After a good while walking, they reached the first break on the mountain. There they made another stop; they had lunch and rested. While the adults were talking about adult things at the picnic table, Liliana and Arturo went to lean against a tree to appreciate the view. Before them was a lake of trees, clear skies and higher mountains in the distance. They could smell the wild cold on their reddened noses.

—I've been a little tired of other people— said Liliana— hanging out with friends or boys doesn't seem as much fun as it used to, do you think it's because we're growing up?

Arturo looked at her, thoughtfully.

—Growing up must have something to do with it, but I don't think it's the main factor— he said— I've been feeling bad too, to tell you the truth.

—No!— Liliana exclaimed— How could I not notice? I'm a fool.

—I didn't realize it either until now— admitted the boy— I think it's been going on for a few months now. It's as if reading is becoming less and less entertaining.

—What have you been studying?— asked Liliana.

—Did you know that you can shoot missiles with electricity? It's super crazy.

—What? I thought all missiles were fired like that.

Arturo laughed.

—No, they are fired with controlled explosions. Electromagnetic rifles are different, but they are not very efficient. They break with every shot.

Arturo went on to explain to her in broad strokes how it worked. Liliana didn't understand anything, but seeing him talk about something he liked made her feel very warm inside.

—It's incredible— said Arturo— it's like magic.

Liliana smiled from ear to ear.

—You really like things that look like magic— she observed.

Arturo's face lit up with excitement.

—Yes! Or rather, traps within the universe. The laws of physics just are, there's no reason why two plus two should be four, but that's the way it is and that's what reality is based on. But all of a sudden you find things that seem to come out of nowhere like gravity or light. No one really knows, but they are as much a part of the universe as you and I. It's as if we were living in a fairy tale!

Liliana was lost in the gleam of emotion in Arturo's eyes as he spoke so passionately. He didn't usually do that, even for her it was rare to see him like that, but she loved that unbridled excitement about science and the knowledge he had. She was so engrossed that she stared at him even after he finished.

Arturo, called out to her. Liliana shook her head in surprise.

—Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that...— she paused a little before saying it— I missed seeing you so happy.

Arturo tilted his head to one side. Something like that would have confused him, but in that case he understood her perfectly; he felt the same way.

—I missed you too— he said.

They both looked at each other's eyes for a long time, not even knowing what to think about it. Liliana wondered how she should operate, what mask she should put on to turn this conversation into something pleasant, as she always did, but then she remembered that she didn't need to hide anything; Arturo was the only one who could see her as she was. In that context, trying to pretend with a joking or eloquent attitude would not help at all.

Liliana approached him, leaned on his shoulder and took his hand. Arturo reciprocated.

—My studies are worthless if I don't have you— said the boy.

—It's the same for me— she admitted— I may have hundreds of friends, but none of them compares to you.

At that moment they both had the same idea.

—I think...— they said at the same time.

They looked at each other, amused. As they did so, they noticed that they were thinking the same thing.

—It's bad for us to be apart— said Liliana— we shouldn't stop seeing each other.

—We should form a program, prevent it from happening again— added Arturo.

—It sounds good to me. It's a promise, then.

Liliana offered her hand, which Arturo shook. They both smiled at each other. They were happy to have each other again.

They stood there talking for a while longer. Liliana remembered a silly rumor she had heard from one of her friends and told him about it, but just as she didn't understand Arturo when he talked about science, Arturo didn't understand her when she talked about her friends' history. Liliana had to explain to him the whole story of which friend had fought with which other for what nonsense and when they had reconciled before fighting again with another one, generating a plot more tangled than the worst soap opera. Arturo gradually forgot all about it as Liliana told him, but he enjoyed watching her unravel again. She didn't worry about sounding good or using interesting words or eloquent gestures, she simply expressed herself continuously and freely, until she got to the end of the tangled plot of her friends' story and why one of them had hidden the other's hairbrush in the backpack of a third. For Liliana it seemed like a world war.

—And in the end, do you know what happened? It broke! The damn brush broke! Then they all started crying and apologizing, and forgot about it. By Father, the nonsense they put together.

She looked at Arturo again. She didn't care much either if her friends fought over something stupid, for she knew that whatever it was, it was a transitory state and would change soon. Arturo smiled warmly at her. Liliana felt like apologizing for talking about things he didn't care about, but suddenly she didn't feel the need, because he looked happy, really happy. Then she realized that she was happy too. They could tell each other any silly little thing, because they loved each other.

A while later, Liliana's parents called them to continue on their walk.

At school, Liliana spent the next few days closer to Arturo and avoided forming large groups. Meanwhile, Arturo scheduled his studies around the time he spent with Liliana. They didn't need to interact directly all the time, just having each other was enough, feeling one another's hands, seeing themselves reflected in each other's eyes.

***

That same year, several girls in her grade level began to form relationships with boys, most of them one or two grades higher. One of the boys told Liliana that he had always been in love with her and asked her to be his girlfriend. It wasn't the first time Liliana had received a confession of love, but it was the first one she had taken seriously, all the previous ones had been games. She barely knew the boy, so she apologized and told him she didn't want to be his girlfriend. The boy left in tears. This left her somewhat sad and in the following days she thought that maybe she would not be wrong to accept his proposal, but then another boy appeared who confessed his love and asked her to be his girlfriend. Liliana, less upset, turned him down again.

The confessions began to become frequent events. Always quick to observe people, Liliana noticed several details that caught her attention: many of the boys who confessed their love had barely spoken to her. In addition, after being rejected many were frustrated and even cried. She disliked seeing them like that, it made her feel like the bad guy in an animated movie, but she didn't know what to do to ease their pain. When she talked to Arturo and her older sister, they both told her not to accept anyone until she actually fell in love. Though, she didn't quite know how that was supposed to feel like.

Finally, one of the boys who confessed his love to her was one from the parallel class, a boy with whom she had shared many laughs. He was tall, athletic and handsome. Liliana knew that several of her friends were in love with him. She had never lost sleep over this boy, but she liked him well enough, so she decided to accept.

The next day, the first thing her friends did was to ask her for all the details about her new boyfriend: what he had said to her, what she had said back, what they had done afterwards and everything else. Liliana did not feel very comfortable with such interrogation, so she gave them a short summary. Her boyfriend began to frequent her more from that day on; he went to see her in the living room, invited her to go for walks and hikes, to his house and to do fun things.

Several weeks went by like that, but one day the boy realized that Liliana spent a lot of her time with Arturo, even more than with him.

—Hey, Lili— he said to her, one time they were having ice cream in a square— Why do you spend so much time with Arturo? Is he more fun than me?

Liliana arched an eyebrow in surprise.

—What do you mean?— she pleaded.

—It's that I'm your boyfriend, right? Shouldn't you want to spend more time with me than with him?

Liliana thought about it for a moment. What her boyfriend was saying was reasonable.

—Do you think I should... see him less?

—No, no, it's just that sometimes I feel that you love him more than me— the boy told her.

Liliana opened her mouth to answer that of course she did, it was Arturo, she loved him more than anyone in the world, but she stopped herself before dropping that bombshell. She realized that despite having a boyfriend, Arturo was still the most important person in her life. Just thinking about Arturo made her happy, while her boyfriend was merely good company. But she wasn't going to admit something like that at the moment. She liked that relationship, she wanted to have him, so she took him by the arm, rested her head on his shoulder and stayed there for a while. She knew exactly how nervous it made him when she touched him like that, she knew precisely how her mind operated and that with such gesture alone he had already forgiven her.

—I'm used to him, I've known him all my life, but I love you like a boyfriend.

She felt a bit guilty to see the relief on his face. She wasn't lying to him that she loved him more "that way", but the status of boyfriend didn't compare to what she felt for Arturo.

That's how she managed to keep their relationship going for several months. They spent the next year together, but the funny boy couldn't stand Liliana's love with his best friend any longer. They broke up and decided to remain friends.

In seventh grade, one day Liliana asked Arturo if he wanted to be her boyfriend. He looked up from his book, surprised. He wasn't usually surprised by what she said. He scratched his head, thought about it a little.

—Does that mean we'll have to kiss?— he pleaded.

Liliana shrugged her shoulders.

—I guess.

—I'm not interested in those things yet. Ask me in two years, I'm sure I'll be crazy looking for girls.

—What do you mean?

—We're at the age where our bodies are growing, mostly because of a hormonal change. The ways we think and our tastes will also change. In two more years our libido will be through the roof and I'll probably be into kissing and such nonsense. For now, I'm interested in just being a kid.

—But my ex and I used to kiss... sometimes— Liliana argued.

—Because girls mature earlier than boys— Arturo told her— he must have started his adolescence prematurely too.

Liliana understood half of what he said, but she didn't care. Arturo didn't want to, period. She herself felt a little relieved, as she wasn't sure how she would have had to behave if her relationship with Arturo changed overnight.

Seventh grade came and went quickly. After a while Liliana chose another boyfriend from the crowd of boys crazy about her. This time she was much more careful to keep her relationship with Arturo hidden from him. She lasted almost a year with this second boy, but left him when he began to demand more time for him than for everyone else. Liliana was a very popular girl, after all. Not long after, she found a third.

Then, when they were fifteen, she noticed something that caught her attention: she saw Arturo talking animatedly with a girl from his chemistry club. Liliana knew that girl was very smart and perhaps the closest thing to a competition Arturo could have at school, she knew he found her cute, but she never made the connection that they could become a couple until that moment. The next time Liliana found herself alone with him, she asked him about it.

—She's cute. Do you like her?

Arturo pondered for a moment. In the end he shrugged his shoulders. Liliana looked at him with a superiority grimace.

—I remember you said that at this age you'd be crazy about chasing girls— she said.

Arturo smiled.

—Did I say that? Well, I should have kept my mouth shut.

—Tell me if you want to try something with her. I know how to win her over.

Arturo looked at her, puzzled.

—Win her over?— he wondered.

Liliana nodded.

—She's a somewhat eccentric girl, but she's still a girl like all the others. I know what she wants, you can see it in her eyes. She's interested in you, but she's not sure.

—What?

The boy suddenly turned red. Liliana smiled from ear to ear, amused to see him like that.

—Then you're interested too!— she said.

Arturo looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

—No, it's not what it looks like!

—It's all right, it's what you said yourself: our bodies and our tastes change. Now you're an Arturo who likes books AND girls, that's all.

The boy sighed, accepting Liliana's logic.

—Do you really know how to... flirt? I mean, do you know how I can...?

—Of course — Liliana placed an open hand against his chest — leave it to me. In a week she's going to be your girlfriend.

—One week?!— he exclaimed, dumbfounded.

—Give me some time to write, you'll have to start tomorrow.

—Write? What are you going to write?

—Your instructions, or what? Did you expect me to give you advice?

—Instructions? How specific are they?

Liliana pondered for a moment.

—Word for word?

—What?! You mean word for word of what I'm going to say?

—No, I don't think that's necessary. It will be better sentence by sentence. I'll give you a chance to mold yourself to the situation. It wouldn't work either if you end up together and then she realizes you were lying.

Arturo put a hand to his face.

—I'm going to have a girlfriend— he muttered.

Liliana was surprised at how excited he looked. She wanted to ask him why he hadn't said anything to her about wanting a girlfriend, but then she remembered that she had been with her last boyfriend for quite a while. Breaking up with him to be Arturo's girlfriend would have been very rude, and neither of them would have been comfortable with that. She wondered if Arturo had thought of all that or it just hadn't crossed his mind that she and he could be a couple.