Hey everyone, this is chapter 4! Once again I'm truly sorry for the wait, I've been really busy lately. Anyway, let's start with the reviews:

Winxkate: Maybe yes, or maybe no, you'll discover it later ;) Thanks a lot for your review!

Wondergirl4eva: Thanks a lot! I'm really happy that you like my story, it's very pleasant to read!

FH: Who knows... Don't worry, you'll get answer one day! ;)

Liliana765: Thank you, I'm glad you like this story! Don't worry, I really dislike it too, I completely prefer FxH!

Flora: There won't by any other couple, at least with Flora and Helia! And I'm really sorry for the wait... Thank you for your review!

Guest: I'm truly sorry, I've been very busy lately...

I wish you a good reading!

Chapter 4

2 weeks later…

It was half past midnight, and Helia had not managed to even catch a glimpse of the world of sleep. It was Friday evening, and he was hopefully not going to have school the following day. He was just lying on his back on his bed, once again blankly staring at the ceiling above him. This was something he had always done when he was tired or when something upsetting had happened within the day. And for two weeks, it had been the same reason over and over again: Flora.

Even though the two had known each other for two weeks, it felt like they had for years, at least from his point of view, but the way she teased him, talked and joked with him told him she felt the same way. Since the two saw each other every day, even if it was not for long, Flora had become more confident around him, and they had begun to talk about everything and nothing, as two very old friends would do, after only one week.

Helia sighed and closed his eyes, her perfect face coming back on his mind. There was so much he wondered about her: why were her eyes so mesmerizing that he could not think straight when she stared at him, why couldn't he stop thinking about her, why was he always glad when she was around…

Just when all these questions drove him to sleep, his phone beeped signalling the arrival of a new text message. Groaning, he lifted his arm up to catch the item on the nightstand next to him, thinking this was Nabu or Layla sending him photography from the city where they were for a romantic week-end. But his bad mood reversed when he saw the brunette's name on the screen. He straightened his posture on his bed, even though he knew she couldn't see him, and opened her message.

"Are you sleeping?"

Helia, at first, smiled, but it soon faded away as he realized she was not either. Deciding he did not want to appear as crude to her, he only replied to her question without asking another.

"No, I can't."

Helia received her answer only a few seconds later. He pictured her on a long blue nightgown reaching her knees, lying on her side with her long caramel hair all over her, holding her phone with her right hand and having placed her left one under her pillow, her emerald eyes shining in the darkness, appearing as beautiful as a goddess as she always did…

"Are you sure I did not wake you up?"

Helia smiled softly at this. Of course, she wondered it. This was a part of her Helia liked a lot, her kindness and the fact she was always making sure she did not bother the others.

"Don't worry, I never sleep so early."

"You call it "early" ?"Flora underlined, and Helia would have bet she was smiling at that moment.

"Believe me, when you fall asleep around 2 or 3 a.m., it's early."

"I believe you, don't worry. I just wondered, do you have plans for this week-end?"Flora asked him. Helia felt his heartbeat racing at this, but still tried to remain still on his answer.

"No. Do you?"

"Doing my homework… at least? But I wondered if you wanted to do something on Saturday, with Nabu and Layla?"

"They've taken vacations for themselves, they won't be here…"Helia felt disappointed that they wouldn't see each other "only" because his friends wouldn't be there. At least he thought, until he received her answer seconds later:

"I completely forgot. But we can still see each other, can we?"

"Sure!"Helia then reflected about something before sending this message. Then, this popped into his mind. "There is a special market every year two streets from my home, have you heard about it?"

"Yeah, I wanted to go for a wander there."

"Me too."Helia lied and did not lie at the same time. Every year, he said he was not interested, and every year, he ended going there alone trying to find some stuff for his paintings. "If you want, we could go there tomorrow?"

"Sure, that could be fun! We'll join each other nearby, see you tomorrow!"

"See you."Helia sent his last message for the night and placed his phone back on the night table. He soon realized that he was, for the first time in two weeks, going to spend some time alone with the brunette, moments he quite liked. Of course he loved being with the whole gang, but being alone with Flora would leave them discussing about other subjects, like art, music, or even literature. When he talked with the brunette, he was glad to have someone who shared the same passions as him.

And this was on this thought that Helia finally drifted to the world of sleep with a smile planted on the lips.

After waiting around ten minutes in front of the market, Helia heard a soft voice calling for him. Unlike what he would have expected, Flora seemed to have taken care of her appearance this day. Of course she always did, but this day, she was more radiant than he had ever seen her for these two weeks with her hair tied up in a low bun, hair red mid-sleeve top and her black pants...

"I hope I did not keep you waiting for long!" Flora exclaimed as she arrived next to him. Helia shook his head and smile at the beauty next to him.

"No, not at all don't worry. Shall we go?"

Flora nodded. "Are you looking for something in particular, Helia?"

"Not really, but if there is some painting stuff…"

"You really do love painting, right?"

"You think it's weird?" Helia asked in fear. It was Flora's turn to shake her head.

"No, I think it's attar…" Flora coughed. "Cool. I did not meet a lot of people fond of art, and so good with painting."

"I'm glad to have found someone who understands me." Helia replied with a smile. Flora returned his grin, staring at him with those mesmerizing eyes of hers, but soon turned around and went to a stand where the person was selling some books. He went to follow her, but was interrupted.

"Good afternoon." Helia heard. He turned around and saw Niobe, Layla's mother, smiling brightly at him. The young man returned her smile, glad to see her. He soon remembered that Niobe had always participated in these kinds of markets, even though he never clearly understood why.

"Afternoon Niobe." Helia smiled at Layla's mother. "Are you selling well?"

"Not really." Layla's mother admitted with a shrug. "I don't understand why nobody wants those books."

Helia smirked after looking at the back covers of some books. "Because they're from last century, maybe?"

Niobe rolled her eyes. "I understand why you and Nabu have been friends since kindergarten. You're exactly the same."

"A leopard cannot change its spots." Helia replied with a shrug.

"Helia, I found some… Oh, sorry, I hope I'm not disturbing." Flora apologized when she noticed Niobe. Helia extended his arm towards her.

"This is Flora." He introduced her friend with a smile. Niobe extended her hands towards the brunette, who placed the book she had just bought under her armpit and shook it.

"Layla told me about you. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Flora replied with one of her perfect smiles that Helia had grown to love. He coughed to himself, trying once again to erase those stupid thoughts.

"I see you like botany." Niobe said after taking a look at the book. "The seller next to me has some if you want to look at them."

"I'll go." Flora replied with a smile, and Niobe stared at the brunette who walked away. Helia soon understood that if Layla's mother had advised this, it was because she wanted to say something to Helia only.

"Both of you look good together." She told him once Flora had gone to the next seller. Helia rubbed the back of his head nervously, hoping Flora did not hear Layla's mother's comment.

"We are not together. We're just friends."

Niobe smiled gently at him. "I know, but Layla told me this wouldn't last for long."

Helia shrugged, almost tired by this need to have them being together. Never had his friends acted this way when he met a woman. "I'm not sure, Niobe."

"Believe me, you two have a lot of chemistry." Niobe told him. "The same chemistry Nabu and Layla had when they were only friends. See what it has become?"

Helia sighed and was about to reply, until Flora called him from two stands away. "Helia, come and see what I found!"

"Good luck with your sales." Helia told Niobe, who waved at him in return. The young man joined his friend, who had already bought some books about botany, something she liked. When he reached her, he noticed the special pens for sketches that were exposed on the stand.

"I thought you'd like them." Flora said. Helia shook his head.

"I would love, but they are way too expensive."

"Oh, that's too bad." Flora seemed sorry for him, but Helia did not mind not being able to afford the money for now.

"That's fine, maybe one day I'll manage to buy them." Then, he remembered something they discussed on their way. "By the way, did you finish your painting for your class?"

It was Flora's turn to shake her head. Then, out of nowhere, she seemed excited. "I can show some place to you, you'll help me with my painting there!" Flora excitedly announced, taking his hand in the process and dragging him behind her. In two weeks, this wasn't the first contact of her skin against his, and of course, it wasn't the first time it felt his skin was burning under her touch, without being painful or anything negative. In these moments, Helia indeed wanted her never to let him go and to keep touching him, even though he was still aware these moments would have to end.

And he kept wondering why he had felt this way for two weeks.

After a dozen of minutes of walking, they reached the entrance of the so-called Rainbow Forest, called this way due to the fact that the reflexion of light on the lake resulted in whirl of colours springing out. Helia had always thought this was a wonderful place, even though it was not a very popular one. But he did not really mind, since this allowed him so peaceful time when he needed to be alone without staying on his room.

"Do you come here often?" He asked Flora, who turned to him with the brightest smile planted on the lips after parting some branches that prevented them from advancing more.

"When I moved in, I immediately began to explore forests nearby, and I encountered this spot. I love it here."

"I do too." Helia replied with a grin of his own. Another common point. He thought, but discreetly shook his head. After Flora finished removing the branches from their path, they both walked towards the small lake giving the name to the spot, and sat before it, on a large area of grass. Flora soon told him she had completely forgotten her sketchbook, but fortunately for her, Helia always carried his on his bag. He handed it to her.

"You'd rather start with the lake." Helia advised. "So you'll have a better view of the space left for the trees."

After an hour and a half, both of them had completely lost their focus on the drawing and had begun to talk about other subjects. Flora really seemed interested in his passions, and had kept asking him about his first paintings and if he had some plots for a novel. However, when it came to her, Helia did not learn a lot about her past. He knew what she wanted to do in the future and what she liked, but he still did not know much about her. The only time Helia asked her about this, Flora had grown paler, leaving him to understand this was a sensitive subject. So, he did not bring it back.

And finally, they began to talk about fantasy, Helia's favorite themes in novels or in movies. Fairies, wizards, werewolves, vampires, ghosts… they discussed about every little theme, and once again, Helia realized they liked the same things.

"And you'd like to meet dragons?" While asking this, Flora had fully extended her arm on the grass that parted the both of them. And what seemed even stranger was that she was taping the tip of her fingers, patting the spot underneath her hand. Helia wasn't sure anymore. Was her gesture a subtle invitation for him to come closer? Or was he misunderstanding everything and this was just a twitch she was having?

"I-I don't know." Helia answered, without moving. Flora kept staring at him without blinking, and this managed to surprise and embarrass him even more. "I-If they're good ones, I guess it would be great."

"I understand you." Flora replied, finally closing her eyes. But Helia's heartbeat did not slow up… "I'd love to meet one too."

Helia smiled at her answer, even though his hands kept trembling. Flora had not done anything, and yet here he was, trembling like a dead leaf after she just stared at him. The two fell under a small silence, with Helia trying his best to calm down without a lot of results. After a dozen of seconds, his eyes fell on her once again, and once again, he was completely mesmerized by her beauty. Her hair was slowly floating with the wind, her eyes were closed, she looked so calm and relaxed that Helia's heart almost melted at the sight.

He started to wonder if his friends were right… But his pessimism kept reminding him this was too soon.

"I-I had a wonderful day." Helia told her while rubbing the back of his neck nervously once again, as a deep blush appeared on her cheeks. The two had spent another hour laying on the grass, talking about any subject that would come to their minds, until Flora remembered she had not done her homework and that it was already 7p.m. So the two decided it was time to go home, even though Helia wished they could have stayed together a little more.

"Thank you." Flora said. Unexpectedly, she rose on her tip toes, placed her hands on his shoulders and dropped a small kiss on his cheek. This sensation was nothing like he had ever felt before. The feeling of fire when her skin touched his was nothing like the one of her lips. He longed for feeling more of it, but he was too frozen to even move, even when Flora leant away. "I did too. See you on Monday." She said without a look behind. Helia remained on this position for a couple of seconds, trying to realize what had just happened.

"Woah…"

The next day, Helia sat on the chair in front of his desk to take a look at his drawings after finishing his homework, but his cell phone ringed with the name "Nabu" on the screen. The young artist answered the call immediately.

"Already back?"

"Shut up." Nabu replied. Helia chuckled.

"So, how has your vacation been?"

"Okay… I guess?" Helia would bet Nabu had just shrugged after this sentence. "It's been raining the whole time, so we just visited museums and went to the pool. But I was with Layla, so it was fantastic."

"I'm glad for you then." Helia replied sincerely. It was true that Nabu had never been happier than when he was with Layla, and this made him happy for his friend.

"And you, what about your week-end?"

"Nothing special." Helia lied to him. He was not sure if he needed to tell his friend about his Saturday with Flora, but hearing Nabu laugh at the other end snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Niobe told us you were with Flora yesterday."

Helia rolled his eyes to himself and groaned. He could not even hide a single thing from him after all.

"She wanted to see the market."

"And you jumped on the occasion to be alone with her!"

"I did not jump on anything."

"Yeah, yeah… And what about the kiss?"

"What?!" Helia almost yelled on the phone.

"We were on the car with Layla. We saw you."

"She just kissed me on the cheek!"

"But it was still a kiss! How many girls did kiss you on the cheek after two weeks?"

"None, but it does not matter. We've only known each other for two weeks."

"Hey, this would be love at first sight… that's not a bad thing!"

"This only happens in tales, Nabu."

"Or maybe not… Look at yourself, we've been friends for years now, and you've never acted this way with a woman before, and certainly not after two weeks."

"And? Maybe it's just another scale of friendship or something like this."

"Or maybe we're all right and you really do have a crush on her."

"It's too soon to say, Nabu."

"Hey, it's not a bad thing. It's not like you wanted to propose to her or anything, just ask her out on a date and see how it will end."

Helia chuckled to himself. "When have you become such a love expert?"

"I've just been in a relationship for a couple of years now."

The young man smiled, but soon his grin faded away and left him sighing. "Listen Nabu, thanks for your advice but… I'm not sure if I'm in love right now."

"Okay, if you say so… but remember that it's not too soon!"

As the two hung up, Helia did nothing for a few seconds except staring at the emptiness before him. Nabu's words pondered on his mind. He rubbed his eyes, trying to stop thinking about it, and grabbed his sketchbook and a pen. As he got lost in his thoughts once again, he wrote without really thinking.

Her voice is the whisper of wind-swept trees

Putting my troubled mind at ease

Her eyes are lit with the new stars aura

I long to be close to my dear Flora.

As he finished the poem and placed the pen next on his desk, he wondered if it was too soon.

If it was too soon to admit that his heart was indeed beating faster because of her.

So, what did you think of this chapter? Not a lot occured, but I wanted to write about Helia's feelings growing up. There will be another time lapse in the next chapter, a bigger one this time... so be prepared!

Reviews? :D