>>5984187>>5984194>>5984212>>5984220>>5984294You decide to focus on Mikhail, since he's reaching puberty, which can be a troublesome time in a boy's life. You don't quite remember what you did at his age, but you know it wasn't a great time. You wonder what young you would think of what you've become? You're sure he'd think you're pretty cool, that thought makes you pretty happy.
You knock on Mikhail's bedroom door, and after he tells you to come in, you enter to find him finishing the last of his homework. His secondary school is actually easier than his primary school, so he's actually at the top of his class. While you wouldn't consider him a natural genius, he's a hard worker and that's probably more than enough to succeed in life. He asks you a few questions about schoolwork, but you feel like he's doing it more to make you feel useful than because he actually needs the help.
Once he's done, he pulls up the collar of his sweater, slightly hiding the bottom of his face, he only does that when he's about to ask something he's ashamed about, which means...
"Uh, dad. How did you meet mom, anyway?"
You tell him you technically first met her when you were kids, but you only really got to know each other as neighbors. You tell him that one thing led to another, and you ended up falling in love. You're letting out a few key details, but he doesn't need to know them right now.
"How did you know she liked you?" He pulls the collar further up, half his face is under his sweater now.
That's a loaded question. Looking back on it, your relationship went fast with all the danger you faced. It was a mix of adrenaline and being dependent on each other that forged a bond that you doubt a casual friendship could've replicated. You didn't even know for sure if what you felt for her was real for the first few weeks, even today you'd struggle to say when exactly you fell for her. Maybe it was more gradual? Maybe-
"Dad?"
Right, the question. You tell him you ended up kissing after an argument, you wonder how many details you can leave out before he starts noticing inconsistencies.
"So if you argue with a girl a lot, that means she likes you?"
You tell him that not every girl acts the same, but that some show affection in very peculiar ways.
"...sis said my friend liked me, but I'm not sure if it's true. I asked her about it, but she starts talking about something else whenever I do."
Okay, so he asked her about it, and she didn't say no, she just evaded the question. You haven't talked to his friend that much, but she doesn't look like the type to string a guy along with her charms, which means the only reason she'd have to not answer is because she's afraid of what would happen if she said the truth. Sophia's probably right about this, and you'd say she's be pretty good at recognizing girls with unrequited feelings.
