Romance, Arisa had found, was a strange thing.
As she looked over at Kasumi, she couldn't place a name to her feelings, much less say a word. She knew for certain that she had never felt this way before, but then again, it was two in the morning and she was so exhausted that her thoughts were barely coherent or trustworthy to begin with.
The media makes this big deal that love is this overwhelming sensation, that you get butterflies inside your stomach and feel like your heart could burst out of your chest at any moment. As those were daily occurrences for Arisa regardless, she had never felt more normal than with Kasumi. It almost worried her.
If she reached out, what would happen?
She could place her hand over Kasumi's, rest her head on her shoulder. But as always, her fervent blush and the overwhelming anxiety that accompanied it stopped her from doing anything. It was bad enough that she could barely deal with every other kind of feelings, much less those that were possibly romantic. She didn't really like Kasumi in that way, did she? Even if she did, as she looked over at Kasumi's bright, infectious smile, she knew she couldn't bring herself to risk what they had. She'd never loved anyone this much before, and yet she couldn't tell what kind of love it was.
A million thoughts rushed through her mind as she listened to Kasumi chatter on, too excited (as always) to finally say good night and go to sleep. It was just the two of them for this sleepover, alone in Arisa's basement. Kasumi's suggestion, of course. No Saaya, no Tae, no Rimi. With these thoughts in her head, this reality almost scared her. How do crushes even work? How do you make the first move? Is this normal?
All she can think about is how she's never kissed a girl. She's never wanted to reach out to someone like this before. She's never been this close.
At ten a.m., Arisa reluctantly waves goodbye to Kasumi as she heads home for the day. She still hasn't kissed a girl.
