Chapter 1.1. Bonus

Juliano

Before

January 2008

The beginning of the school year always made me nervous, but that year the feeling was different because I was in a new city, which meant a new school, new people, and new friends.

"Juliano, hurry up," my mother shouted from downstairs. I quickly packed my things into my backpack, grabbed my cellphone, and went downstairs. In the kitchen, she was preparing my lunch, putting it in small plastic containers that formed a bag filled with delicious things.

After eating and rearranging my backpack, I could finally head to the new school. My nervousness made my hands sweaty, but the quick and precise movements of my bicycle helped me relax to the point that it took me very little time to reach my destination.

After checking in at the school office, I looked for the first-year classroom and arrived just as the teacher was starting the class. Even though I was new, I could tell from her tone of voice that tardiness in her class would not be tolerated, so I quickly apologized before introducing myself to all the other students who stared at me, making me even more nervous with all the attention on me.

"Hello, my name is Juliano, and I hope to be friends with all of you in the future." Everyone responded positively, except for one boy sitting near the large windows. He looked forward but seemed lost in thought, and I'm almost certain he didn't hear anything I said.

"Very well, Juliano, welcome. You can sit with Theo," the teacher said, pointing to the boy who caught my attention. I made a brief bow and walked towards him, seeing him blush and appear somewhat nervous. Adorable!

I sat down and quickly returned my gaze to the teacher, but my attention was on him. I noticed that he was looking at me and sighing softly, as if mustering the courage to speak to me. It made me feel agitated, nervous, and ecstatic, but that feeling intensified when I finally heard his voice.

"Hi!" That's what he said, and I thought my heart would jump out of my mouth. I had never felt this way about other people before. I opened a small smile, still not daring to say anything, but then he introduced himself. "My name is Theo, welcome." His melodious voice and shyness made my smile widen.

"Thank you, Theo. Did I miss much with the delay?" I asked, still smiling in his direction.

"Oh no, the teacher just got here a little while ago," Theo replied, making me even more curious about him. Before we could talk further, the teacher called our attention.

For the rest of the class, I alternated my gaze between the teacher, the exercises, and him, feeling my heart warm with each smile he gave when he noticed he was being watched.

When the bell rang, I turned to face Theo, who seemed even more timid.

"What's up?" he asked, and I almost melted.

"Do you want to have lunch with me?" I questioned him, seeing him become a bit nervous. Before he could answer, a coughing sound made me turn, and I found myself facing a very pretty girl who seemed older than both of us. She looked at us with suspicion and jealousy. Only then did I realize that I couldn't flirt with the boy so openly; after all, what if he didn't like boys like me? And what if this girl was his girlfriend?

"Theo, let's have lunch?" The girl already grabbed him by the arm.

"Sis," he said exasperatedly, "this is Juliano, and this is my sister Bianca."

"Pleased to meet you," I said somewhat embarrassed while giving a small bow to the older girl.

"Sis, I can't have lunch with you today. I'll be keeping my new friend company."

Theo spoke as the girl still analyzed me, but before things could become awkward, she nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

"Sorry about her; my family has a habit of wanting to protect me from the world," the younger boy said, getting my attention.

"It's okay, Theo, I understand."

The boy then froze, and I realized that I had addressed him in a very intimate way for the short time we had known each other. I became nervous but needed to clarify that I felt very comfortable around him. I also decided to keep my romantic feelings towards him to myself, after all, I didn't know him well enough, and I didn't want to lose the friendship that was the only one I had made at that school so far.

"Can I call you Theo?" I asked.

"Of course," he responded.

After a few seconds of silence, we decided to head to a place where we could finally have lunch. Theo took the lead, and I simply followed. We walked a bit and climbed some stairs until we reached the school's rooftop, where we could see students scattered in groups all over the lawn and garden.

"Wow, it's beautiful up here," I said, unable to take my eyes off the vast and lovely view in front of me.

"I always come here when I want to read or study. People usually don't like being close to me, so I prefer to keep my distance," he said, making me wonder about that story. After all, what reason could people have for not liking Theo? Despite my curiosity, I changed the subject, making him feel comfortable as we had lunch and got to know each other a little more.

Amidst so many words spoken, I knew that Theo was someone I would carry with me for life, as a friend or as a love, because the tide of feelings stirring inside me made me want to overflow with so much joy, so much happiness. It was as if I had won the lottery and become very rich, or as if I had fulfilled the greatest dream of my life. It was a new feeling, but at the same time, one of recognition, as if our souls recognized each other from past lives, from other adventures. I couldn't deny that I liked very much what I was feeling, but still, I was afraid of creating a world that existed only in my head, of developing feelings that wouldn't be reciprocated. However, on that day, I decided to live and drown in those sensations, to swim and swim in a tide of good feelings.

On that day, Theo and I skipped class in the afternoon, and I shouldn't be proud of it, but I couldn't regret it. That's how I got to know him better, how I became enchanted with the constellations living in his gaze, and it was by smiling alongside him that I fell in love with Theo. That's how our love story began, and I prayed in my prayers that this story, which started in such a silly way, would never come to an end.