Barbara never thought that she would enjoy a chilly night outdoors, where the sky was clear and the scarred moon hung over a starry backdrop. She was the kind of witch who enjoyed the luxuries of a warm, well lit and well furnished room. Although that alternative was a much better experience overall, sitting within one of the alcoves of the several landing pads in Luna Nova with Lotte was also undeniably pleasant. Having their backs on the cold stone brick wall wasn't Barbara's choosing, but they kept warm with a large quilt made by Lotte's mother and some tea that Barbara prepared beforehand. She didn't even mind that the place was dimly lit, save for one of Lotte's light faeries sitting on top of a page of the 115th volume of Nightfall. Yes, that's right. It has been 115 days since they've been doing this. Barbara's mind wandered for a bit. She ruminated over this ritual that Lotte and her have been doing for the past 115 days.
It started with the announcement of the 367th volume of Nighfall, didn't it? She remembered Lotte's excited face when she broke the news to her. It was hard to forget that freckled smile, those excited eyes behind thick, oversized glasses. Barbara could never forget the silly little dance Lotte did with her, where they pirouetted, skipped, and jumped in between reenacting their favorite scenes from the books. Of course, these things were difficult to get rid from your memory when they were doubly embarrassing. The little dance they did was done in the mess hall after all, in plain view of several other witch students, Barbara and Lotte's friends included. Maybe it was Sucy's incessant snickering, or Akko's confused look, or Hannah's disapproving grimace, or maybe it was Diana's composure (eyes closed, napkin to her mouth, the but the corner of her lips betrayed a wide smile) that made this whole experience worse. Amanda's boisterous laughter with Constanze's stanbot rolling in the ground, didn't help. Even Jasminka, of all witches, stopped eating to give a chuckle.
Barbara shook her head. Embarrassing things like these always gets her flustered.
"Something wrong, Barbara?" Lotte stopped reading and turned her head to the raven haired witch.
"N-no," Barbara stammered, blood rushed to her ears as the thought of her little episode with Lotte lingered in her mind. "I just can't forget that thing we did at lunch that one time." She poured a bit more tea from her ornate pot and took a quick sip to calm herself down.
Lotte giggled. "I still think about it too, but I guess..." she yawns "...I don't mind doing silly things from time to time." The sprite on her book echoed her yawn, punctuating her reply.
Barbara gave a worried look. "Do you want to call it a night, Lotte?"
The bespectacled witch shook her head. "No, we promised to finish a book of Nightfall a day until the next release next year, didn't we?" Lotte turned the page, while the glowing sprite sluggishly leaped to get on the next one. "Besides, we're almost at the end."
This whole thing was Lotte's idea. Barbara herself is a fast reader, but not as quick as someone like Lotte, who has the capability of devouring several volumes a day. So they've come to an agreement that they would read the books together out loud, both girls taking turns every night. The fact that they were out in the cold was also a compromise; Barbara originally wanted to do their nightly reading in her dorm, but Diana preferred a bit more peace and quiet for her studies and there wasn't a way to convince Hannah to tolerate the "revolting soap opera books read out loud." Likewise, Lotte's room wasn't ideal. Sucy's experiments were an assault to the senses with their explosions, offending smells, and occasional blinding flashes of light. Not to mention Akko's presence, which was another form of assault to Barbara's senses.
Barbara came back to reality again when she noticed the sprite's glow waning. Lotte's words were reduced to inaudible mumbling, her head nodding, slumber attempting taking a hold of her.
"Lotte?" Barbara whispered and gently nudged her friend. "Let's go back to our rooms, Lotte. We can just finish this tomorrow morning, it's going to be a weekend after all."
Lotte stirred but only mumbled half-awake sentences. She took her glasses off and placed them on the open book on her lap. Much to Barbara's surprise, Lotte then grasped her hand and leaned her head on Barbara's shoulder. The raven haired witch could feel all of the blood in her body rushing to her face. As the sprite's light finally dissipated, she could feel her blushing face glowing red in the dark. I mean, it's not unpleasant at all, she reasoned. Her hand is quite warm actually, especially since most of her blood left her extremities and now resided on her face and ears. And it's not like she's never held other girls' hands before. She didn't even mind holding Hannah's hands. But Lotte's shampoo smells nice. And her slow, quiet breathing actually sounds cute. And she has the most adorable sleeping face. And her lips look soft. And...
Oh, that's right.
Barbara had feelings for the orange haired witch and they were buried deep within her heart. She wasn't quite sure where it started. Maybe it was their little episode in the cafeteria or maybe it was these nocturnal reading sessions. There was that one certain sultry volume involving interspecies romance between vampire and werewolf boys (to which they both giggled the whole night through). Barbara wasn't sure. All she knows is that her appreciation for Lotte's friendship gradually morphed into something a bit more... complicated. Instead of looking forward to reading the next book, she was looking forward to spending time with Lotte. The damp and dark alcove, which was originally a point of concern for Barbara, didn't mind her anymore because she could sit close to Lotte, shoulder to shoulder, and share her warmth. That moment where they accidentally touched each other's fingers when they tried to turn a page together made Barbara blush uncontrollably too. Speaking of blushing, she hated it when Hannah made fun of her for blushing when she defended her nightly rituals (Hannah started calling them "Barbara's dates with Lotte.")
Barbara contemplated all of this as she gazed past the darkness and out at the moon. Its pale, milky light illuminated the tea pot and cups on the gray stone floor, which no longer emanated the ethereal wisps of freshly made tea. Her feelings were conflicted over several layers of thought. I mean, it's not really uncommon for witches to be attracted to other witches. These things aren't really frowned upon. On the other hand, she thought about how much she bullied Lotte back then. All those things she said that hurt her, and yet Lotte was steadfast and quiet. Barbara felt like her stammering, awkward apology was inadequate. She felt that she didn't deserve Lotte's radiant and gentle freckled smile and reply; "Barbara, let's be friends, okay?"
Barbara clutched Lotte's hand, their fingers intertwined. It was soft and warm, and Barbara swore she could feel Lotte's thumb making circles on the back of her palm. Lotte's breathing was now steady and her sprite gave out cute little whistle-like snores. This situation caused a fleeting impulse to occur in Barbara's sleepy mind. Like most impulses, Barbara thought it was rather foolish, but she felt compelled to do it.
"Lotte," Barbara whispered, her head turned to the freckled witch. "I'm really happy that you wanted to be my friend... after all that horrible stuff I've done to you. I'm... I'm still really s-sorry." Barbara wanted to blame the cold for stammering, but she knew she was doing it because of something else. "B-but I want to say that... that..." Barbara gulped. She's sleeping anyway. She's not going to hear any of this. "...I kinda like you. Like, I want to be more than friends... UGH! I mean, I have a crush on you... no, I mean..." These embarrassing things always gets Barbara flustered.
"I just wish I could tell you this," Barbara finally straightened out a sentence. "I really like you, Lotte. I'm just afraid that if I told you, we might not be friends anymore, because... you might think it's weird." Barbara leaned her head back on the hard stone wall. "That's all."
The moment of catharsis seemed to have a soothing effect on Barbara. She felt her eyelids growing heavy. A sheepish smile spread across her rosy face as she shut her eyes and let sleep embrace her. By now, warmth pervaded throughout Barbara's body, or maybe it was the sensation of coming to terms with your feelings? Maybe it's because she just made a really weird confession to her crush? She slowly and gently rubbed her thumb on Lotte's hand as she took a deep breath, taking in Lotte's familiar scent. It was a rather pleasant experience, and she would never trade this for anything else. Not even a warm, well lit, well furnished dormitory.
Barbara was groggy but wasn't really compelled to open her eyes. It was too comfortable. Too warm. It was probably a dream. She focused on her breathing and not at that pleasant sensation on her cheek. It was warm and soft. Lips? She heard a familiar voice saying things like, I kinda like you too, Barbara. Maybe one day you can really confess to me and that would really make me happy. I don't think it would be weird at all. She felt someone's hand hold hers tighter and soft, short, orange hair brushing against her cheeks. She's leaning on her shoulder again. This must be just some silly dream.
Right?