Chapter 155: Aria is happy, and Ren is in a nightmare.
After the revelation, Emma looked at Aria and then at Ren.
"I’m confused."
Ren took a breath.
"That’s normal."
Sarah looked at Ren again.
"So, you were always a girl?"
Ren wished the ground would open up.
"That’s right."
Emma’s eyes went wide.
"Since always?"
Ren looked at her.
"Yes."
Sarah started to laugh and Emma looked at her.
"Don’t laugh."
"I’m trying."
Ren lowered her head.
"Please."
Emma raised a hand.
"No, I’m not laughing at you."
"That doesn’t help."
Aria stepped in.
"Ren always had some complicated family circumstances."
Ren looked at her.
"You don’t need to explain it."
"I’m helping."
"You’re not helping."
Sarah watched Ren with clear surprise.
"So all these years..."
Ren nodded.
"Yes."
"Did Noah know?"
Ren answered.
"No."
Emma looked even more surprised.
"Noah didn’t either?"
"No."
Sarah opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
"So he thought you were a guy?"
"Yes."
Emma put a hand to her forehead.
"You spent hours with him."
Ren closed her eyes.
"Yes, that’s true."
"You came over to the house."
"That’s right."
"You slept over a few times."
Ren turned red.
"We were kids."
Sarah started to smile and Aria did too, but Ren pointed at both of them.
"No."
Sarah raised her hands.
"I didn’t say anything."
"You were thinking it."
"Maybe."
Aria spoke with way too much happiness.
"Me too."
Ren turned toward her.
"Aria."
"What?"
"I want to leave."
"Not yet."
Emma was still trying to process the situation.
"Wait."
Ren breathed and Emma pointed at Aria.
"Did she know?"
"Yes."
"Since when?"
Ren answered.
"Since always."
Sarah looked at Aria.
"So you were the only one who knew."
Aria smiled.
"My family did too."
Ren frowned.
"This isn’t an interview."
Emma looked at Ren again.
"I can’t believe it."
"I know."
"You looked..."
"I know."
"And you acted..."
"I know."
Sarah asked.
"Why?"
Ren sighed.
"It’s not something I want to explain here."
Emma reacted immediately.
"Of course."
Sarah nodded.
"Sorry."
Ren felt a little relief, since at least they didn’t push, but then Aria decided the break was over.
"There’s something else."
Ren turned slowly.
"No."
Aria ignored her and Emma looked at her.
"Something else?"
"Yes."
Ren grabbed Aria’s arm.
"No, Aria."
Aria smiled.
"That’s exactly why we’re here."
Ren lowered her voice.
"I thought you were going to let me recover."
"That’s not happening."
"I hate you."
"You’ll thank me later."
"I don’t think so."
Sarah looked at both of them.
"What’s going on?"
Aria adjusted her clothes and then spoke with complete calm.
"Ren is also engaged to Noah."
Ren closed her eyes and Emma went still, same as Sarah.
Ren kept her eyes closed.
’I’m not going to look.’
Emma spoke first.
"What?"
Ren didn’t answer, but Aria did.
"Ren is Noah’s fiancée."
Sarah looked at Ren.
"You?"
Ren slowly opened her eyes.
"Yes."
Emma pointed at Aria.
"But you are too."
"Correct."
"So..."
Aria smiled.
"We’re both engaged to Noah."
Ren wished she could go back five minutes, or five years.
Sarah looked at Ren.
"How did this happen?"
Ren answered.
"It’s complicated."
Aria cut in.
"Not really."
"For you it isn’t."
Emma stepped a little closer.
"Is Noah okay with this?"
Ren took a moment to answer.
"Yes."
Aria corrected.
"After a pretty long negotiation."
Ren looked at her.
"Don’t help."
Sarah looked more and more interested.
"So Noah found out you were a girl and then..."
Ren raised both hands.
"It wasn’t immediate."
"Ah."
"It wasn’t like that."
Aria smiled.
"There were several stages."
Ren glared at her.
"Aria."
Emma watched Ren and then smiled a little.
"Now I understand why Noah was so nervous when he was trying to explain things to us."
Ren sighed.
"Yes."
Sarah started to laugh.
"I thought he was only hiding Yume and Luna, but it turns out you two were missing too."
Aria smiled.
"Exactly."
Ren corrected.
"I was missing."
Aria looked at her.
"We were."
"You already introduced yourself before."
"Not like this."
Ren sighed.
Emma looked at her again, still seeming surprised.
"It’s weird."
Ren lowered her gaze.
"I know."
"I don’t mean it in a bad way."
Ren lifted her head a little and Emma continued.
"It’s just that I’ve known you for years."
"Yes."
"And now I’m finding out two pretty big things at the same time."
Ren turned red.
"That’s right."
Aria smiled.
"She gets like that every time someone says it."
Ren turned.
"Because you have to announce it like that!"
"But it’s true."
"That’s not the problem!"
Sarah and Emma started laughing, so Ren lowered her head.
’This is horrible.’
Aria, on the other hand, seemed to be having one of the best moments of her life.
Sarah watched Ren for a few seconds and then spoke in a calmer tone.
"I’m glad."
Ren lifted her head.
"What?"
"That it’s you."
Ren blinked and Sarah smiled.
"We’ve known you for a long time."
Emma nodded.
"We know how you are."
Ren stayed quiet and Emma continued.
"And we know you’ve always been important to Noah."
Ren lowered her gaze a little.
"Well..."
Sarah added.
"Besides, if someone’s going to be with him, I’d rather it be someone we already trust."
Ren felt her embarrassment ease a little, just a little.
"Thanks."
Aria raised a hand.
"I’m here too."
Sarah looked at her.
"We trust you too."
Aria smiled.
"Perfect."
Ren frowned.
"Why does that sound like you were waiting for an evaluation?"
"Because it’s important."
Emma looked at both of them.
"So, would you two come over for dinner another day?"
Ren’s eyes went wide.
"Another day?"
Aria answered first.
"We’d love to."
Ren looked at her.
"Don’t speak for me."
"You don’t want to go?"
Ren stayed silent.
Emma and Sarah were waiting, so Ren sighed.
"I do want to."
Aria smiled with satisfaction.
"Then, we’d love to."
Ren crossed her arms and said to Aria.
"Just one dinner."
"Sure."
"And don’t organize anything weird."
"I don’t promise that."
"Aria."
Emma and Sarah started laughing again.
Ren closed her eyes.
’This is never going to end.’
After saying goodbye to Emma and Sarah, Ren walked with Aria through the mall.
She stayed quiet for almost a minute.
Aria looked way too happy, so Ren finally spoke.
"You enjoyed that."
Aria looked at her.
"Enjoyed what?"
"Everything."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"When Emma asked if I was Ren."
Aria smiled and Ren pointed.
"That face."
"It was funny."
"Not for me."
Ren sighed.
"I wanted to leave."
"I noticed."
"And you didn’t let me."
"Correct."
"Why?"
Aria answered without thinking.
"Because if I let you escape, you were never going to introduce yourself."
Ren stayed quiet, since she couldn’t deny that, and Aria continued.
"Besides, it went well."
Ren looked ahead.
"I guess."
"They accepted you."
"They already knew me."
"Now they know you properly."
Ren turned a little red.
"Could you stop saying that."
"No, I’m going to keep saying it."
Ren sighed and took out her phone, where there were several messages from Yume who had asked.
[ARE YOU DONE YET?]
Luna wrote.
[Probably.]
Iris asked.
[How did they react when they recognized Ren?]
Aria, who was also looking at the chat, started laughing, so Ren put the phone away.
"I’m going home."
Aria walked behind her.
"We have to prepare the dinner."
Ren stopped.
"That’s another day."
"We have to prepare it in advance."
Ren turned.
"I’m going to block you."
Aria smiled.
"See you tomorrow."
Ren kept walking and Aria followed behind her with a way too satisfied expression.
Ren sighed.
’At least it’s over.’
Aria spoke.
"I was thinking that for the dinner we could..."
Ren sped up.
"No."
"You didn’t even listen."
"I already said no."
"Ren."
Aria smiled and followed her.
The introduction was over, but Ren already suspected that the real embarrassment had only just begun.