Monika spent the next few days after school at the library, and, like the first time she saw her, was unable to approach Yuri. It wasn't that she couldn't talk to girls, as she did that everyday, but there was just something about this girl that made her mind go blank whenever she caught a glimpse of her. Her long violet hair, the expression on her face as she read her books...it was like looking at an angel to Monika. Monika was always left speechless while observing this girl, and that was pretty hard to do for one of the Debate Club's more prolific speakers.

"Alright, Monika...today's the day. But...what do I say to her?" Monika sneaks another glance at Yuri. "She looks so happy and peaceful. Okay...just act normal, and talk to her like you'd talk to anyone else." Monika took a deep breath and made her way to where Yuri was reading. She stopped in front of the girl and paused for a moment. 'Huh? It looks like she hasn't even noticed that I'm standing here. Maybe I should turn back… No! You say something right now, Monika!'

Yuri was immersed in her book. So much so, that she didn't notice someone approaching her. Her eyes never left the words on the pages. Yuri never felt more at home than when she was reading. Some genres were better than others, but she found herself reading almost anything that she could get her hands on. In particular, she enjoyed reading science fiction, as it really made her imagination run wild; taking her to new worlds. She always found those stories to be the most satisfying. Recently, however, she had started reading horror novels. She started with some of the classic horror novels, before looking into some of the newer ones, and what Yuri found was that she enjoyed the stories where the reader would have no idea what was going to happen. The kind of stories with twists and turns, that kept you in your seat until the story was over. Those were satisfying to read, which is why she was reading one at the moment. The Portrait of Markov caught her eye a few days back with its red binding and ominous looking eye on the cover. At the time, she had a few other books on her 'to read' list, but she made an exception for this book, and decided to start reading it. What she found turned out to be one of her favorite books, having everything she was looking for in a horror story.

"Ahem."

A voice shook Yuri's attention from her book and towards its origins. In front of her stood a girl in a school uniform. 'A girl? Oh no, social interaction. Just stay calm and be normal.'

"Hi! What are you reading? Its cover looks really interesting," the girl said, pointing to the book in Yuri's hands.

"Uh...i-it's c-called The P-Portrait of Markov." 'You're stammering Yuri...god, she probably thinks you're weird now.'

"The Portrait of Markov? Sounds interesting! What is it about?"

'Huh? She...she wants to know about the book?' Yuri paused, lost in her thoughts as she tried to figure out what this girl was up to. 'There has to be a motive. Why would she talk to me otherwise?' "Uh...t-this b-book is about, uh...it's about...t-this girl in high school who m-moves in w-with her long-lost s-sister... B-But her life g-gets s-strange and she g-gets t-targeted by these people f-from a... human e-experiment p-prison... And she n-needs to c-choose who t-to t-trust, but no m-matter what she d-does, she ends up d-destroying most of her r-relationships and her life f-falls apart." Yuri paused for a moment. "That's p-pretty much what it's a-about."

Monika listened intently to what Yuri was saying. 'She stuttered through almost all of that, but it was so cute how flustered she was.' "Wow, sounds really interesting!" 'It's not really my cup of tea, seems to horror for my likes.' "By the way, I'm Monika, nice to meet you!"

"Oh, r-right...I'm Yuri. It's a p-pleasure to m-meet you, Monika."

'Oh, no Yuri...the pleasure is all mine, I promise you. And my god, she's so cute. She's blushing and she's all flustered. She's more shy than I am, which actually makes me a lot more comfortable talking to her. The way Yuri is nervously playing with her hair is really cute, too.'

Monika and Yuri spent a while talking about literature. Both enjoyed reading, as well as writing poetry. 'It's fate! It has to be!' Monika thought to herself. 'God I hope she's as gay as I am.' Over the course of several days, the two grew more comfortable with each other. They spent a lot of time with each other, eating lunch with each other and going to the library after school.

"Yuri," Monika spoke up, "can I tell you something?"

Yuri, somewhat startled, replied, "Oh, um...sure. You know you can tell me anything, Monika." Yuri offered a shy smile to Monika, which only made Monika's heart race even faster. She was already nervous, and her heart would not slow down.

'You made your mind up earlier, me...you can do this. It's only a few words...words that convey exactly how I feel about her, but just words. I can do this. I can do this? Can I do this? Yes! I have to, I already said I had to tell her something. Oh, but what if she doesn't like me the same way? Okay...relax, you'll never know if you don't say anything. What's the worst that could happen? Well, I suppose she could hate me and never speak to me again...that would, like...really suck. She also could just not share the same feelings. Then again, if she does share my feelings, I'll be the happiest girl in the world! Okay, I'm doing this.' Monika turned to Yuri, who was looking over her book. Her deep purple eyes locked into Monika's emerald eyes.

"Yuri, this is kinda important, and I don't want you to freak out, but…" Monika paused, trying desperately to get the words out.

"But what, Monika?" Yuri asked.

"I...I…" 'Come one, Monika...spit it out!' "I...wanted to let you know that...I like you a lot." 'There! I said it!'

Yuri stared at Monika for what Monika felt was an eternity. Yuri's mind was racing. 'She...likes...me? A lot? Does she know that I…? Does she? How do people normally react to things like this? Do I tell her how I feel? No, that would be weird. Wouldn't it? Oh god, I can feel my face getting red.'

Monika was freaking out internally. 'Oh, god...what have I done? This is extremely awkward now.'

Yuri slowly closed the book she was reading, setting it on her lap. "Monika, you like me?"

"Uh...yeah...I do," Monika answered, giving a nervous chuckle along with her response.

"Well, I-I have t-to admit, I w-was not expecting that. Th...thank you?" 'Thank you? What kind of response is that, Yuri? Tell Monika that you share those feelings.' "I, uh...same."

"Same?"

"Same." Yuri hid her face in her hair, playing with the long strands with her hands, as she always did when she was nervous or embarrassed, something that Monika thought was really cute.

'Same...does that mean that she? [gasp] SHE LIKES ME TOO! I'm so happy I would scream if I weren't in a library.' "So, uh…"

"Does that mean…?"

"I… think so?" Monika gave Yuri a smile, which Yuri returned, albeit a more shy smile. Monika was happy...truly happy, for the first time in a very long time. The girl she loved, Yuri, said "same," and all Monika could do was smile, because she was deeply in love with her.