Hand in hand

-Have you ever played “The Blind Man”?-, you asked.

-The Blind Man? What’s that?-, I wondered.

-It’s a fun two player game. I’ll teach you how to play it. First, you have to stand up-, you started explaining as I followed your guide. -Then, close your eyes.

-Mmmm, I’m not really sure I like this game.

-Just trust me. It 's really fun. Close your eyes… Good. Now, I will guide you as we take a walk. If you open your eyes, you lose. If you fall down, I lose.

-That sounds like a lose-lose situation for me!? I don’t want to fall down. This game doesn’t sound very safe!

-Come ooon. Just try it.

I ended up complying and we went walking for a while. It was a game of trust. You told me when I had to turn, go up some stairs, or dodge something on the floor. It was a little scary but it got fun after a while.

-You are pretty good at this. I think we can go to the next level.

-What do you mean “next level”?

-There is a little kerb over there. You get on top and ,with my guidance and your balance, you’ll walk all over it. When we get to the end, we both win!

-I…I’m not too sure. It seems a bit too much.

-Don’t worry I’ll hold on to your hand-, you assured me. -Lift your right foot, move it to the right aaaand there! Get on top. Good. Now just go straight and put your left foot over… carefully… yes! You are good.

-Yeah ok, but don’t let go of my hand-, I begged.

-I won’t, don’t worry-, you promised.

We ended up winning that game. You held my hand so firmly in order to calm me down… You were so sweet…

And now, I'm the one that’s holding your hand tightly, hoping you can feel me and know that I’m always here for you.

---

The two teenagers were standing in the middle of her room holding their hands. A part of them wanted to separate them as it was making them feel shy. But they also didn’t want to let go and lose that special moment.

The anger of the argument they had a few seconds ago was all gone and forgotten. Now, only a silent but wild awkwardness remained. On the outside they maintained a straight face, but on the inside, they were in full panic mode.

“She is not letting go of my hands!! What should I do? This is too perfect. Don’t say anything or you’ll break this moment”. These thoughts were going inside Nyco’s head as he looked at her face. Emma was in a similar situation.

“How did we get into this position?! When did I hold his hands? Oh no, they are starting to sweat. STOP!!”. Emma gave him a light smile, not knowing what to say. “Why did I say that I wanted him and needed him? How could I say something so embarrassing!!? That’s practically a confession, right? Shouldn’t he be the one to say something?”, Emma wondered inside her head.

“Don’t wait for me to say anything!” Nyco thought. “I didn’t grab your hands!!! Say something, please! I’m dying here” he panicked.

-I’m home!-, jelled Mr. Litdawn as soon as he walked into the apartment. They both let go of each other's hands faster than the speed of light.

-Jump out the window. Now!-, Emma whispered while pushing him to the window.

-Wait wait wait! It’s not that easy. I have to start the boots first on firm ground or I’ll lose my balance.

-There’s no time for that!-, she panicked. -Ok ok, in the bathroom. Go!-, she pushed him with urgency and not enough gentleness in Nyco’s opinion.

As soon as she closed the bathroom door, her dad opened the bedroom door.
Nyco was so scared he could swear he heard his own heartbeat. There he was, doing exactly the opposite her father had ordered him. If he saw him now, it would be over for them.
The mumblings of a conversation let Nyco know that her father was in the room. He pressed his ear to the door trying to understand what they were saying but it didn’t work. The door then suddenly opened.

-Eeeeeeeeh!-, screamed the terrified boy.

-Shhhh, don’t make a sound. He’s in the living room and says he wants to show me something-, Emma explained after putting her hand in his mouth to silence him.

-Cool, I’ll go while you two are there talking.

-No! That’s what I came here to tell you. Wait here, this will only take a few minutes…

-There’s no way I’m going to stay less than 100 meters away from your dad. If he sees me here, he’ll flip out-, Nyco whispered with as much emphasis as he could given the circumstances.

-I bought something I need to give you, so stay here-, she ordered.

-But…

The closed door on his face was the perfect indicator that the conversation was over. “That girl has a bossy problem” he grumbled.

He nervously waited in the bathroom for what seemed like an hour, thinking of the present Emma had bought. “What could it be? It’s not my birthday or anything…” he wondered.

Feeling like a caged animal, the imprudent boy decided to get out of the bathroom silently and go home. He opened the door with extreme care only to see that the bedroom door was also closed. He stepped outside tiptoeing. “I’ll just go home. She can give me whatever she bought me tomorrow”, he decided.

On his way to the window he saw 3 bags on the floor. “It must be in one of those bags, I’ll quickly check to see what it is. There’s no way I’m spending the night wondering”, he decided.

He opened the first bag and took out what was inside. As soon as he laid eyes on it, he was sure it wasn’t the present Emma had got him. “Oh… my… G”

The door opened and Emma walked in.

-Ok the coast is clear, sorry to have you waiting. He wanted to apologize for his mood and gave me…-. Emma could not end the sentence. What she saw made her so upset and ashamed her ears started turning red. She caught Nyco holding her new black panty she had just bought with her friends.

-I… I can explain-, he stuttered dropping the underwear.

-You just couldn’t keep your hands in your pockets for 15 minutes…-. The closer she got the more he knew he was in trouble.

-...Sorry

The boy was back in the Seiza position with both his ears burning as if a dragon had just whispered “you are a dumbass” to them. Emma came out of the shower with her white pajamas with drawings of pink pig faces. She was still feeling embarrassed and pissed that the boy she had feelings for knew what kind of underwear she liked. The punished teenager looked up at her in a plea of mercy but she looked away and started preparing the 5-S her father gave her.

-How long do I have to sit like this?-, he complained, noticing the pain in his knees and back growing stronger.

-As long as I feel like it. And now a bit of silence. My dad has just given me a new 5-S and we are going to use it right now. With all the trouble he’s given us today, we are going to squeeze all the little good he provides.

-Can I at least get comfortable when we use it?-, he pleaded.

-I'm afraid not. Okaaaay. Done. Now shut up and close your eyes-, she ordered putting his helmet on him.