THE LAKEThe boy's expression remained the same for some time, he seemed to dwell on what she had said, and she bitterly regretted having said it. It was none of her business how he was, for heaven's sake. He had just arrived there. Crouching beside the pond, he seemed lost in his own thoughts, and Clara, who was staring at the stream, stooped down beside him to apologize once again, put a hand on his shoulder, and felt him stiffen at the touch.“Can you forgive me for saying what I said? I had no business telling you what I said, I like the way you are and in fact, it's my way of being that's wrong, you only say what you think, how could that be wrong?”Otávio turned around and, being so close, she could see right down to his pores, he was really a beautiful boy. His full, plump lips were so red that it looked like he was wearing lipstick, and his clear eyes stood out against his black hair. His face was oval, his beard shaved and well done, he didn't seem to wear perfume, but he exu

PICNICShe noticed that it was getting dark above her, surely Otávio could see if she was asleep, because she covered her eyes and put a basket beside her to see if it would wake her up.“ I was awake, so I decided to get some sun," she said softly, with a smile. She got up, sat down, and rummaged through the basket. “ Look, I brought so many things! How wonderful, Octavio, gee, you brought a feast.”“ I didn't know what to bring, sorry I took so long, I really didn't know what to…”He looked embarrassed, twisting one hand in the other.“ You got that right! My stomach rumbled.” She laughed and, spreading a checkered towel on the dirt, began to distribute what he had brought her. There was a covered pot and Clara opened it to find succulent pieces of roasted meat, and in another pot she found garlic bread, and in yet another she found a fragrant salad containing several chopped and already seasoned vegetables. A larger jar contained loose rice with peas, and he had even brought four

HELLO MOMMY" I don't know how to do this " he handed her the device." Leave it to me. " Clara realized that her cell phone wasn't even connected to the wifi and logged in, then accessed the play store and downloaded whatsapp.Between clicks and clicks, soon she had downloaded the app. Turning to him, she asked him to smile." Why?”" Okay, back to the whys. To create an account for you, I need a profile picture, go ahead, smile.”As he kept looking at her without smiling, she put a hand on his belly and tickled him, but even that didn't help. Otávio looked at her without understanding." Man, you're difficult," she said, smiling." I know.”It was this simple sentence that dismantled her. She had to be careful what she said to him. It was all eight or eighty with Otávio and she would start to watch what she said to him." We all are, I just need you to smile so I can take a nice picture for your profile, okay? With her cell phone ready, camera on, she waited in vain for him to smil

HAIR TRANSITIONThe movie chosen was a sequel to one that came out every year, and Clara insisted on watching it. She had always been a sucker for suspense and horror movies, and her father had never allowed her to watch them, knowing that she would invariably jump into bed in the middle of the night if she watched them. She and Kelly, her stepmother, were fanatical about these genres, and as soon as Kelly married her father, this was their secret, to watch them secretly, and her stepmother would sleep with her after the movie was over, so that her father would not find out that his daughter had watched them. It was their secret.And as always happened when Clara was watching something like this, her heart was beating fast and she unconsciously covered her eyes. Otávio looked away from her without understanding. He paused the movie and asked her:" Aren't you going to watch any more?”" I am watching it.”" But you have your eyes covered... and your hands. Why don't you close them or

PANCAKES FOR EVERYONEClara woke up in the middle of the night and was startled to find Octavio standing beside the sofa staring at her." Why are you sleeping there? " he asked, his voice hoarse with sleep.The boy had messy hair, was wearing a black silk samba that went halfway up his thighs, was naked on top and barefoot, and Clara was speechless. She felt something she couldn't quantify. She smiled at him and stretched, before answering:" What time is it? " He looked at the clock on the wall behind the sofa." Half past four.”" So, Otavio, etiquette says that when you find someone sleeping in your house, as I am, you should take a sheet and cover them. Preferably without waking them up, okay? " Saying this, she turned her back to him and went back to sleep.Otávio sat down on the sofa opposite hers at half past six in the morning and again she woke up. He was sitting stiff and with a tray on his knees." Good morning. What's this? " she questioned." Coffee.”" Um, thank you ver