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It was so unusual for Michael to appear this nervous. He almost seemed vulnerable. Hera had never seen him in this state. The Michael she knew was confident, arrogant, fearless, and was always a happy-go-lucky kind of a boy. His silence, and the way he played with the gift box absent-mindedly, started to worry Hera.

"Mike, what\'s wrong? Are you okay?" Hera asked, her hand softly resting on his shoulder. He exhaled as if he was tired and nodded wordlessly. Hera scooted closer and squeezed his shoulder in assurance, silently offering comfort, though she had no idea what troubled him all of a sudden. He was fine before taking out that gift box.

"I\'m fine, baby girl, just organising words in my mind before speaking. It\'s kind of weird because I never thought we would have this conversation one day," Michael said, giving her an awkward smile. He pulled his knees up, resting his elbows on them, his fingers clasped around the gift box tightened their hold.

Hera didn\'t feel the need to urge him, so she waited, patient and understanding. Michael glanced at his feet soaked in wet sand and wiggled his toes to get rid of the dirt.

"Hmm, guess there\'s no other way to say it," he said more to himself. Hera was curious as well as intrigued by his new attitude. "You know I don\'t sugarcoat my words, so I\'ll come straight to the point," Michael said while Hera nodded silently.

"I love you, Hera," she heard him say and frowned. "Seriously, Mike, this is what you were struggling to say from that time? And here I am, thinking all my life that you hated me," Hera said in an incredulous tone. She rolled her eyes for an added effect and laughed at him.

Michael didn\'t laugh, though. He kept a straight face and stared at her.

\'Uh-oh, it\'s not good. Something\'s wrong for sure.\'

Michael turned his face away from her and looked at the sea, not actually seeing anything.

\'What are you up to, Mike?\'

Hera licked her lips and swallowed nervously.

"I love you, as in I have feelings for you," said Michael. Still frowning, Hera stared at him. It took time for her to process the meaning behind his words. Michael sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "The kind of feelings you have for Ace, that kind of love," he elaborated to clarify, and Hera\'s eyes went wide in shocked surprise.

She didn\'t know how to respond and could only gape at him speechless.

Her first instinct was to turn and search for Hunter. Not that she was afraid of Michael, but she needed to see the love of her life to keep her racing heartbeats calm. He was her strength, her sanity.

"Mike, I don\'t know what to say. I\'m sorry?" she said, sounding unsure. That sad look in his eyes and the fake smile he shot her only made her feel sorry. "Can I kiss you? Just once, please?" Michael whispered and leaned in. As though electrocuted, Hera scooted away. Michael\'s face fell, and he seemed hurt.

Hera felt sorry for him and was almost ready to apologise for hurting him when suddenly she heard him laugh. Michael doubled over on the sand laughing his lungs out.

Meanwhile, Hera gawked at him, not knowing what just happened.

"God, it felt so good, and it\'s so easy to play you," she heard him blabber in between his hysterical laughter. "What in the hell, Mike?" she yelled and rushed towards him. Clutching his stomach, he kept laughing even when Hera\'s fingers curled around his hair and yanked in anger.

Frustrated, Hera decided to leave him alone when he held her hand, not letting her go. He apologised profusely, not meaning it at all. His muffled laughter only irked her more.

"Fuck, you seriously believed I have romantic feelings for you? Ew, that\'s so gross. You\'re my baby girl, literally my baby," Michael cooed at her, pinching her cheeks. Hera slapped his hand away and tried to get away from him but in vain. Michael wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her closer.

"Are you going to give my gift, or are you simply wasting my time?" she asked, not hiding her irritation.

Michael sighed again and seemed to be sober now as all the playfulness vanished from his face. "Hmm, but first, I need to say something. It\'s important," he said and started with an apology. "I\'m sorry for all those years when I made you cry," he said, and Hera peeked at him through her leashes, not believing him at all.

"Ace was so pissed at me a few days back, and it almost seemed like we were fighting," Michael revealed, shuddering dramatically. "We don\'t fight, you know. We never did," he stated. Hera nodded in acknowledgement, and she noticed he seemed disturbed by the mere thought of fighting with his best friend.

"I didn\'t know you were that hurt because of my pranks until Ace pointed it out. He said, by hurting you, I hurt him too. I didn\'t have any bad intention, you know, I was only teasing you. I\'m really sorry," Michael sincerely apologised. Hera shook her head and was about to say it\'s okay, but he stopped her before she could utter a word.

"I\'m not good at this confession shit, so please don\'t interrupt me until I let it all out," he said in a requesting tone. Hera\'s lips twitched, but she bit back her smile. She could tell he was struggling with words. Apologising was not everyone\'s forte, after all.

"I know I keep annoying you with my pranks and all, but I do it only for fun. It\'s not to traumatise you or make you upset. How do I explain this?" Michael paused, seeming thoughtful. Meanwhile, Hera kept her eyes on him, focussing on his every word, studying his every emotion.

"You know, I\'m the youngest in our friend group. Though we\'re all eighteen, I\'m younger by a few months or weeks when compared to my friends. They all boss me around sometimes and would baby me at other times," he revealed, chuckling to himself. Hera let out a quiet laugh and ruffled his hair. Michael scowled playfully and swatted her hand away.

"I wished I too had someone whom I could boss around or baby them, and you were the convenient option, young, naive, silly and sensitive crybaby," he said and snickered when Hera shoved him, offended by his choice of words. "You were the younger sister I always wanted but never had," he confessed. He was looking so fondly at her that it melted her heart.

Hera never once thought Michael could ever love her like a sister. This new information made her rethink her opinion of him.

"When I used to play pranks and pull your leg, it felt like I\'m annoying my baby sister, and you would cry as I expected. When I scared away those boys who tried to befriend you, it wasn\'t only for Ace. I did it because I felt like a protective brother around you," Michael kept on revealing new secrets that overwhelmed her.

She felt the urge to question him, to verify and weigh the authenticity of his words. How could he hold such a meaningful bond for her and act like an annoying prick all the time? But she decided to let him speak his mind and patiently listened to his heartfelt confession.

"I enjoyed it so much every time you fought with me by kicking me or pulling my hair, and I loved our silly bickering too," Michael continued, the tone of his voice so soft and gentle, and his eyes held pure affection.

"I never apologised because it never occurred to me that I was in the wrong or unknowingly I might have hurt you. I always thought it was my right, you know to annoy my baby sister," he admitted, his voice lowering to a whisper.

His eyes watered by then, and a few tears slid down his cheeks in a hurry. He looked away to wipe his tears, but Hera had already seen them.

"Oh, my God, Mike!" Hera whispered, surprised by his tears. She pulled him into her chest, embracing him while her heart filled with warmth at the revelation. "I\'m so sorry, Mike, I always misunderstood you, and I\'m sorry for misjudging you," Hera said and mentally blamed herself that at one point of time, she hated him.

She let him cry on her shoulder, all the while running her palm over his head in a comforting manner. She smiled when he tightened his arms around her.

"But it\'s your fault for not telling me sooner," Hera said, scolding him. "And I too love our fights, especially when I get to kick your ass," she said, teasing him. Michael laughed and pulled away from the hug.

He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and looked away when Hera smirked with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Alright, I cried, and it\'s embarrassing. I\'ll kill you if you ever mention it again," he threatened, glaring at her with his red-rimmed eyes. But the smile lurking around his lips confirmed that he was feigning anger.

"You\'re family, not only because you are Ace\'s girlfriend but also because you\'re my little sister. You\'ll always be my baby girl," he declared.

Hera smiled when he finally held the gift box for her to take. Her smile grew into a wide grin when she opened the box and laid her eyes on the gift inside.