Just a normal busy day at Trigleph, the information hub of Elympios, and all Leia Rolando wanted was to write one decent article to be accepted. She had recently had a run-in with her boss and he told her to deliver a letter to a man at the station. With nothing better to do, Ludger and Alvin decided to help her out (and of course Elle and Rollo, since wherever Ludger goes, they tend to follow). Ludger, Elle, and Rollo had parted ways to snag a few consumables, leaving Leia and Alvin to themselves.

Ding.

Alvin's GHS made a strange sound and he opened it up, looking at the strange display on his screen.

"Leia, really? You know I can't decipher these dumb things," he said, rather irritated.

She chuckled slightly and put her index finger to her dimple, acting as though she didn't do anything. "It looks just like you do right now, see?" The chipper girl leaned over and pointed at the little frog face that had a scowl on, staring straight at Alvin. "Look at the droopy eyes, and that little scowl you always make. I am almost convinced someone modeled these little guys after you!" She looked up from the screen and smiled at Alvin.

"Wait... so you're saying I look like a frog?" He scowled and snagged his GHS away from Leia and started scrolling through the messages. "There's so many of them too, they look like frogs and I don't know what you're trying to say. You send them to me all the time with no other context. Like this one..." Alvin practically shoved the phone in front of Leia's face to show her an old message she sent. It was simply a small picture of a frog with a heart above its head, but the frog was still droopy eyed. "What is this even supposed to mean?"

Leia sighed and put her hands on her hips, "I can't tell if you're seriously asking me or just playing with me."

"No, I really don't know what the hell any of these mean. I mean, at least give me some kind of context," Alvin fumbled his fingers through his hair as he started scrolling through the messages again. There were many different emoticons, as they were called, all in the shape of frogs. Some were the droopy eyed frog sleeping, some were the frog eating noodles, among other various, menial tasks that this frog did. However, the one that popped up the most was the little frog with a heart above its head. Leia seemed to send that particular one almost every day, and it started to annoy Alvin. He did think they were cute, but it was more of an annoyance of what they meant.

Leia placed a pen to her cheek, as she often did when she was in thought. "Come on, Alvin. Why else would a 16 year old female in her prime send a boy some hearts?"

Alvin fumbled through his GHS, then stared back at Leia, then back at his GHS. That was a good question; one he did not have an answer for. This should have been an easy riddle, but it completely baffled him. Was he really getting too old for all these kids? He lowered his GHS and scratched the back of his head, and then he shrugged in confusion. "Ya got me."

Leia sighed and drooped her head. He really did seem irritated with her, but she wasn't sure there was any other way to convey her feelings. Not yet, at least. She slightly raised her head. "Are they really that obnoxious?"

Alvin's eyes widened as he looked at the younger girl before him. She had such a sad expression on her face, it almost pained him to look at it, but he knew looking away would just make things worse. "I..." He was fumbling for words.

"S-Sorry. I'll stop... I just..." Leia shyly looked away, feeling her face turn red. "I just sometimes want to know that... you're still around and okay but I don't have the words to say it so... I just send these guys. And the hearts are..."

"Hey," Alvin quietly spoke as he leaned in closer to Leia, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "I appreciate you thinking of me. Really."

This seemed to brighten up her mood. She looked up only to see the older man's face close to hers, which caused her face to warm up even more. Then, a giant grin appeared on her face. "So I get to continue sending them?"

Alvin nodded. "You might want to cut it down though. I mean, 20 a day is a bit much," Leia scowled at this. "...Try adding some words to them next time too."

Leia scowled and stepped back, releasing herself from his grasp. She pulled out her GHS and started texting.

Ding.

Alvin heard the sound and flipped open his phone. "Really Leia?"

Hiding her face behind her GHS, she shyly spoke back. "Just look at it!"

He opened the message and read it, a genuine smile creeping on his face.

The message had that little droopy eyed frog with a heart above its head, but this time it had text to accompany it.

"- This means a girl likes you. So when she sends it multiple times...Gah!"

Alvin placed the phone into his pocket and he walked closer to Leia, leaned in, grabbed under her chin, and gently kissed her. As he let go, he looked into her eyes. "Thanks, Leia. Without you I -"

She put her finger on his mouth, as though to shut him up. "I'm nowhere near that great but... You're welcome."

He took her finger off of his mouth and placed the back of her hand against his lips. "Leia, I lo-"

Before he could finish his words, Leia had grabbed his tie and pulled him closer, kissing him. When she let go of him, she spoke, determination in her eyes. "Not yet, Alvin."

He smiled at her and patted the top of her hat, making her slightly scowl. He knew exactly what she meant.

Ever since Milla became Maxwell, many things have changed. That didn't stop everyone from talking to each other, and especially after Leia had found a job as a reporter for an Elympion newspaper, her and Alvin had decided to, at the very least, try and make up from all the drama they had been through. This blossomed into a powerful friendship that, oddly enough, erupted to something a bit more. This moment was not their first kiss, nor was it their last, but it wasn't quite what one would call a couple.

Right now, Alvin and Leia were just really close friends that had been through a lot and they did a few things that may count them as a couple, but they decided to keep this secret from everyone else, at least for now. It was just the kind of connection and closeness these two had agreed on. Perhaps later in the future, the two would become more intimate and serious, but now was not the time.

There was still so much going on that thinking about settling down was a bit selfish. In due time, Alvin and Leia could settle down. In due time they may even be able to start a family like Leia had always wanted.

In due time, perhaps they could finally vocalize what they both have felt for a long time.

In due time, they could finally say "I Love You" to one another.