The next day started like any other.
Sunlight poured through the windows, warm and unrelenting, but the air felt heavier.
Mio wasn't herself.
She kept fidgeting, tracing the edges of her notebook, biting her lip, glancing at everyone as if she was about to collapse from keeping something inside.
Finally, after lunch, she pulled me aside.
"I have to tell you something," she whispered, voice trembling.
I nodded. "Okay… what is it?"
She swallowed. Then whispered the words that had been buried for weeks.
"I like someone," she said.
I froze.
"Who?" I asked softly, already guessing.
She looked down at her hands, twisting them nervously. "I… I like Ren."
I stepped back. My chest tightened.
"You… like Ren?" I repeated.
"Yes," she said quickly. "I tried to hide it, tried to distract myself, but… I can't anymore. Seeing him with Yuna, it's—" She broke off, swallowing hard. "It hurts. I just… had to tell someone."
I didn't know what to say. Words felt useless.
Later that evening, I told Yuna.
She didn't speak at first. Her eyes softened.
"Mio… she's brave," Yuna said finally. "Most people wouldn't say anything. But it's complicated, isn't it?"
I nodded.
"Do you think he knows?" Yuna asked quietly.
"No," I said. "I don't think anyone does… except us now."
That night, Mio stayed up alone.
She stared at her reflection in the dark window.
I can't ruin this summer, she wrote in her notebook.
I can't let him hate me. I can't let Yuna cry. I can't stop time.
But deep down, she knew some things could no longer be controlled.
The next morning, she joined the group as usual.
She smiled. She laughed.
But her eyes betrayed her—traces of sleepless nights, quiet heartbreak, and a secret no one could see.
Some truths are too heavy to carry alone.
Some summers hold more than just days.
And Mio had just started carrying hers.