Aris

As soon as I sent those last messages, Leon approached, sitting in the chair next to me and speaking in a low voice:
"So, you went to the arena yesterday, didn’t you?"
"I just... passed by. Very quickly."
"And what did you think? Isn’t it pretty cool?"
"What I thought... actually, what I still think is that it’s not the place for you, Leon."
"Come on, Aris. You know the people there. You could vouch for me to get in."
"I don’t know ‘the people there’. And I don’t have any power to vouch for anyone. Even if I did, I wouldn’t."
"Please, Aris... It’s my dream."
"You should have less risky dreams, then. But if you really think this is what you want, wait until you’re of age and can make your own decisions."
"Sometimes you sound like an old lady, you know?"
Annoyed, he got up and walked away. I turned back to my phone, seeing more messages from my stepmother. I continued chatting with her until the classes ended and all the students and staff had left.
Left alone, I went to the room where I used to teach, took off my coat, and began my stretches.
That night, I planned to make some changes to the choreography. After all, I had created it about two years ago during one of my solo dance-step inventing sessions. It wasn’t bad, but it still felt too amateurish for a competition.
And if I was going to compete for one of just three spots against thirty-seven other people, I needed to give it my all.
I was thinking about this when I heard sounds coming from the glass door leading to the street. Initially, I thought it could only be someone who worked there, who might have forgotten something. However, I quickly discarded that idea. Odília and Leon had copies of the key, and as for the other staff, none of them knew I’d be staying there late at night, so they wouldn’t waste time knocking on the door at that hour, assuming the place was empty.
The knocking continued, so I went to see who it was.
Arriving at the reception area, I stopped, surprised to see Dimitris on the other side of the glass door. I walked over, reached the door, and opened it.
Without waiting for an invitation, Dimitris walked in.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, confused, following him back into the room.
He carried a large bag and opened it, pulling out some takeout containers and handing them to me.
I blinked a few times, not understanding.
"You brought... food?"
"Healthy food. And from restaurants that aren’t open all night, so no point in trying to order in the middle of the night. I also brought this."

Since I didn't grab the food containers, he placed them on a chair and took out another item from the bag: a two-liter bottle of water. I pointed to the water cooler in the reception area.
"Well… water is never too much," he added.
And for a few moments, I was completely taken aback. What was all this? Dimitris was trying... to take care of me? The delinquent? The forbidden boy? ...He was concerned about the annoyingly perfect girl?
"Why all this?" I asked, still confused.
"I said I would help you with your rehearsals if you ever came to the arena. I'm keeping my promise."
"You said it as a provocation, Dimitris. Besides, today is Saturday. I believe it must be a pretty busy day at the arena."
"Yeah. I'm actually going there. I just wanted to stop by here first to see how you were, and... Damn, to be honest, I stopped by home and talked to Iris."
"'Stopped' by home? Don't you, like, live there?"
"I spend very little time there. But Iris was really excited. And she told me about your offer to help her rehearse."
"Well... It's nothing special."
"How is it nothing special? You're giving up more of your time to rehearse ballet steps with a child."
"You shouldn't belittle things that are important to a child. I have a brother the same age as Iris, and I would be happy if a teacher of something he really likes offered to help him."
"That's exactly how I feel. But... What you offered my sister is not just any help. Actually... What I mean is that she was really very happy."
"I can imagine. She loves dancing and has been feeling very frustrated for not being able to get one of the steps right."
"No, Aris... You don't understand. You simply can't understand."
He turned his back to me, stepping away a few paces and running a hand through his hair, showing some tension.
I stayed silent, waiting until he finally felt comfortable enough to speak:
"I know, Aris, that you've had a pretty messed-up life..."
"...That's very kind of you..." I said sarcastically.
He then turned around, facing me again.
"What I mean is that I know that anything I say might seem a bit silly compared to everything you've been through."
I shook my head.
"I would never think that. Every human being has their own struggles."
"But..." he continued. "You experienced the love of a family. Iris hasn't. And that's why your offer of help meant so much to her. I haven't seen my sister so happy in a long time."

I had no idea what had happened to Dimitris's family. But if I knew anything, it was that Iris wasn’t exactly alone.
“She has you.”
He shook his head, looking distressed.
“I only came to bring you this. I need to go to the arena.”
With that, he simply left the room. I followed him, catching up as he was opening the door.
“Wait!” I said, grabbing his arm. He turned his face towards me. Our eyes were too close, and I could see a deep sadness behind that apparent expression of anger and indifference. “Are you okay?”
He looked a bit confused by my question, as if it were something entirely unusual.
“This is the first time in a long time that someone has asked me that so sincerely.”
I almost expected his response to be followed by some kind of provocation, but it wasn’t. Instead, we stood there in silence for a few seconds, his eyes locked on mine as if trying to see into my soul.
He took a small step, turning his body fully to face me. My hand stayed on his arm, and he brought his hand to my face, touching my skin with the tips of his fingers. I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling a wave of shivers run through my body with that subtle contact.
When I opened my eyes again, he tilted his face, lowering it, coming closer to mine.
He was going to kiss me...
And I was intensely longing for it.
I closed my eyes again, waiting for it.
Moments later, what I felt wasn’t his lips meeting mine. It was the complete opposite: he pulled away abruptly. My hand remained outstretched for a few seconds before his arm slipped away.
Dimitris went to his motorcycle, which was parked near the sidewalk. But before getting on and leaving, he looked back at me and said:
“I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: girls like you should stay away from problems like me.”
“Actually, it was you who came to me.”
He ignored my comment.
“Take breaks during your rehearsal to eat and don’t stay up too late.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Are you worried about me?”
“It’s just my way of thanking you for what you did for my sister.”
With that, he didn’t wait for any further response and left.