Matthew sighed, delighted, in the evening wind. He sat in the soft grass of a hill, sword at his side, hand laying across but not grasping its handle, endlessly ready for danger. I loved that about him, but sometimes he was a bit cocky.
CRACK! He jumped up and turned around swiftly, sword prepared, but looked confused to see nothing behind him. He looked around for the source of the noise, turning suddenly and listening to each noise as an individual. I'll admit he looked silly turning circles to look for me, but I was hidden back behind the tree I had started at. Finally, he settled back down, this time looking less relaxed. It would be harder to sneak up on him now.
I left to give him a moment to settle back down and went back to our camp, which was close by in the forest. I saw all the members of our party gathered around a small pile of wood.
"You're probably going to catch the whole forest aflame, Tyrell! Just let Eoleo do it," Karis argued.
"Oh, come on! The whole thing in Patcher's Place was a long time ago! I can control my psyenergy better now!" Tyrell whined back.
This is always what our party looked like without Matthew: a hopeless heap of adepts. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who respects his leadership skills. Such skills could not simply be conjured up naturally. Where did he get them?
"Guys! This is the silliest thing yet! Just let Tyrell do it, and if the forest catches fire I can put it out," Rief said, as close to a yell as he dared.
Nobody seemed to be minding Matthew or my absence, so I decided that this could finally be the day I told him. I felt butterflies in my stomach, and I wiped my palms on the hem of my shirt. How would he react? The question echoed over and over again in my head.
"See! Everything's fine, did you really think I couldn't light a stinking fire?"
It was now or never. I struggled to keep my breath steady, and I had never been so nervous in my life, but this was the perfect time and place. If I couldn't do this now, when could I?
"Where's Matthew?" I heard Himi's voice and tensed up.
"He said he needs some… alone time," Karis explained. I exhaled.
"Probably regretting letting Eoleo join the team!" Tyrell teased, and I heard a yelp followed by some thumping.
I slowly walked back to the clearing, and tension was building up in my stomach enough to make me want to throw up. If I didn't tell him now, I would continue to feel this for… who knows how long? I saw him again. Now he was lying down, bathing in the sunlight. I couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not, but Karis was definitely right: everyone looks cuter when they're sleeping (or trying to sleep). I approached him quietly; the whole time wondering what I would say or do or how he would react. I forced myself to think about walking quietly so not to make the same mistake as last time, but my concentration was clouded. Finally I stood next to him. I felt any second he would jump up and surprise me: the opposite of what I was trying to do.
Suddenly he sat up and stretched, but didn't notice me. He was probably a bit sleepy, which was dimming his senses, but I couldn't shake the feeling he knew I was here. He picked up a book I hadn't noticed before. His diary, maybe? He opened it and took out a quill and ink from his back pocket. His hand came so close to touching my foot I almost backed up, which would be a mistake. He stood thinking for a few seconds, and then began looking through it. I saw names of things: Mountain Roc, Imil, Belinsk, Tyrell. He stopped on a page, which I was surprised to see was titled "Sveta".
He hummed thoughtfully while reading it, then said, "This could use some revision and… wow. Pretty short, too."
He began writing, stopping occasionally to think. I didn't dare move closer to read it just yet. I waited for a good moment.
"Her favorite color… she said it was blue. But… what shade of blue?" he sighed, "I can't begin to guess…"
"Royal blue," I said.
"Mmm, thanks," he said, and began to write it down.
How tired was he? I got down on my knees next to him and couldn't help but giggle as I began to read what he had wrote about me. He jumped and looked at me, eyes wide with surprise.
"S-Sveta?! How did you-?" he turned around to see the distance I had to sneak, "Wow… um…"
"That's some nice description," I pointed out, referring to the way he had described my eyes.
He looked at where I was pointing, and then closed the book. A blush began to spread across his face. He looked at me with urgent eyes, and I had a feeling of what he wanted.
"I could help you if you want," I said, "Know what else I like? Sunsets, grassy clearings, a nice breeze, and-"I tightened my fist, pulling grass from the ground, "I like you."
He stared at me as though he didn't hear what I said, then pursed his lips. I wanted to use mind reading psyenergy, but forced myself to wait for his reaction. He simply said my name softly and stared into my eyes. His eyes seemed so kind. They didn't look to pry or to stare at me. He looked like he was trying to touch my soul.
He brushed his fingertips against mine and laced his fingers our fingers together. "I'm afraid I'll be writing that you're in a relationship."
I hope I didn't suffocate his hand. I shook my head and let my hand touch his smooth skin. It seemed to surprise him. I let my compulsory brain take over as I quickly leaned into his face. I had often had daydreams and even dreams about our first kiss, but the sensations I had then could not compare to how I felt now. I didn't feel like fainting or fluttering away in the wind. I felt like I would on a spring day: happy, light, and free. I embraced him, and he looked at me with new eyes. We kissed again, this time more passionately that the last. Finally he let go of my hand and lay down, gazing into the sky.
"The sunset makes everything seem more amazing," he looked at me and I realized that he wasn't referring to just the sky and the scenery.
"Very true," I said with a teasing voice, and lay down to watch the sky with him. We sat and talked for a while, until the sun went down and the stars came up. We finally decided to head back to the camp. I didn't listen to anything anyone said to us when we returned; I just settled into my sleeping bag and dreamed of the spring breeze and a hazy blue-grey sky.
Two skeletons with dull swords loomed over our party, as though they could defeat us. Matthew looked at me and smiled. I didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking. Rief was cowering behind Tyrell, saying something about floating armor. Matthew and I both jumped at the beast, and together let out a mighty battle cry. We took out the skeletons in a single, smashing attack.
I smiled at him as he sheathed his sword. He looked back at me and him smile pierced through the eclipse and all my other bad thoughts.