As I walked, lost in thought, someone suddenly called out to me.
"Kaya! What are you doing out here without an umbrella? Come on, get under mine."
It was Mai. She pulled me under her umbrella, protecting me from the rain. I had almost forgotten it was raining. Even though it was pointless now, she kept me close, shielding me from the rain, and that simple gesture brought me a sense of comfort I hadn't expected.
"You're soaked through, and you're shivering. You must be freezing. You need to warm up. Why don't you come to my house? It's just nearby."
Without waiting for my response, Mai took my hand and led me toward her home. I followed without resistance, feeling her strength despite her gentle demeanor. Under different circumstances, I would have been excited about visiting a friend's house for the first time.
As soon as we arrived and I took off my shoes, she said, "First things first, you need to take a bath. You'll catch a cold if you stay like this. We can talk after."
Before I could protest, she had already ushered me toward the bathroom. Not wanting to cause more trouble, I started to object, but she quickly countered with, "Should I help you bathe, then?" That made me relent and agree to take a bath on my own.
I struggled to peel off my wet, heavy clothes, and as I stepped into the shower, the hot water hit me, and I couldn't help but gasp at the heat. My body was colder than I had realized. I took my time warming up, careful not to overwhelm myself, when I heard Mai's voice from outside, "I left some clothes and a towel here for you. The bath is ready, so make sure to soak properly."
She had seen right through my plan to just take a quick shower. I reluctantly decided to follow her advice.
After soaking for a while, I got out of the bath and changed into the clothes she had provided. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should move around her house freely, but Mai quickly noticed I was finished and came to guide me to her room.
"I was worried they'd be too big, but they fit you better than I expected. And don't worry, I'm already washing your clothes."
"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."
"No need to apologize. I did this because I wanted to. If anything, I'm sorry for dragging you here without asking. So, what happened?"
How could I possibly explain? Should I even tell her? This was my problem, and it didn't involve Mai at all. As I wrestled with these thoughts, saying nothing, she continued.
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. But, Kaya, something happened with your parents, didn't it?"
"What? How did you... No, it's nothing."
I panicked when she hit the nail on the head, and in my surprise, I blurted out a response that only confirmed her suspicion.
"It's too late to deny it now. But how did I know? Well, it's because I've been watching you, Kaya. Sometimes you'd have this lonely look on your face, and whenever people talked about their families, you'd get this complicated expression. It was subtle, but I noticed. Am I wrong?"
"…You are wrong."
I hadn't even realized it myself.
"Then what happened?"
"Mai, this doesn't concern you."
"It does! This is about you, Kaya. We're friends, aren't we? If my friend is hurting, I want to help! Kaya, do you really think I'm that unreliable? Or is it that you can't trust me?"
Her words, laced with genuine concern, caught me off guard. I hurried to correct her.
"No, that's not it… But this is my problem, and I don't want to burden you with it."
"It's not a burden. Even if it were, I wouldn't mind. That's what friends are for. We're here to support each other, to lean on each other when things get tough. So, Kaya, take your time, but please, tell me what's going on."
The warmth in her voice made me realize something important—that it was okay to rely on someone, that it was okay to lean on a friend. I had been so fixated on dealing with everything alone that I hadn't even considered that I could reach out for help. But had anyone ever cared this much before?
Looking back, I realized that Mai had always made me feel safe, like I could be my true self around her. I finally understood why I felt that way, and so, I decided to open up.