't care less if Gabriel puked his guts out. Thus, he didn't mention riding another roller coaster and instead proposed to sit somewhere and relax.

Well, that was one reason. The main reason, which he wouldn't admit, was that Misha was also not feeling too good. His head was spinning so much that he saw double at times. As long as his brain was still in the process of adapting itself to his older mind, his body would be stupidly weak. Misha had noticed that merely moving around or thinking about complicated matters was enough to wear him out; let's not talk about riding a roller coaster.

It'd take some time before the drawbacks wore off. Misha was aware of that, and he could only hope that it wouldn't take years.

Shortly after Gabriel recovered, they went back to the dining area and sat at a picnic table near the river. The white parasol protected them from the sun while the fresh air coming from the river swept along their skins, cooling down their bodies.

For a while, they said nothing, simply staring at the colorful ripples on the water. It was somehow hypnotic, and the teenager and the child slowly lost track of time.

Seconds, then minutes passed until Misha finally broke the silence, asking, "Do you like my sister?"

Gabriel didn't answer immediately, taken aback by the sudden question, but he also didn't take long before smiling, "Yes, of course."

Misha slowly turned his head and looked into the teenager's eyes. The boy's bright blue eyes held a deep feeling of sorrow, and seething anger seemed to storm silently in their depths, yet they also reflected a fearsome serenity.

When these eyes landed on him, a chill ran down Gabriel's spine. He instinctively straightened his back, wariness seeping into his bones.

"Do you love her?"

Gabriel couldn't help but frown slightly. He had that strange feeling that the child's choice of words wasn't without meaning. But why? He couldn't figure it out. So he glanced at Misha, hoping to find a clue in his expression.

The wind was blowing the boy's hair in all directions, making the strands of strawberry blonde hair dance before his face. And yet, they couldn't conceal his icy eyes. That cold and distant expression had nothing to do with the smiling face Misha had worn since the beginning of the day.

For a short moment, Gabriel pondered over the sudden change in the child's demeanor. But it was to no avail.

"Yes, I love her," he ultimately said.

Misha responded by uttering a small 'hmm' before shifting his head, gazing out over the peaceful river. His thoughts drifted back to the day he erupted in Gabriel's office on January first. Even though it was the first day of the year, the young adult that Gabriel was at the time had shut himself inside his office at school, preparing his class curriculum for the next semester. Since it was his first year as a teacher, he had many things to do to keep his job after his contract expired in June. He had to leave a pretty good impression on the director, and thus the young teacher worked nonstop.

Back then, when Misha smashed his door open and asked what the hell was going on with his sister, Gabriel had answered truthfully, breaking apart Misha's little world.