—Since the journey is long… Let's choose nicknames for each other! —said Emily.
—Nicknames? —asked Himari.
—Yes, nicknames. For example, my nickname is Mily —she pointed a finger at Sofía—. Sofía is Fifi —she turned toward Noemí— and Noemí is Mimi.
Himari's eyes widened.
—Oh! I want one too! Me too!
—Of course! —Emily looked thoughtful—. Mmm… Himari… Himari… Something simple but sweet… How does… Himi sound?
—Himi?… I love it! Yes, yes, that's the one!
—Great! Then from now on you'll be Himi.
Emily… I mean, Himi, clapped softly and looked back at Jhonatan.
—Did you hear that, love? From now on I'm Himi.
—Yeah… I'll probably forget within the first week —said Jhonatan.
Himari puffed out her cheeks in a little pout.
Emily let out a soft laugh, then turned her gaze to Nataly.
—Now it's your turn, Nataly!
Nataly looked at her calmly.
—Whatever you want.
—Mmm… Give me a second. This is harder than you think.
—Mmm… What about Taly? —suggested Himari.
Emily suddenly had an idea.
—Mmm… I've got it! Nati!
—Yay! Do you like it? —asked Emily.
Nataly shrugged.
—Sure. It's fine.
Dan looked away to the side.
—Just chop off the last two or three letters and add an "i"… Wow, so much effort.
Emily rolled her eyes and turned sharply toward him.
—What did you say?!
This startled little Noemí a little.
—No… Nothing. Forget it.
—Alright. Now it's the boys' turn. Nati and Himi, you get to pick your boyfriends' nicknames.
—Perfect. —Himi looked at Jhonatan thoughtfully—. I'll call you… Handsome. Because you're handsome.
Jhonatan turned bright red from embarrassment.
—HAHAHAHA!
—What are you all laughing at?!
Nataly also looked at her boyfriend.
—I'll call mine…
Inside her mind, Brandon was begging her not to give him an embarrassing nickname like Jhonatan's.
—Brand.
—"Brand…" —Emily repeated—. I like it!
Nataly wrapped her arms around Brandon's waist, pulling him close as she looked at Emily.
—The name, not him! —she quickly corrected.
—I know, I figured.
Sofía looked up at Josías. Her cheeks instantly turned pink.
—Josías would suit… Sías.
He thought for a moment, then nodded at her.
—Yeah, I like that one.
—Now only one left… —Everyone turned toward Dan—. He… he can just keep his real name —said Emily.
—Huh?! Why am I the only one not getting a nickname?!
—So what would you like to be called?
—Mmm… I don't know. I'm terrible at coming up with names.
Himari smiled mischievously.
—How about letting Noemí choose it for you!
Emily beamed and nodded without hesitation.
—That's a great idea, yes!
—M-me?… Me?…
—Yes, you!
Noemí's face went bright red; she was nervous. She glanced shyly at Dan, who looked back at her and nodded, giving her permission to be the one to pick his nickname.
—W-well… Then… Da… How about Dani?
—"Dani…" Hmm… I think I'll go by Dani from now on —he said.
A small, happy smile appeared on her face knowing he liked it.
—Perfect. We all have our nicknames now, and these are official. Don't you dare forget them, anyone. Anyone at all! This goes for the reader too! —Emily declared.
(Except the author, of course)
The train finally arrived at Kyoto Station.
Emily was the first one off, stretching her arms with a soft, contented sigh.
—We're finally here.
The others followed her out.
—Yeah. How about we get something to eat now? I'm starving —suggested Dan.
—Sounds good. Me too. —Himari took Jhonatan's hand—. Just don't go getting lost. The streets in Kyoto are huge.
—We're not little kids who get lost —said Dan.
—… Keep an eye on Dani anyway.
They all went into a restaurant. The couples sat together; Josías ended up between Sofía and Emily.
Dan and Noemí sat beside each other. The atmosphere wasn't awkward at all —it was actually really nice, laughing and enjoying their meal.
About an hour later, they finished eating and walked along the sidewalks toward where the match would be held, since it wasn't far.
They stopped at a red light. When it turned green, they started crossing the street, but the area was crowded with people crossing in every direction.
Little by little, the group got separated in the crowd. People bumped Noemí back and forth until she lost sight of everyone, left all alone in the middle of the crowd.
Worry hit her at once. She looked around frantically, trying to spot someone she knew. Her breathing quickened and she pressed a hand to her chest.
But then, a hand reached out and took hers. Noemí flinched in surprise.
Looking up, she saw it was Dan holding her hand.
—Don't get separated from me, Noemí —Dan said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
All her worry seemed to fade away. Her hand trembled slightly, but his grip was warm.
She nodded once, staring down at the ground, but she didn't let go.
He guided her steadily through the crowd. In that moment, it felt like everyone else had faded into the background —it was just the two of them.
Noemí kept looking at their joined hands. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had before.
At last they reached the other side. The rest were already there waiting for them.
They slowly let go of each other's hands.
Everyone turned and sighed in relief.
—I thought you'd gotten lost, Noemí —said Emily.
—Me too, I was worried —added Himari, leaning against her boyfriend's arm—. Well, let's get going. I don't want to be late.
—I ate way too much. I think I'm gonna be sick —said Brandon.
They started walking again. Dan and Noemí stayed a little behind the others. Both were too nervous to say a word.